Are psychedelics to blame for Prince Harry’s behavior, the British press wondered

Experts say using psychedelics can distort people's views of loved ones and make them "easily influenced by others."

Prince Harry admitted that he used psychedelic substances to cope with the death of his mother, writes the Daily Mail.

Experts say these treatments, based on psychedelic drugs, can help manage trauma, pain and anxiety. But there are also voices that say they can turn people who have been treated into people who are easy to manipulate.

Prince Harry and his wife.

During several interviews, the 38-year-old Duke of Sussex has claimed that he self-medicated with ayahuasca and magic mushrooms to cope with the loss of his mother, Princess Diana. They are illegal in most states in the US and UK, but increasingly extensive and credible research shows they have therapeutic value in treating trauma, addiction and mental health problems, reducing inhibitions and allowing patients to open up fully.

Dr. Matthew Johnson, a psychiatrist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic Consciousness Research, told DailyMail.com about the dangers of being too open: "Openness seems good, but there can be too much openness... phase."

Dr. Johnson said that if there are serious problems in a patient's family, such drugs often help users become more forgiving and see things from a different perspective. “But some people have even more resentment towards their loved ones,” he said.

Prince Harry admitted he only cried once over his mother's death and said he was wracked with guilt because he couldn't express his grief.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle controversially stepped away from the royal family in early 2020 in a bitter split dubbed "Megxit".

Since then, they have hinted at racism and mistreatment at the hands of the royal family in several television interviews and a Netflix documentary.

In an interview with 60 Minutes that aired recently, Prince Harry revealed that he experimented with psychedelic therapy seven years ago while he was still coming to terms with the death of his mother in 1997.

He says he used hallucinogenic drugs under the supervision of a therapist.

Dr Rachel Yehuda, director of the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research at Mount Sinai, told DailyMail.com: "The idea is to achieve some state that is useful for understanding."

While Dr. Johnson says therapy is valuable, he also says that sometimes it can have the opposite effect, and that a person whose mind has become open is more likely to understand and consider the opinions of others, but that being too open leaves one vulnerable.

What are ayahuasca and psilocybin?

Magic mushrooms, or any mushrooms containing psilocybin, are illegal in most US states, but are used in Oregon and some Colorado under medical supervision.

Psilocybin helps against depression by stimulating a receptor in the brain called 5-HT2A. According to the researchers, this causes a clinical condition that is "best described as a daydream" that users may later recall.

It also releases a surge of dopamine, which is involved in mood regulation, and a neurotransmitter called glutamate.

This puts the brain into a more flexible state, “opening a therapeutic window of opportunity,” according to scientists, creating positive changes in the minds of people with treatment-resistant depression.

Meanwhile, Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic drink made by boiling grapevine stems along with the leaves of the chacruna bush, native to the Amazon region.

It is legal in most Latin American countries, but illegal to prepare, distribute or possess in the UK.

The psychedelic drug contains the compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is one of the most powerful hallucinogens known in the world. DMT is also a Class A drug in the UK and carries the same potential penalties as psilocybin.

Dr. Johnson said that even with a great therapist and an ideal situation, a person using these drugs is vulnerable and can distort reality.

But the expert added that for many people, "therapy means coming to terms with personal problems, with others... [și] they feel like they have received closure from trauma."