EP25: (Session 2) Revelation and Return: Religious Professionals Share Their Stories From the Hopkins Trial

The NYU–Johns Hopkins Religious Professionals Study explored the effects of psilocybin on clergy from diverse faith backgrounds, including rabbis, ministers, and imams. Participants reported profound spiritual experiences, with many saying the sessions deepened their sense of vocation and connection to the divine. It has become a landmark in understanding how psychedelics might intersect with spiritual leadership and religious life. Since the study’s results were released just a few months ago, it has received significant coverage in the media. After Michael Pollan’s New Yorker piece, and Jay Michaelson’s beautiful response, there are still more stories to tell.
In our second installment, you’ll hear from Jeff Vidt. a crtified Spiritual Care Specialist and registered Psychotherapist, Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan, Ph.D., the religious leader of Seaside Jewish Community, Rehoboth Beach, and  Pastor Ruben Nuño, Director of the Ecumenical Outreach Partnership at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Moderated by Hunt Priest, founder and Director of Community Relations of Ligare: A Christian Psychedelic Society, this event offers a rare window into how psilocybin and the groundbreaking study from John’s Hopkins and NYU impacted the spiritual lives and trajectories of these leaders.

This podcast is offered as a free community resource by Shefa: Jewish Psychedelic Support. If you feel moved to donate to support this work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you may do ⁠so on⁠ our⁠⁠⁠ website⁠ here.⁠⁠⁠

Our intro and outro music is an excerpt of the song ⁠Ein Od⁠ by ⁠Yosef Goldman⁠.