Inside NZ's first legal magic mushroom trip: 'I felt big emotions to my core'

Psilocybin is presented as a newly legal, clinically prescribed treatment for treatment-resistant depression in New Zealand, with Alice Brent described as the first patient to receive it. The report links Brent's history of severe depression and despair to her assessment by psychiatrist Dr Cameron Lacey, noted as the first and only authorized prescriber in the country. It emphasizes safety concerns, including that psilocybin could trigger psychotic symptoms in vulnerable people, and outlines the structured therapy pathway: weeks of psychotherapy before dosing, tapering off antidepressants, then weeks of psychotherapy after the psychedelic session. On dosing day, Brent receives a single “hero” dose and describes a roughly five-hour experience focused on intense emotions such as sorrow and anger, accompanied by crying and a sense that “everything else ceased to exist.” The story also covers screening numbers (referrals, those deemed suitable, and those proceeding) and highlights the high cost of the full psilocybin and psychotherapy course, estimated around $20,000 in New Zealand.