Magic mushrooms helped a Navajo woman deal with trauma. Now she wants to help others

Marlena Robbins believes psilocybin could help treat mental health and addiction issues among Native Americans

Even though therapy helped Marlena Robbins better understand her intergenerational trauma, she wanted to delve deeper into her healing practice. In 2019, on the recommendation of her partner, Robbins sat at her home altar with a dose of psychedelic mushrooms. Drawing upon her Dine, or Navajo, heritage, she said a prayer and asked the mushrooms for guidance. The experience changed the trajectory of her life.

When I sit with [mushrooms], it's like engaging with the holy people. I see them as doctors," Robbins said. They're already writing the prescription. They're already writing the treatment plan."