MINDS: A Pilot Study on
Psilocybin and the
Mother–Baby Dyad
A medical ethnography exploring whether psilocybin-assisted intervention during the postpartum period may strengthen the mother–baby bond and support maternal identity integration.
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Abstract
Abstract
MINDS — Matrescent Integration via Neuroplasticity, Dyads, and Psilocybin — reframes postpartum healthcare. Matrescence is a profound transition that reshapes neural networks, identity, and nervous system function in ways that remain deeply under-studied.
Psilocybin research shows the compound modulates networks involved in self-processing, emotion regulation, and social connection — yet women and the postpartum brain are almost entirely absent from this work.
In mapping the literature, Amanda identified overlapping phenomenological parallels between the matrescent experience and the acute psilocybin state — and recognized that psilocybin acts on the very brain regions undergoing rapid remodeling during matrescence. From this convergence, she sees the potential for psilocybin to support mothers during this liminal, neuroplastic window.
This pilot ethnography addresses that gap through qualitative interviews, psychometric assessments, and collaboration with postpartum women and their ceremonial guides. The goal: produce the first qualitative dataset on postpartum psilocybin care and a concrete, testable model of dyad-centered intervention.
Significance
Why This Research Matters
A Neglected Population
Pregnant and postpartum women are routinely excluded from clinical trials — including psychedelic research. The postpartum brain, at peak plasticity, has never been studied in the context of psilocybin-assisted care.
Building an Evidence Base
This project produces a concrete, testable framework and the first qualitative dataset on postpartum psilocybin care — informing future clinical protocols, outcome measures, and grant applications.
The Dyad Deserves Better
Mother and infant form a biologically interdependent, co-regulating system: their physiology, emotions, and behavior co-sculpt each other's brains. Western medical models separate them into isolated patients — fragmenting care and worsening outcomes for both. The MINDS framework puts the dyad back at the center.
Recognizing Matrescence
Matrescence is a hormonally primed, neuroplastic developmental window — comparable in scope to adolescence — that reshapes brain structure, identity, cognition, and social roles across years. Medicine still treats it as a 4–6 week obstetric event. Recognizing it as the developmental stage it is changes what support looks like.
Support Mothers.
Advance Science.
Your gift funds the first qualitative dataset on psilocybin-assisted postpartum care — and helps build an evidence base for a generation of mothers who deserve better.
Donate NowUse of Funds
What Your Donation Supports
Every dollar raised goes directly toward the research across four core areas.
Project Timeline
Research Milestones
Framework Publication
Synthesis linking psilocybin, neuroplasticity, and matrescence. Deliverable: "Gap Map" and illustrated MINDS framework.
Ethics & Compliance
Study criteria, informed consent, and ethics compliance finalized. Deliverable: ethics memo and research instruments.
Recruitment
Study criteria defined, consent protocols finalized, and participants enrolled for qualitative and psychometric assessments.
Narrative Interviews & Ceremonial Sessions
Baseline psychometric assessments, in-depth interviews, co-created psilocybin sessions with ceremonial guides, and follow-up narrative interviews. Deliverable: field notes and thematic codebook.
Integration & Dissemination
Post-session scales, neuroscientific and ethnographic synthesis, and integration into the MINDS framework. Deliverable: manuscript for publication.
About the Researcher
Amanda Wilde
ALM Biology (Neuroscience), Harvard University · 2026
Amanda Wilde is a researcher at the intersection of maternal health, psychedelic science, and translational neuroscience. Her master's research at Harvard established the MINDS framework — a novel model for psilocybin-assisted postpartum intervention centered on the mother–baby dyad. Trained in biomedical science and pharmacology, she designs interventions to improve outcomes for mothers, babies, and the communities that care for them.
Amanda is a Charlestonian, sunset-chaser, and sometimes-poet — mother to a four-year-old daughter with whom she moves through the world with curiosity, humor, and as many sushi dates as possible.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This is a qualitative medical ethnography — it documents the experiences of postpartum women who have independently sought psilocybin support, rather than administering substances. The study is designed for full IRB compliance, with ethics documentation as a core deliverable.
100% of funds go directly to research costs: PI time, honoraria for Indigenous ceremonial guides, secure data infrastructure, and ethics compliance. No overhead is taken from this campaign.
Yes. All donors receive progress updates at each major milestone — framework publication, participant recruitment, data collection, and manuscript submission.
This campaign is not currently processed through a 501(c)(3), so donations are not tax-deductible at this time. If you require a tax-deductible contribution, please reach out to discuss alternatives.
The research proceeds regardless. Partial funds go toward highest-priority deliverables first. If the goal is exceeded, additional funds support expanded recruitment and dissemination.
Absolutely. For questions, media inquiries, or collaboration, reach out at amw288@g.harvard.edu.