During his highly-anticipated interview on ’60 Minutes’, the Duke of Sussex opened up about himself and the Royal family and revealed how he used psychedelics to help heal trauma.
Prince Harry has certainly been a breath of fresh air for the typically unyielding Royal Family, and his U.S. television appearance on ’60 Minutes’ was no exception: he opened up about his altercation with his brother Prince William, the reaction of his family to his future wife Duchess Meghan, and surprising revelations about his experience with the death of mother Princess Diana.
Surprisingly, this included the prince’s use of psychedelics to cope – an unexpected twist that proves even members of the monarchy are embracing modernity as they move into a new age. With Harry at the forefront of it all, it’s hard not to be excited about what lies ahead in royal circles.
Prince Harry’s experience of loss and grief after his mother’s death was understandably painful and complex. Dealing with the immense inner turmoil caused by her untimely departure, he thought that maybe she had just “gone” and that someday soon, she would call him and William to come to join her.
During his conversation with Anderson Cooper, Prince Harry candidly revealed that he had been suffering from a great deal of anger following Princess Diana’s death and attributed it partially to the British press’s pursuit of her in Paris.
After the untimely passing of his mother, Prince Harry discovered solace in serving Britain’s Army during combat operations in Afghanistan. In “Spare,” his recently released book, he shares that upon returning home to England during his late 20s, he felt a deep sense of hopelessness and loss.
Harry took a unique approach to managing his grief – he sought therapy, sure, but also tried out some more experimental treatments. His attempts to manage his emotions led him to explore psychedelics as a potential source of relief from this internal struggle.
His attempt to make sense of such a devastating event is uplifting, although not uncommon for those in mourning; many people look for patterns or deeper meaning to tragedy, a coping mechanism that helps them regain a sense of connection.
To Harry’s surprise, psychedelics gave him a profound understanding of himself that had eluded him before. His newfound clarity enabled him to process and eventually let go of the angst, allowing him to focus on helping others who are going through similar battles in their lives.
“They cleared away this idea that I had in my head that— that my mother— that I needed to cry to prove to my mother that I missed her,” Harry said. “When in fact, all she wanted was for me to be happy.”
Although Harry admits he has since turned to self-medication through psychedelics, his remark offers heartening insight into our human ability to find light in even the darkest times.
Prince Harry’s words about psychedelics demonstrate the positive and healing potential of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences. He understands that good judgment is essential when engaging in such activities, as it needs to be done with the right people to process any emotional traumas.
His choice of the phrase “clear the windshield” is symbolic of his journey with psychedelics which allowed him to metaphorically clear away any sense of loss he was experiencing.
As Prince Harry’s recommendation implies, psychedelics, if taken knowingly and responsibly, might be the right medicine.
Given that Prince Harry is probably one of the most high-profile people to speak about his experience with psychedelics in such a public way, his story will likely inspire others who have resorted to psychedelics’ healing power to open up.
More and more people are starting to view these substances as a potential form of therapy, and it will be interesting to see how this trend develops in the future. It is clear that there is still much work to be done in terms of research, but the progress that has been made so far is encouraging.
