“Ugh, I Hate My Body”: Can Psilocybin Help Us Feel Differently?
Does your time with girlfriends inevitably end up turning into comments you or your friends make about your bodies? “Ugh, I hate my body.” “I look so fat.” “I can’t stand how big my stomach is.” “God, I wish I looked like her.” “I can’t eat that—I’ll blow up like a balloon.” Or, “Remember when it was so much easier in our 20s to lose weight?”
The sad truth is that so many women have a difficult relationship with their bodies. These feelings can show up at any age, and for some women, they become more pronounced as we enter midlife and beyond.
And wouldn’t it be wonderful if our conversations were about feeling good in our bodies? Appreciating how much they support us and do for us? Imagine hearing a friend say, “You know, I feel good about my body.” Yes, I would love that. A sense of ease, partnership, and kindness toward our bodies would be an incredible shift—and one I am very curious about exploring with psilocybin.
Body Image Doesn’t Stop Mattering in Midlife
Research reminds us how much these concerns can stay with us. The Gender and Body Image Study (GABI), published in 2012, surveyed 1,849 U.S. women aged 50 and older. In that sample, 79.1% said weight or shape played at least a moderately important role in how they felt about themselves. And 61.8% reported that concerns about eating, weight, or shape negatively affected their lives occasionally or often.
This is something I hear in my work, too. How we feel about our bodies can color so many aspects of our lives: romantic relationships, dating, confidence with others, and our sense of self-worth. It is a significant concern for many women over 40, and it deserves our attention.
A 2024 survey of 255 women aged 40–60 also found a connection between poorer menopause-related quality of life and lower body appreciation. This speaks to something many women recognize: how we experience midlife and how we feel about our bodies can be closely connected.
Can Psilocybin Help Us Feel Differently About Our Bodies?
As a psychedelic-assisted therapist, I am very interested in whether psilocybin can help women develop a greater appreciation of their bodies and a healthier relationship with themselves. This is also where integration becomes meaningful: taking those moments of appreciation and exploring how to bring more kindness toward our bodies into everyday life.
Research is beginning to explore this question. In a small 2023 study, 10 women with anorexia nervosa or partial remission received psilocybin with psychological support. Researchers found reductions in weight concerns at one and three months, and in shape concerns at one month. Experiences and outcomes varied.
These findings give us something worth exploring, and I would love to see more research focused specifically on body image in women in midlife and beyond.
Making Peace With Our Bodies as We Age
In my work at Sacred Healing Colorado, I have seen both subtle and larger shifts after women have a psilocybin experience. Some have described being less judgmental of their bodies, feeling more accepting of their aging bodies, and expressing greater appreciation for them. I have also heard women reflect on their experiences with disordered eating with a new perspective and a deeper understanding of their relationship with their bodies.
These are personal observations from my work, and they are part of what makes me so curious. I hope to gather more data at my healing center to better understand these experiences and whether those shifts last over time.
The research is limited, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to see more women celebrating their bodies and making peace with aging? To hear more kindness and appreciation in our conversations with one another—and in the way we speak to ourselves?
Yes indeed, that would be a wonderful shift. And I believe exploring whether psilocybin can help support that shift is a worthy pursuit.
If this resonates with you, I would love to connect. Reach out to Sacred Healing Colorado at info@sacredhealingcolorado.com to learn more about my work with women in midlife and explore whether a supported psilocybin experience may be a good fit for you.
