Another take: all these things (shutdowns, contact tracing, social distancing) are measures to give people a sense of security, and make them feel as if the PIC are doing something useful.
At the end of the day, the virus will do what the virus does, with or without apps. Until there's herd immunity or a vaccine, this will remain a politically charged issue and there will be constant jockeying for political clout (and I'm using the term 'political' in a sense that includes private entities trying to win favours in the eyes of the public).
I agree with Bruce, the contact tracing apps are goofy and I don't see how they will make the virus stop spreading without other changes such as widely available cheap home test kits.
The biggest problem I'm facing right now is credit card processing costs. The restaurant business is a high revenue, low margin industry. The fees are higher for online transactions (no card present) vs. in person transactions (card present), on the order of 1-2%. I think this is the biggest reason it hasn't happened yet. However, I have a workaround which I think will work.
Working on a new company, one which (I hope) will turn the restaurant industry on its head. I want to make in-restaurant ordering, payment, and service pure joy.
I'm mostly heads down coding every day, building an MVP. Also trying to find some investor interest where possible, however fundraising has never been something I'm good at.
Honestly, if I were you I'd just keep chugging along and collect as much money as possible. Start investing, and make yourself financially independent. After that, you can quit and do whatever you want.
It is an illusion, but at the same time it's not. It's 100% real to the person perceiving the shift, and in the case of treating mental illness that's all that really counts.
It's not so much about how it works or why it works, it's mostly about the result.
I've been reading a book called "How to Change Your Mind"[1] which contains a collection of history, anecdotes, trip reports, and some of the science behind these types of drugs. The book mostly discusses psilocybin and LSD, but it also touches on some of the other related drugs. If you're curious and want to learn more, it's worth a read.
The one thing I'll say is that it seems like these drugs affect the brain in a way that's more akin to a super-placebo, rather than being therapeutic on their own. In other words, you would need to use the drugs in combination with therapy to obtain good results.