Psychedelics and Soul Care (What Christians Need to Know)

Whether you are curious, cautious, called to counsel others—or all three—begin here.

In the late fourth century, Basil the Great built one of Christianity’s first hospitals—housing the sick, the dying, and the stranger under one roof. From the beginning, the church has understood healing and salvation as entwined, body and soul cared for together. Today, that ancient vocation meets a new frontier.

Psychedelic treatments are moving further into clinical medicine, showing real promise for depression, PTSD, addiction, and end-of-life distress. A consistent pattern has emerged in the research: many patients describe their experiences in spiritual terms. Conversations about what these experiences mean are beginning to surface in pastoral offices, therapy sessions, and hospital rooms—yet few Christians have a framework for engaging them.

Psychedelics and Soul Care fills that gap. Jaime Clark-Soles—a New Testament scholar, ordained Baptist minister, and seminary professor—writes from the rare vantage point of someone who has done the science, the theology, and the journey itself, having participated in the landmark Johns Hopkins psilocybin study with religious professionals. She offers a clear grasp of the clinical landscape, deep engagement with Scripture and Christian mystical tradition, sober attention to risk, and honest reckoning with ethics.

From Basil’s hospital to today’s clinical research, the work of healing continues—and the church belongs in it.