Jaden Smith Talks Depression, Psilocybin & Family “Trips”

Over 11,000 scientist, industry insiders, and psychedelic enthusiast descended on the Psychedelic Science Conference in Denver last month. The conference featured speeches from from big names in politics (Former Texas Governor Rick Perry), sports (MVP Quarterback Aaron Rodgers) and research. Amongst all the stars however, it was Jaden Smith — the son of actors Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith — who stole all the headlines.

Looking For Depression Relief — Jaden Smith Found Mushrooms

Jaden Smith’s speech focused on the growing field of psychedelic therapy. The young musician recalled his journey with mushrooms — admitting that he initially used them out of curiosity. These early sessions led to him to gain a deeper understanding of his ego, in turn, helping him confront the factors behind his depression:

“It was always in my head talking, telling me what I was and what I wasn’t” Smith shared. “That was the moment that really changed me. You get to a place where you are blocked by something, whether it’s a trauma or your emotions or ego, not being able to express yourself. Psychedelics are a way to tear down that wall and see what is beyond it.”

Smith put his own experience in context citing a John Hopkins study into psilocybin’s effects on individuals with depression. The 2020 study enlisted 24 participants with depression, giving them varying doses of psilocybin. The study’s results blew researchers away showing that psilocybin’s effect on those with depression “…was about four times larger than what clinical trials have shown for traditional antidepressants on the market”.

Psychedelic Healing, A Decade In The Making

Though Jaden Smith’s riveting testimony about his psychedelic journey made up the bulk of his speech — his revelation that the entire Smith family has hopped on the psilocybin train is what made headlines.

According to Jaden Smith, his mother Jada Pinkett-Smith, was first to take the plunge into psychedelics saying “It was just her for a really, really long time, and then eventually it just trickled and evolved and everybody found it in their own ways.”

Jada Pinkett-Smith said she was introduced to psilocybin about a decade ago on a 2021 episode of her show, Red Table Talk. Jada was hoping that mushrooms would help her manage her depression. In the end, Jada found much more success than she could’ve ever imagined saying that the mushroom treatment “knocked it [her depression] out”.

Psilocybin: A Smith Family Tradition

Today, psilocybin is Smith family tradition. According to Jaden Smith, his family uses mushrooms as a strategic tool to help solve family conflicts. After a fight, Jaden and his two siblings, Willow and Trey, take trips together, finding it much easier to make up after some introspection. “It will actually help us to open up our minds to get out of the old ways of thinking that got us into lots of these arguments, and open it up so that it just releases and makes room for you to work it out and massage it out until it’s completely gone,” Jaden said.

Want to learn more about the Smith family’s embrace of psychedelic therapy? You’ll be happy to know that Jada Pinkett-Smith is planning to delve deeper into all this and more in her forthcoming memoir “Worthy”.