Examining the Discursive Role of María Sabina in Modern Psychedelic Therapy

I'm thrilled to present "Examining the Discursive Role of María Sabina in Modern Psychedelic Therapy," my final project for Chacruna’s course Roots of Psychedelic Therapy: Shamanism, Ritual and Traditional Uses of Sacred Plants. I feel deeply honored that Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines has chosen to publish my work. Participating in this class was a transformative experience—I genuinely enjoyed every module and benefited immensely from its interdisciplinary and critical approach.

Article Synopsis

In this piece, I explore how María Sabina—the Mazatec curandera renowned for her traditional use of psilocybin mushrooms—has been positioned within contemporary discourses surrounding Western psychedelic therapy. Drawing from historical accounts and modern therapeutic narratives, I trace the shifts in representation: from early exoticization and romanticization to her later framing within biomedical and wellness-driven paradigms.

I argue that these revisions often obscure Sabina’s cultural and spiritual context. Her image has been reframed—sometimes as a mystical pioneer, other times as a mere subject of scientific curiosity—without fully acknowledging the depth of her Mazatec lineage, ceremonial practices, and colonial backdrop. By analyzing how institutions, media, and therapeutic communities invoke her story, the article highlights broader challenges—cultural appropriation, erasure, and the commodification of Indigenous wisdom—that arise at the intersection of Western therapy and traditional plant medicine traditions. Ultimately, I call for a more respectful, contextualized engagement with Sabina’s legacy—one that honors lineage, ceremony, and community, rather than subsuming it within universal clinical frameworks.

About the Chacruna Institute

Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines is a global leader in psychedelic education and advocacy. They advance psychedelic justice by curating critical dialogues and uplifting the perspectives of women, queer, Indigenous, BIPOC, and Global South communities

Curious to learn more? You can explore Chacruna’s diverse online workshops and courses—including the one I completed—here: https://chacruna.net/