Underground psychedelic boom
- The International
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
Christian Green investigates the rise of psychedelic self-medication in Denmark, and the uneasy gap between clinical research, public demand, and political action.
Photographs: Various
Text: Christian Green
The underground use of psychedelic drugs is thought to be quietly rising in Denmark and across Europe.
That is according to a 2025 European Drug Agency report, which notes that an unknown but increasing number of people are seeking out substances like LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin-containing mushrooms not just for recreation, but because of their perceived therapeutic and mental-health benefits.
Responding to the rise in underground use, The Alternative and Liberal Alliance created a proposal in the fall of 2025 to establish a governmental working group designed to investigate psychedelic drug use in Denmark.
But when members of parliament met on December 11 to discuss the proposed working group, representatives of nearly every other party, including Minister of the Interior and Health Sophia Lødhe of The Liberals, declined to support the measure.
Each member stated that they were happy to support research leading to eventual clinical approval of psychedelic compounds as recognised medicines, but they were sceptical of any political approach.
“I support the intention that we should ensure new treatments for people with mental illnesses,” Sophia Lødhe said during the debate, “but… we are not promoting safe, innovative or effective treatment for patients in Denmark by setting up yet another working group.”
Karin Liltorp of The Alternative, who authored the proposal and argued on its behalf, said that the working group’s goal would not be to overrule clinical trials, but to shed light on the public health issues associated with those who are already self-medicating with psychedelics, and who must do so secretly since they are illegal for non-research use.
"We must recognise that thousands of Danes are already seeking out these drugs every day, and currently they must do so secretly," Karin Liltorp told Last Week in Denmark prior to the December 11 debate.
Though it seems that this working group is unlikely to move forward, given the lack of support from other parties, these drugs will continue on the path towards clinical approval, and researchers say that the quiet world of psychedelic self-medication will continue to grow outside of official view.
“We must recognise that thousands of Danes are already seeking out these drugs.”
Why more people are self-medicating with psychedelics
Kevin Mikkelsen has spent the past seven years tracking Denmark's underground psychedelic communities. The Copenhagen-based psychotherapist and founder of the Centre for Psychedelic Education (CEPDA) first began interviewing underground facilitators as part of his bachelor's thesis. What he's observed since then, he says, is a fundamental shift.
"Maybe 10 years ago or so, most people interested in using psychedelics weren't really seeking them out because of any perceived health benefits," Mikkelsen told Last Week in Denmark. Back then, people using magic mushrooms or LSD were mostly seeking spiritual exploration, expanded consciousness, or recreational experiences.
But over the years, as psychedelic clinical trials showing promising results treating PTSD, depression, and substance abuse disorders have made increasing media headlines, the kind of people seeking out these drugs has shifted.
"At our informational events today, we see bankers, doctors, teachers, students, everybody," Mikkelsen said. "There are all kinds of people who are suffering in some way and looking for new perspectives, but they can't access the information or resources they need."
A 2022 survey of 500 Danish psychedelic users captured this dynamic as well. When asked for the primary reason they used psychedelic drugs, the most cited response was “therapeutic use,” with “to experience something spiritual” close behind in second place.
The shift reflects a broader pattern described by the European Union Drug Agency: as clinical research generates positive headlines about psychedelic-assisted therapy for depression, PTSD, and addiction, more people are seeking these substances outside medical settings.
Less attention means less data
When a person decides to try psychedelics, many choose to do so with a facilitator who creates the setting for a trip and guides them through the experience.
Kevin Mikkelsen says he has seen a significant increase in new underground facilitators over the past five years, driven by rising demand from new users who want therapeutic support.
"The research has created this surge of interest, but there is a lack of public information or safe processes," Mikkelsen said. "That creates a big market for people who want to do underground therapy, but do not necessarily have any experience or accreditation. While many people are benefiting, some are also being hurt."
Today, he estimates there may be at least 100 actively practising underground facilitators in Denmark, though he says this count is an “unscientific guess” based on his work in these communities.
Given that the private use of psychedelic drugs is illegal, these facilitators operate in a legal grey zone, which makes things difficult for those researching them. Almost no one knows how many Danes are using psychedelics, or under what circumstances.
The European Union Drug Agency acknowledges on its website that psychedelics "are not well monitored by existing surveillance systems, meaning that it is difficult to comment with confidence on the prevalence of use and recent trends."
Danish national survey data offers only glimpses. Recent estimates suggest 7% of 16-44-year-olds have used hallucinogenic mushrooms at least once. A 2024 report found that 1.5% of respondents had used hallucinogenic mushrooms in the past year and 0.8% had used LSD—slight increases from 2021, when 1.1% had used mushrooms, and less than 0.3% had used LSD.
But these numbers may significantly undercount actual use.
Danish customs have reported a steep rise in the number of psilocybin-containing mushrooms and other psychedelics seized, and a paper published by Aarhus University’s Centre for Drug Research notes that increasing numbers of young people in treatment for substance abuse report using psychedelic drugs.
Margit Anne Petersen, associate professor at Aarhus University and a co-author of that paper, told Last Week in Denmark that psychedelics still ultimately make up a small portion of the drugs consumed in Denmark when compared to cannabis or cocaine.
“Since they are less of an issue, they get less attention,” Margit Anne Petersen said. “That also means we get less data on their usage.”
“A big first step” towards public conversation
For those who want to self-medicate through psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions, there are no agreed-upon standards of care or practices for facilitators, leaving users at some risk.
In her research, Margit Anne Petersen has interviewed roughly 20 underground psychedelic facilitators. She's found that while many have long histories of psychedelic use and experience guiding others, they differ widely in their philosophies and methods.
Some embrace the new therapeutic approach, modelling their sessions on those conducted in clinical trials. Others believe the psychedelic field has become over-medicalised, preferring to draw on its roots in spiritual and indigenous roots.
Petersen believes that, even if The Alternative were able to eventually decriminalise psychedelic use and introduce standard practices to facilitators, many would refuse this model and continue to practice how they see fit.
For Kevin Mikkelsen, The Alternative’s proposal served an important purpose, even if it won’t make it any further in this year’s parliament.
"It is a big first step to bring this to the floor and start a public conversation," Mikkelsen told Last Week in Denmark. "There is just so much we don't know right now. If we want to do anything, we first need this sort of concerted effort to build up our knowledge as a society so that we can make informed decisions going forward."
Given the likely clinical approval of a psychedelic medication in the near future and the growing public interest in self-treatment, the issue could resurface, especially as parties prepare for the national election later this year.
Until then, whether or not they are captured in official statistics, thousands of Danes will continue to seek out these substances independently.
