Feature Story
The Psychedelics Movement
To Educate, Change Legalization Policy, and Break the Stigma. Current research shows promise for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
by Clayton Stallings, The EVOLUTION Magazine
The best scary stories carry an impact with resounding waves that topple mountains of injustice, make way for the healing power of change, and usually include the miraculous effects of divine intervention.
After over 20 years of debilitating depression and anxiety while trying 20 different forms of pharmaceuticals, Jessica Fitzmaurice( on left) finally discovered the healing power of microdosing psilocybin mushrooms, which she grew herself at home in Huntington, IN, after researching several different scientific studies on their therapeutic benefits. For the first time in a couple of decades, she found a new love for herself, and a renewed connection with her five children. This love carried into her successful career as a traveling nurse in neonatal intensive care units.
Time for the scary part. Right after Thanksgiving in November 2021, gun-wielding police officers in full hazmat suits( seemingly to protect themselves from getting high off the spores— pause for a sci-fi laugh after the fact— now back to the scary scene) broke down her door with guns drawn as if she had just murdered someone. At that moment, Fitzmaurice lost everything!
Her first lawyer originally promised no jail time while filing continuances for eight months without ever explaining what he was doing on her behalf. Then, at her final pre-trial, her lawyer sent his assistant in his place, knowing they were out of continuances. The judge denied any further continuances, and she was told the plea deal would result in serving 10 years in prison on a 15-year sentence. Fitzmaurice was not only facing hard jail time, but she also just lost custody of her five children, her nursing license, career, and
community support. She later went to court in June 2022 and accepted the plea, but fortunately, in Indiana, she would have to return later in July 2022 for sentencing. This is where the divine intervention starts taking effect.
Just two weeks before her sentencing, a lawyer— soon to be guardian angel— named Tarin S. Hale from Ohio happened to read Fitzmaurice’ s story in a magazine called Psychedelic Spotlight and felt compelled to intervene, not even knowing who Fitzmaurice was, other than being touched by the injustice of her situation. Hale managed to find a way to contact her through a GoFundMe he found online for her. Once he got Fitzmaurice on the phone, she was far from believing she could be helped, but Hale convinced her to send over all the documents for the court case.
Even though Fitzmaurice’ s original lawyer warned both of them that they would be looking at 20 years by reversing the plea deal, both Hale and Fitzmaurice decided to FIGHT the case. Unfortunately, since Hale didn’ t have a license to practice in Indiana, they would have to find a lawyer who did to work on their behalf.“ Through miracles, we finally found one,” said Hale in a podcast interview on OPENurses Facebook( an Organization of Psychedelic and Entheogenic Nurses). Scan the QR code for the full interview on OPENurses Facebook at the end of this article.
In only two weeks, Hale and Fitzmaurice had to fire the old lawyer, find a new one with an Indiana license, file a motion to withdraw her plea, and file a motion to challenge the constitutionality of some of the issues. Hale reached out to his contacts in the psychedelic community and found six experts across the country to write letters of support to explain the therapeutic effects of micro-dosing mushrooms to the judge and prosecutor. These experts included Carolyn Dorsen( PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN), Dr. James Fadimann( Researcher, Author, Lecturer), C. J. Spottswood( PMHNP), and Andrew Penn( PMHNP and host of the OPENurses podcast with Fitzmaurice and Hale).
There was a phone call that came in on the Friday before the hearing from the prosecutor trying to reach Fitzmaurice’ s new lawyer, leaving a message that he was upset, and they needed to talk.( Pause for an intensely scary movie moment scene.)
28 October 2025