Journalist Michael Pollan is the author of How to Change Your Mind. This is a fascinating book on the history of psychedelic drugs. The book follows the rise, fall and recent return of psychedelic research while examining the changing of their public and professional perception.
Recently, Netflix has also released a documentary series based on Pollans book that includes testimonials from people who have actually undergone the monitored experiment and talk about the various psychedelic benefits, that have changed their lives for the better.
If you were to take a walk down the streets, wouldnt you like to see more happy faces around you? People being calm, minding their own business, no frowns, no one having a panic attack right next to you in the bus Wouldnt that be nice? Most of you would say Of course, but that would happen in an ideal world and we dont live in one.
Some psychiatrists, neuro psychiatrists and psychologists, have studied the effects of psychedelics and their benefits when administered in a controlled environment, strictly for medical purposes. Although most psychedelics remain illegal under federal law, the FDA is weighing potential therapeutic uses for substances like psilocybin, LSD and MDMA (which is also known as Ecstasy).
To give you a broad kind of definition, the term psychedelic comes from the Greek psyche and delos so its translated to mind-manifesting. But not all psychedelics have the same action mechanism.
What if we could change our mindset and see these substances for the benefits that they can have on certain mental disorders? What if mental problems such as PTSD, alcoholism and depression could be cured by substances such as mescaline, psilocybin, MDMA or even LSD?
Lets find out more about these four substances and how they can be used in our advantage.
Probably many of you have heard scary things about LSD use. But the truth is that this is one of the least dangerous or addictive psychoactive drugs. However, this doesnt mean there is no risk in using it for personal entertainment. In fact, all the drugs in this list may have potential benefits but ONLY under monitored sessions where professionals can guide you and administer you the right dose.
More than 60 years ago, Albert Hofmann has first synthesized LSD from a fungus called ergot. LSD was first created with the intention to cure women with postnatal depression
Between 1950-1965, thousands of scientific articles about psychedelics were released, explaining their benefits from a medical point of view. However, like any other drug, LSD got into the hands of the wrong people and was distributed at parties, music festivals, and the results were catastrophic. Needless to say that the drug was soon banned from the market as it was considered an illicit drug.
Although professors from prestigious Universities tried to explain that microdoses of LSD can seriously alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and can help with problem solving issues, the drug has still remained illicit.
However, in the early 2000s, research slowly began to pick back up.
How astounding is that a substance called Psilocybin, found in a little mushroom can ameliorate the suffering of those who have cancer. Psilocybin can have a positive impact on their emotional and psychological distress which takes away from their quality of life.
A research was conducted on participants brains to actually see what happens at a neuro level after ingesting small doses of Psilocybin. Researchers have discovered that psychedelics work on the Default Mode Network the part houses the self and the assumptions about the self, the stories we tell ourselves
There are two kinds of science. The one that wants to look at only what can easily be measured and ignore everything else. And then theres the true science that proves the very frontiers of human knowledge, and that is where psychedelic research is right now.
Another small study on the therapeutic effects of using psychedelics to treat alcoholism found that just two doses of psilocybin magic mushrooms combined with psychotherapy led to an 83% decline in heavy drinking among the participants. After eight months, nearly half of those who received psilocybin had stopped drinking entirely.
The study published in JAMA Psychiatry has also talked about the benefits ofPsilocybin on a range of mental health problems, from depression, anxiety, PTSD and OCD.
MDMA (aka Ecstasy) is a synthetic drug that was first developed in 1912 and it was intended to control bleeding in hospital patients. Later, researchers have found that the drug also helped in enhancing communication in patient sessions and allowed them to achieve insights about their problems.
MDMA causes a flood of serotonin and oxytocin and that creates a feeling of openness, of loving connection to others. These feelings help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Research also shows that in controlled doses paired with therapy, MDMA has positive effects on PTSD and on victims that were sexually abused.
Mescaline is a chemical substance that develops in two types of cactuses.It is said that it treats anxiety, depression and certain addictions such as alcoholism.
Mescaline was first used in the traditional ceremonies of Indigenous American cultures. The Natives have known of the plants hallucinatory and medicinal properties for thousands of years, and peyote still holds a sacred place in their culture. In fact, over 40 tribes in North America and Western Canada still use it in their sacred ceremonies.
Mescaline and peyote are now banned under United States drug laws, but such ceremonial use is exempted.
