Psychedelics are known as: hallucinogens, or hallucinogenic drugs, that are chemical substances that induce hallucinations and other sensory encounters. Included on the list of psychedelics: LSD, MDMA, Ayahuasca, and DMT to name a few.
Psychedelics such as magic mushrooms, have been healing since the beginning of time. Rumor has it, these fruiting bodies were the only bodies occupying planet earth and somehow, we have them in our genetics.
In this piece, we’re talking about psychedelics as medicine for Blackity Blackness—especially for Black women. We’re pulling lessons from the gracious mind of Robin Divine, whose life has changed since incorporating psychedelics in her life.
I met Robin via a chance encounter on Twitter, which led to me sharing her story with other black women in psychedelics for Cash Color Cannabis. Because of these lovely hallucinogens, she’s on an inclusive mission to help all black folk attain healing. Check out more about the mission below
Q & A w/ Robin Divine
[A: Alaina | R: Robin ]
A: Robin, you know your subject better than I do, so introduce yourself.
R: Okay, I am Robin Divine. I’m a writer and advocate for therapies and psychedelics for black women. I am the creator of Black People Trip (BPT). Our (my) goals at BPT are:
- to raise awareness about what psychedelics can do
- show all the good they can they can use for healing for education, trauma reduction of community
- to create safe space
We need these resources as Black folks. Psychedelics have a very non-black space right now.
A: I believe we’re entering a new age in the black community so there is a lot of talk, a lot of interest, and a lot of complete ignorance. Growing up, I heard people talk about weed. And I knew black people who tried psychedelics, but I felt like that was more so because we were in the suburbs- so the exposure and access to what white people had. Anyway, how did you get into psychedelics? What was a love story-like journey: how did you “meet”?
R: It is a very new love story! I got into psychedelics because I was super depressed. Nothing was helping like, I was on a ton of meds and in therapy (I still am), but I felt something else had to give. So I started reading Medium articles and found one about this guy who did MDMA. He said it felt like it was 20 years of talk therapy in one session.
So I found the guide, did a session, and loaded MDMA and mushrooms (love those two). Now I’m sure it’s the way to go for me. For me. They aren’t for everybody—some people still are going to need or still going to want to use Western medicine. And that’s cool too. You got to find what works for you—but psychedelics are an option that most of us don’t know about.
So, that’s my story. I’m seeing where it goes because there’s so much more out there.
A: Which psychedelics have you tried? What was your experience with each of them? What were your intentions when you were trying each kind?
R: The first time I did MDMA was with a guide. And I didn’t know what to expect—I didn’t really have an intention. I went with an openness. Many talk about how important set and setting is.
My guide and I did not have a good connection. She was a white woman, and we just didn’t click. So it wasn’t the best trip. It was a good trip for the medicine and myself because I really found some good self mode. But that’s why I made this whole thing: I feel like we need black people to guide us through this experience because it is so powerful and so vulnerable.
Second time I tripped again with her. I didn’t know where else to go. I did MDMA combined with mushrooms. And that was VERY intense. I passed out for about six hours and I didn’t recall any of it! She recorded it and more stuff came up. That was great. A few times have been at home alone on my own mushrooms. I prefer having a sitter with me but I gotta find the right person. So that’s still part of my journey: finding my own set and setting that works for me.
A: How do you vet a safe source for psychedelics?
R: This has been very hit or miss. I’ve been scammed online three times in a row. So, there’s no way to vet someone online. The guy got the medicine from a friend. I trusted her, so I had to trust the medicine. And my last source was someone that I met on Instagram and I trusted her.
It’s hard. I think you’ve really got to make connections with people. And that can’t be rushed. It’ll come with time. Very cliche, but psychedelics will find their way to you.
A: You deserve support for what you do! What psychedelic resources do you offer for the Black and curious about psychedelics?
R: I need financial support getting “Black People Trip” written! The way my brain is set up, I need the time and space because I just don’t have that right now. Life is so crazy, so I have no time to put more together. So I’m crowdfunding to cover at least one month of rent to sit my butt down and write this book.
A: Tell us about “Black People Trip.”
R: It’s about my journey. For the past 35 years I’ve moved about the health system to therapy to finding psychedelics—all while doing it as a black queer woman. It’s been a whole other journey unto itself to be black, and queer, and a woman. And the mental health system is very White-dominated.
A: Other than fundraising to complete your book, what are other ways that you help out/teach about psychedelics?
R: I’m offering a very basic intro course about psychedelics geared towards black women. I cover all the things that I had to learn the hard way. I’m making it easy for people to learn and to trip safely.
A. Cool. Where can people find you?
R: People can find me on:
- Instagram: @blackpeopletrip
- Email: robin@blackpeopletrip.com
The website is coming soon!
Thank you for reading and give Robin a follow for more info. Comment below about your experience with psychedelics.
Alaina Dorsey is a professional draftswoman, freelance Creative Strategist and owner of Creative Ether, LLC, an artmaking and social media marketing company. Bud Biz Creativ is the cannabis, hemp and ecommerce side: she crafts brand lore-driven social content campaigns that are daring, distinct and experiential. It’s a brilliant amalgam of branding, strategy, social media and content marketing
Written by: Alaina Dorsey
Edited by: Veronica Castillo
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