This September, SoundMind joined state leaders, community advocates, and other key stakeholders in Lancaster for the PA Latino Convention, an annual gathering focused on championing the needs of the state’s rapidly expanding Latinx community. Pennsylvania’s Latinx population has more than doubled in the last 20 years—to nearly one million residents—and is home to the second largest migration of Puerto Ricans following Hurricane Maria. 

The convention covered a range of topics regarding the social, educational, political, and economic wellbeing of the state’s Latinx population, with a focus on both celebrating Latinx achievements and preparing for the unique needs of this burgeoning community.

SoundMind’s panel, “Moving Latinx Mental Health Pa’Lante with Psychedelic Medicine,” which took place on September 30th, centered the potential of psychedelic medicine to address unhealed trauma and untreated mental illness, and the need for equal and culturally responsive access for Latinx Pennsylvanians. 

Speakers included: 

• Dr. Hannah McLane, MD, MA, MPH, SoundMind Center

• Jess Jones, LCSW, SoundMind Center

• Victor Cabral, LSW, Harvest 3 Gathering, LLC

• TaLisa Ramos-Watts, LSW, Harvest 3 Gathering LLC

As panelists emphasized, Psychedelics have immense historical significance as spiritual healing practices within many Latinx, Indigenous, and African cultures, and the psychedelic medicine movement today is indebted to these traditional healers and the wisdom and practices they have honed. Breakthroughs in clinical research are now demonstrating that MDMA, psilocybin, ketamine, and other psychedelic substances can help people heal from treatment-resistant depression, end-of-life-anxiety, PTSD, and other life-threatening mental health disorders. These treatments have the potential to foster healing among Latinx Pennsylvanians—a community that experiences disproportionate levels of trauma and mental illness, and continues to struggle for equity and social justice amid centuries of colonization, racism, and cultural erasure.

“A lot of the times when we discuss intergenerational trauma or things that have happened in the past, we talk about negative aspects,” said TaLisa Ramos-Watts, “but think about the amazing amount of strength that we received from our ancestors. I think in order to honor those who have…come before us, we have every right to take time to really heal in this way, utilizing psychedelic medicine. We deserve this healing...our ancestors have given it as a gift to us [and] I've seen changed lives.”

While modern use of psychedelic-assisted therapies, especially ketamine-assisted therapy, which is currently legal and available in Pennsylvania, is rapidly becoming more accessible, it is unclear if these breakthrough treatments will be available and culturally attuned to Latinx patients. 

As Jess Jones noted in the panel, “We can talk about medical trauma, like if you're in a car accident and you hit your head…[b]ut there's also trauma that occurs and affects our hearts, mind, and souls. It affects the way we relate with people. It affects our behavior. It affects our worldview. It affects the way we see ourselves…[unfortunately], there's still quite a lack of culturally responsive treatments that are available and that are affordable—[that’s] something we want to address today.” 

Panelists Dr. Hannah McLane and Victor Cabral highlighted the importance of preparing for psychedelic-assisted therapies, having concurrent therapy with a trusted guide, and the specific barriers that may affect Latinx patients from accessing this treatment. 

Cost, availability of therapists who share Latinx culture and identity, the extended length of psychedelic-assisted sessions, and other logistical hurdles could make psychedelic-assisted therapy especially challenging. 

“I've worked with single moms who had PTSD or trauma, who couldn't even make it to an hour appointment during the week,” noted Victor Cabral, “so we're asking them to take a whole day off…to go sit in an office for eight hours. These are all things that we're talking about, and trying to formulate ways that we can provide that support. Because we understand that even being able to sit in an office for an hour is a privilege, right?” 

SoundMind is committed to developing psychedelic-assisted treatment protocols that are culturally relevant and attuned to Latinx, BIPOC, and other marginalized patient populations. We also work to train the next generation of diverse, trauma-informed, anti-racist psychedelic-assisted therapists.

“If you're someone going into treatment, I believe you should have the option of having someone that's had the same background as you,” Dr. Hannah McLane said. “And that's a challenge in itself, because not everyone has had the opportunity to go get a master's degree [to become a therapist]. All these different barriers, [we’re working on] how to create this infrastructure. West Philly seems to me to be very fertile ground for these conversations…[for] really having different voices chime in at the very beginning of this.” 

For a full transcript of this panel, see here.