“This is a medicine that brings you back to yourself. And therefore it brings you back to God”: Muslim women’s experiences with psychedelics

Islam is often understood as holding restrictive views on mind-altering substances, such as alcohol, which many scholars extend to psychedelics and plant-based medicines. Religious stigma, in combination with cultural stigma and legal barriers, has contributed to limited Muslim engagement with psychedelics and to their underrepresentation in psychedelic spaces and research. As a result, little is known about how Muslims who do engage with psychedelics, and how they understand and integrate these experiences within their religious and cultural frameworks. This study explored the lived experiences of Muslim women who have used psychedelics, with particular attention to meaning-making, religious/cultural identity, and mental health and well-being. Despite significant barriers, ten Muslim women were recruited and participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants reflected on how they navigated religious teachings, cultural expectations, and intersecting systems of oppression while engaging with psychedelics and how these experiences influenced their sense of self, spirituality, and healing. Interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Six interrelated themes were identified: (1) From Curiosity to Healing; (2) Reimagining Faith and Relationship with Allah; (3) Working Through Fear, Guilt, and Shame; (4) Negotiating the Legitimacy of Psychedelics; (5) Navigating Intersectional Oppression, Representation, and Belonging; and (6) Reconstructing Self, Purpose, and the Role of Psychedelics. Findings highlight the complex ways Muslim women negotiate psychedelic use within religious, cultural, and sociopolitical constraints. The implications for culturally responsive clinical practice, inclusive psychedelic research, and related policy considerations for Muslim populations are highlighted.