The Ecology of Spirituality

The Biological Mystery of the Sacred

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From anthropological reports and comparative religious studies to personal accounts and neuroscience, it’s undeniable that psychedelics reliably produce spiritual experiences that offer universal insights and meaning across time, place, and culture. They tap into something primal and profoundly human, guiding us toward what might be considered essential truths. I’ve long suspected that these sacred encounters have evolutionary and ecological functions. They may serve to shape our perceptions and behaviors in ways that enhance the survival and harmony of life on Earth. Seen this way, the spiritual experience becomes a product of the planet herself (and who knows, maybe the cosmos) nurturing individuals and communities with a sense of purpose rooted not only in personal meaning but in a shared ecospiritual context.

At the broadest level, psychedelics are biological tools produced by ancient organisms, intelligent plant and fungi allies and teachers. These naturally occurring chemicals—when taken into the human body—unlock potent therapeutic and enlightening experiences. By promoting neural growth and plasticity, they help rearrange the brain’s information flow and spark insights that resonate deeply across cultural and religious divides. As such, psychedelics may function as evolutionary adaptogens, ushering in insights that feel sacred, deeply embedded within us yet catalyzed by our relationship to the natural world.

But what is this “spiritual experience”? Simply put, it’s an encounter that feels universally meaningful, transcending the boundaries of time, space, culture and language. Scientists often label these experiences as “mystical” or “religious,” but for me, the word ecospiritual best captures their essence. While mystical traditions and religions use various terms to encapsulate teachings on the ecospiritual, the experiences themselves are products of Nature, lying between the organism and the natural world. Religion and mysticism are born from spiritual experience, not the other way around. And though religions document and interpret these moments, I believe that spiritual experiences ultimately connect us to the sacred creative whole—what I call Nature, though others might call it God.

William James, a philosopher and psychologist who famously studied spiritual experience, once observed that in mystical states, people “become one with the Absolute and become aware of this oneness.” To James, the spiritual experience was “ineffable,” defying expression, and “noetic,” imparting truths that go beyond the intellectual. It was transient yet transformative and tended to be passive—a gift received rather than actively sought. These characteristics are echoed across cultures, suggesting a universal structure to the sacred.

The implications are profound. By inducing spiritual experiences that reveal unity, transcendence, and archetypal themes, psychedelics invite us to see ourselves as interconnected with all life. The sense of unity that often emerges shows us that, at a fundamental level, all is one; separation is but a perceptual error. Archetypal images reveal our shared psychological tapestry, while the transcendence of personal identity opens us to realms beyond the physical, touching the infinite through the finite.

And in examining the mystical journey across various traditions—Sufism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism—one can’t help but see the same universal goal: union. This process of “returning to the whole” requires us to surrender the ego and step beyond individual concerns. Sufism teaches this through stages of surrender, or maqamat, while Buddhism’s Eightfold Path encourages ethical and mindful living to dissolve attachment and reach liberation. St. Teresa of Avila, in her Interior Castle, speaks of the soul’s ascent toward God through humility and love. These paths all emphasize a radical dissolution of the self, which feels necessary for reaching the sacred creative whole.

Yet, what fascinates me most is how these traditions appear to point beyond the spiritual toward something biological and ecological. Mysticism, in this sense, seems less a supernatural occurrence and more an organic, natural one, rooted in life itself. Why, then, are we wired to have these sacred experiences? What role might they play in our evolution, in our ecosystems, even in the survival of our planet?

As I reflect on these questions, I’m drawn to the idea that spiritual experiences hold not just spiritual significance but ecological purpose. Indigenous traditions have always known this—seeing the divine not as something detached from nature but as nature itself. Western thought separated the sacred from the natural, creating the concept of the supernatural. But if we view the sacred experience as a natural, biologically rooted process, it may offer insights for restoring our connection to the web of life—a connection we desperately need as we face an environmental crisis.

Could it be that sacred experiences—these moments of profound oneness, insight, and awe—are meant to guide us back to the Earth? Could they remind us of our place within the living system of the planet, bridging the individual with the collective, the personal with the planetary? As I explore the Psygaia hypothesis at the University of Ottawa, I begin to see that the mystical path is definitely more than a journey toward self-realization. It is an invitation to reconnect with the Earth and cosmos.

In the end, the mystical path is about union—a union with the divine, but also with the living systems of our planet and cosmos. Through the spiritual experience, we glimpse an interconnected reality that transcends the personal and touches the universal. And perhaps, as we deepen our understanding of this connection, we might find the key not only to personal awakening but to the awakening of the Gaia herself.

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I am sending out this essay today to celebrate two things.

First, if you don’t know, I am building Psygaia, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing ecological medicine and improving planetary health through interdisciplinary psychedelic research, education, community, and support. Inspired by a deep reverence for nature's wisdom and shamanic healing traditions, Psygaia strives towards the integration of psychedelics into society and culture so we can come back into right relationship with the Earth. We recently released our first survey, exploring the effects of psychedelics on mental health, spirituality and connection to nature.

Second, I want to celebrate the launch of UCLA’s Ecological Medicine & Psychedelic Studies Initiative, which I am very excited about. This is an important launch as it indicates growing interest from established institutions in ecological medicine and psychedelics for planetary health.

Thanks for being here.