Catholicism and psychedelics can seem like opposites, but Dr. Andrew Del Rossi, who directs a spirituality and retreat center at a Catholic abbey, says faith and plant medicine can meet when a person arrives with a foundation, an intention and humility. In this first public conversation on the subject, he tells Jeremy Van Wert how his experiences deepened his sense of Christ.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Dr. Del Rossi says the people he has seen struggle most with plant medicines are those who have no foundation, such as a moral code or belief system, to work from.
- He describes the Catholic church as an institutional hierarchy that has often shunned its mystics until after they die.
- He credits Teilhard de Chardin's idea of the cosmic Christ with helping him connect his personal experiences to his Christian faith.
- He believes a dominant ego can lead to hard experiences, and that practice of any kind helps turn the volume down so the higher self can be heard.
- His message to curious Christians is to go with love, because the God Christians believe in is a God of love.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠCan you follow Christ and be curious about plant medicine?
This is the second part of an interview. Dr. Andrew Del Rossi holds a position in the Catholic Church, and he and Jeremy first spoke privately about plant-based psychedelic medicine. Because he works inside a Christian institution, he had never discussed it publicly and thought carefully before agreeing to.
Jeremy poses the question many believers carry: is a psychedelic experience a danger to your faith or your soul, or can it deepen your relationship with Christ? Before Dr. Del Rossi answers, Jeremy states that this medicine is not recreational. He says it needs a good set and setting, trained people, and a conversation with a medical provider for anyone dealing with mental illness.
Nothing in this episode or on this page is a recommendation to use any substance. If you want to keep exploring questions like these, the Mindful Mutiny community has live Fireside Chats and a course library.
ᚢA seeker from childhood and a first experience of an open heart
Dr. Del Rossi says his interest began in childhood, when he felt more tuned in to unseen energy fields. Later he started reading Carl Jung, whom he calls a great guide into the unconscious, and he credits that reading with shaping how he approached his own experiences.
He describes his first experience as one of color and heart. Walking a crowded boardwalk with a friend, he says he felt total acceptance of everyone around him. He compares it to a moment the Catholic writer Thomas Merton describes on a street corner in Louisville, when Merton realized the flame of God is alive in everyone nearby.
ᚦWhy foundation and intention matter, in his experience
Jeremy asks about the fear that these medicines could distract from Christ or invite in negative entities. Dr. Del Rossi says he is naturally cautious and likes to build a foundation first. He credits his parents for giving him morals, responsibility and a strong faith as a cradle Catholic.
He agrees the worry has some truth. In his anecdotal experience, the people who struggle most are those without a moral code or belief system to work from. That foundation can be Christian, Jewish, Buddhist or something else, he says. Without it, the experience can stay too heady to be brought back into daily life.
He adds that, in his years in the church, he has seen as many people losing their minds from disillusionment with faith as at festivals or ceremonies. He also admits he went into ceremony at times when it was not the right moment, and that those were the harder experiences. For people who want guided support with this kind of deeper work, Jeremy offers psychedelic integration alongside individual therapy and ADHD coaching.
ᚨTeilhard de Chardin, the cosmic Christ and the higher self
Asked how the experience deepened his sense of Christ, Dr. Del Rossi says it first showed him potential and a sense of connection with humanity, the earth and God. Afterward, he reflected on how that fit his Christian foundation. That is where he found Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a priest, paleontologist and soldier whom he calls a visionary.
Teilhard's phrase for the larger presence is the cosmic Christ, the Jesus present in the man of Nazareth and in every corner of the cosmos. Dr. Del Rossi says some circles see him as a heretic for talking this way, which is part of why he stayed quiet.
He uses Jung to explain the ego. When the ego gets too dominant, he says, trouble follows, and some of his own hard sessions came from charting expectations in advance. His answer is practice, with or without the medicine, to turn down the ego's volume so the higher self, which he also calls the Holy Spirit, can resound.
ᚱMysticism, the church and plant medicine
Jeremy asks why the church separated itself from consciousness-changing medicine. Dr. Del Rossi answers by describing the church, in his view, as an institutional power hierarchy that has often shunned its mystics until after they die. He says there is nothing in church documents about these substances, and he recommends a book called The Immortality Key for the historical side.
Jeremy argues that a medicine that can show someone the divine without an intermediary threatens hierarchies. Dr. Del Rossi agrees that in a modern sense it democratizes spirituality. His view is that Christ relates to each person individually, and that psychedelics are one way some people reach that.
ᚲSaving the world, not just the soul
Dr. Del Rossi says Catholicism often focuses on saving your own soul, when it should be about saving the world. He asks how society can claim that goal while certain plants are illegal. He also believes work with combat veterans and people who have survived severe trauma points to why these practices deserve social acceptance. That is his belief, not medical evidence.
He recalls a conference speaker who dismissed psychedelics as episodic mystical experiences. He replied that the experience can be integral, since you may see how every moment of your life led to it. Jeremy compares the dismissal to calling communion juice and a cracker, and Dr. Del Rossi says he sees it as a both and.
ᚷA message for curious Christians
Given the last word, Dr. Del Rossi tells curious Christians to go with love and remember that God loves them. He says challenges can become doorways to loving more, and that if these medicines appear on someone's path, he thinks there is a reason.
He mentions his upcoming book, Sacred Synergy, which he says does not discuss psychedelics but treats spiritual and psychological growth as complementary. If this conversation raised questions about your own path, Jeremy offers a private conversation to talk through where you are.
Psychedelics and plant medicines may be illegal where you live and aren't right for everyone. Nothing here is a recommendation to use any substance. If you have a mental health condition, speak to your medical provider.
ᚨ Questions people ask
Are psychedelics compatible with Catholicism?
Dr. Del Rossi believes they can be, depending on the person's foundation and intention, and says he sees faith and plant medicine as a both and. This is his personal view, not church teaching, and he notes the church has said little about these substances.
Can psychedelics be dangerous to your faith or soul?
Dr. Del Rossi says the concern has some truth for people with no moral code or belief system to work from. Jeremy adds that these are not toys and that anyone with a mental illness should speak to a medical provider.
What is the cosmic Christ?
Dr. Del Rossi describes it as an idea from Teilhard de Chardin of a Christ present in Jesus of Nazareth and in every part of the cosmos. He says it helped him see his experiences as congruent with scripture.
What is Sacred Synergy?
It is Dr. Del Rossi's upcoming book, subtitled Navigating Our Spiritual and Psychological Growth in Evolutionary Times. He says it does not discuss psychedelics.