Chuck Lovett, who was sexually abused by Father Francis McCaa in Pennsylvania four decades ago, asked the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown to cover psilocybin therapy as a way for him to deal with his trauma.
The diocese had given Lovett $10,000 for therapy, but initially deferred his request to use part of it for psilocybin treatment, requiring a therapist’s referral.
After Lovett threatened to publicize his story, the diocese approved $6,000 for psilocybin therapy in Oregon — where it is legal — but highlighted that the instance was a “one-time exception.” Lovett took psychedelic mushrooms twice and said the process was healing; he now thinks other survivors of clergy abuse should try it.
A Pennsylvania man who was molested by a priest four decades ago convinced the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown last year to pay for psilocybin therapy, which involved taking psychedelic mushrooms twice in an attempt to heal the trauma of his abuse.
Portland news outlet Willamette Week (WW) reported that Chuck Lovett was sexually abused by Father Francis McCaa when he was around 12 years old. As an adult, he occasionally turned to talk therapy and acupuncture, but discovered psychedelics as a new option after reading a book on the subject in 2018. In 2019, the diocese offered him restitution for the abuse — $10,000 to use for therapy within 10 years.
Lovett decided he wanted to use the money for psilocybin therapy in Oregon since the procedure is illegal in Pennsylvania. The diocese initially deferred his requests for it to cover the therapy and told him that he needed a referral from an in-state licensed therapist. According to WW, two therapists refused to recommend psychedelics to Lovett.
Lovett finally sent an email to Jean Johnstone, the diocese’s victim assistance coordinator, threatening to go through with the treatment anyway and then “take my story public.”
“I did not choose to be sexually abused within the Catholic Church but I am choosing to receive this therapy to heal from it,” he reportedly wrote.
According to WW, the diocese responded within half an hour and gave him permission to spend $6,000 on psychedelics.
Lovett underwent the procedure during a four-day psilocybin retreat in Oregon. After the psychedelics made him relive and process the trauma of his abuse, he said he saw himself “as a feather, floating through the air,” and added, “The weight was off my shoulders.”
He also told WW, “It was a beautiful, warm experience. It felt like the universe had me in its hands.” According to the outlet, Lovett now thinks other survivors of clergy sex abuse should try psychedelics to heal their wounds.
WW reported that Johnstone called the diocese’s coverage of the psychedelics a “one-time exception,” saying that the diocese supports “traditional counseling therapy as a first response when victims come forward to report their trauma/abuse.”
Zeale previously reported that the Church teaches mind-altering drugs like marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms hinder access to truth and ultimately to God Himself.