Introducing Alt(HER)ed States: Psychedelics x Women's Health

Introducing Alt(HER)ed States: Psychedelics x Women’s Health

A new project dedicated to elevating the future of psychedelics and women’s health research, education, leadership, and more.

By Gianna Biscontini

Menstrual blood is becoming a serious focus of study in regenerative medicine. The prominent physician-scientist Dr. Basmah Safdar amplifies the idea that women’s health is precision medicine, and is vital to reducing delayed diagnoses and adverse drug reactions. This week, the Female Quotient, the largest global community of women in business, hosted their annual Health Summit with an impressive and progressive lineup of leaders from medical media and technology to maternal health and intimate wellness. The turning point in women’s health is here. And while the trajectory is clear, there is much more work to be done to arrive at sustainable change.

After 25 years of working in behavioral and mental health, from community clinics to founding an employee wellbeing startup to just this week, listening to Maria Menounos passionately share both she and her mother’s health journeys, three points have calcified for me:

• Women’s health is dynamic and complex.
• Due to this complexity and frequent change across the lifespan, women’s health demands its own lane.
• Because systems change is slow, unapologetic self-advocacy is required.

We need not look too far into the past to understand the patterns that still remain: siloed frameworks, capitalist intrusion in pharmaceuticals, supplements and wellness products, inadequate training for physicians, and a defunct insurance system that prioritizes profit over people. While I am hopeful for the future, we cannot currently depend on medical doctors, benevolent investors, or mainstream media for accurate, detailed information and service. When it comes to psychedelic medicine and bodies assigned female at birth, there is a risk of even more noise and less support.

However, the novelty of mainstream psychedelic therapy appears to be functioning as a bold level-set or “take two” for how society understands and serves the female mind, body and spirit, correcting past mistakes of psychiatric and medical professions with a firm and devoted alliance. A steady rise in female-identifying researchers, writers, investors and practitioners in the psychedelic space suggests that, if we continue to unapologetically advocate, research, and make available content that serves women, we will orient our future toward a brighter horizon.

During my own health challenges, from depression and grief to endometriosis, I benefitted greatly from intentional psychedelic use. However, I had the privilege of time, financial resources, education, and the institutional knowledge and community of the Bay Area that the vast majority of women do not. And considering these resources, it still took me exponentially more time and energy to access accurate information, safe substances and a supportive container than many women have. As long as there are barriers, women will continue to struggle and suffer.

Alt(her)ed State(s) was created in the spirit of ferocious demand for systems change, allied support in unapologetic self-advocacy and safe, informed psychedelic use that considers the complex and dynamic female body.

Alt(her)ed State(s) is:

• A curated digital home devoted to disseminating research, policy, and Western and indigenous use information organized for professionals, parents and practitioners
• Devoted to cis-female and female-identifying individuals in search of both data and wisdom
• Guided by accuracy, integrity and soul
• A space for emerging and established creators in psychedelic media

Through organizations like the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition Women’s Council, Deva Collective and Galilea Health, to researchers pioneering studies specifically for women’s health challenges, to practitioners serving female-identifying patients in their own communities, Alt(her)ed States is serving content that serves women.

How is Alt(her)ed State(s) different?

A wellness tenet (borrowed from behavioral economics) I share with anyone who will listen is that a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention. As a neurodivergent woman producing content in a time where human attention is currency, Alt(her)ed State(s) reduces the stress and overwhelm of readers and consumers through a design that considers learning theory, digital stress and digestibility while maintaining sophistication, science and soul.

Our guiding questions for this publication are clear:

• What do we know?
• What can we safely put into practice today?
• What is yet to uncover?
• What are the interesting, futurist ideas?

I invite you to create time in your day for cognitive nourishment, sacred wisdom and practical information you can put into practice today, or consider for your future. If pressed for time in between everything sure to be on your already overflowing plate, well-synthesized information is available in bite-sized blurbs without sacrificing a learning opportunity.

It is my sincere and humble hope that Alt(her)ed State(s) helps women breathe easier as they navigate their own mental, physical and spiritual health journeys. I look forward to amplifying voices, curating trusted content, and learning with you along the way.