Mental health care is in crisis. We have rising rates of depression, suicide, anxiety, eating disorders, addictions, PTSD and OCD.
The studies comprised in Michael Pollans book How to Change Your Mind, suggest that psychedelics may have huge benefits on mental health if used properly and only under medical supervision.
As odd as it seems some of them can be effective for multiple forms of addiction, which is great news for those battling substance abuse.
However, keep in mind that this article is designed to inform. We do not provide medical advice. You should always consult a professional or a doctor before starting any type of treatment.
See original here:
Netflixs How to Change Your Mind Says Drugs Are the Answer Are They Right? - Goalcast
- Review: Tripping on Utopia Complicates the History of Psychedelics - AOL - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Psychedelics Are Going Mainstream. Investing in Them Hasn't. - The Wall Street Journal - January 7th, 2024 [January 7th, 2024]
- Another Study Shows African Psychedelic Plant Ibogaine Treats Traumatic Brain Injury in Vets With 'Dramatic' Results - Good News Network - January 7th, 2024 [January 7th, 2024]
- Massachusetts Lawmakers Will Be Forced To Consider Psychedelics Legalization Measure That Activists Petitioned ... - Marijuana Moment - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- VA to begin researching psychedelics as treatment option for veterans - Government Executive - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- VA Is Funding New Research On Psychedelics' Benefits For Veterans With PTSD And Depression - Marijuana Moment - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- VA ramps up study of psychedelic to treat PTSD - The American Legion - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Scientists predict DMT trip from cardiac activity - Big Think - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- If psychedelics heal, how do they do it? | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - pnas.org - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Psychedelics for acquired brain injury: a review of molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential | Molecular ... - Nature.com - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- U.S. Rep. Correa supports using psychedelics to treat veterans with PTSD - New Santa Ana - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- DEA Confirms That Psychedelic Mushroom Spores Are Federally Legal Prior To Germination - Marijuana Moment - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Psychedelics for Psych Conditions Made Their Mark in 2023 - Medpage Today - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- 2023: A Good Trip Around the Sun for Psychedelics - The National Law Review - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Understanding the Role of the FDA in Advancing Psychedelic Therapy - Medriva - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- MAPS PBC Closes $100m Series A, Rebrands to Lykos Therapeutics - Psychedelic Alpha - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Closing the innovation gap: Advancing psychedelic therapy and medicines in EU mental health care - Open Access Government - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- The Austin Chronic: SXSW Is High on Psychedelics, as Cannabis Programming Wanes - Austin Chronicle - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- This Forgotten Psychedelic Could Revolutionize Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment - Inverse - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- A 'milestone' for psychedelics: Pentagon directed to study alternative treatments for veterans - Washington Times - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Psychedelic Drugs Are Rushing Towards Approval for Therapy. Here's What's Next - Singularity Hub - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- The top 8 psychedelic books you need to read | GreenState - GreenState - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Lykos Therapeutics Secures $100M in Series A Funding, Rebrands from MAPS PBC - Green Market Report - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- DEA Calls For Even More THC, Psilocybin And DMT To Be Produced For Research In 2024 - Marijuana Moment - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Here's What You Missed in Cannabis, Psychedelics This Week - TipRanks.com - TipRanks - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- You're not tripping: State and local leaders give psychedelics another chance - Route Fifty - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Are Consciousness-Expanding Psychedelics Like Psilocybin More Effective Than Prozac, Zoloft, Xanax, and Other ... - Nautilus - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- RFK, Ramaswamy And Williamson Push Psychedelics Reform On Presidential Campaign Trail - Marijuana Moment - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Peyote is the darling of the psychedelics renaissance. Indigenous users say it co-opts a sacred way of life - The Guardian US - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- USask researchers explore untold history of psychedelics - News - University of Saskatchewan - USask News - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- California Governor Says Psychedelics Have 'Profound' Healing Potential, But He's Undecided On Legalization Bill As ... - Marijuana Moment - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- As psychedelic-assisted therapy grows, so does interest from a new group: chaplains - NPR - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- This Maine City Moves Unanimously On Decriminalizing Psychedelics: Focus On Public Health - Benzinga - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Tech Leaders Are Finding Balance Through Microdosing Psychedelics - The Dales Report - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Chronic Pain Can Be Treated by Psychedelics, Survey Suggests - Psychedelic Spotlight - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Insights Into the First Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Guidelines With ... - Psychedelic Spotlight - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Living with long-term cancer is depressing. Texas doctors say psychedelics could help - The Hill - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Couples Are Doing MDMA and Ketamine Therapy To Save Their Relationships - VICE - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- The Way People Are Using Psychedelics Is Changing Amid Reform ... - Marijuana Moment - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- [WATCH] Turn on, tune in, legalise: Could psychedelics be next in ... - MaltaToday - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Will Psychedelics Be Rescheduled After FDA Approval? - Harris Bricken - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- The Psychedelic Preparedness Scale: A Tool to Optimize Trip ... - Filter - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- How to Test Psychedelics for Adulterants with Testing Kits - Psychedelic Spotlight - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Cannabis Science Conference to debut in Providence, R.I., with ... - GlobeNewswire - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- New Speaker Rivas weighs in on psychedelics, housing and health care worker minimum wage - Yahoo News - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- TDR's Top 5 Psychedelic Developments For The Week Of July 10 - The Dales Report - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Psychedelic Treatment with Psilocybin Relieves Major Depression, Study ... - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Johns Hopkins Launches Center For Psychedelic Research - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depression Effective for Up to a Year ... - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Inside the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Playlist - Hopkins Medicine - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Research Story Tip: Psychedelic Drug Psilocybin Tamps Down Brains Ego ... - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Psychedelics: Risks, benefits, and more - Medical News Today - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- Psychedelic Drug Effects, Side Effects & Dangers - January 25th, 2023 [January 25th, 2023]
- Psychedelics Decriminalization Project In Berkeley, Cal Includes ... - January 6th, 2023 [January 6th, 2023]
- Ancient mummified child was drugged with psychedelics before ritual ... - December 14th, 2022 [December 14th, 2022]
- The therapeutic potential of psychedelics - Science - December 14th, 2022 [December 14th, 2022]
- Changing Lives with Psychedelics: How Connecticut researchers are using magic mushrooms to help people overcome depression, OCD - WTNH.com - November 19th, 2022 [November 19th, 2022]
- Penis Envy Mushroom | Legal Psychedelics | Magic Mushroom - November 7th, 2022 [November 7th, 2022]
- Psychedelics. Discussing natural and synthetic friends. Science, News ... - November 5th, 2022 [November 5th, 2022]
- The Harms of Psychedelics Need to Be Put Into Context - WIRED - November 5th, 2022 [November 5th, 2022]
- Packers' Aaron Rodgers says psychedelics led to his back-to-back MVP ... - October 28th, 2022 [October 28th, 2022]
- With Promise of Legalization, Psychedelic Companies Joust Over Future Profits - The New York Times - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- How do psychedelics work? This brain region may explain their effects - PBS - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Why is the American right suddenly so interested in psychedelic drugs? - The Guardian - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Can Psychedelics Cure? Science Is on the Verge of Finding Out - Newsweek - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Large national survey suggests that the use of psychedelics is not associated with lifetime cancer development - PsyPost - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- This Pharma Company Just Scored Another Psychedelics Patent And Set Its Sights On 70 More - Small Pharma - Benzinga - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- What Made the Mushrooms Magic: Psychedelic Study Explores the Odd Evolution of Mind-Altering Fungi - The Debrief - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Psychedelics And Wellness: The Healing Company Buys PepsiCo-Backed Superfoods Company - (HLCO) - Benzinga - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- What's on the Colorado ballot? Housing, psychedelics, school meals, alcohol, taxes and more | FOX31 Denver - FOX 31 Denver - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- DoseConnect to Sponsor the Tech Stage at Wonderland Miami by Microdose - Benzinga - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- What Is Going on With Bright Minds (DRUG) Stock Today? - InvestorPlace - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Psychedelics May Ease Fear of Death and Dying - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- TDR's Top 5 Psychedelic Developments For The Week Of October 10 - The Dales Report - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- DEA Wants To Boost Production Of Cannabis & Psychedelics For Research In 2023 - Benzinga - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Talk set to explore psychedelics and mental health - Reading Today - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Silo Wellness Closes Acquisition of Dyscovry Science and Its Psilocybin Pharmaceutical Biosynthesis and Research Portfolio - Yahoo Finance - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- How does psilocybin rewire the brain? - Open Access Government - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- HYTN Awarded Controlled Drugs and Substances Dealers License Allowing for Production and Sale of Psilocybin - Yahoo Finance - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- The Healing Company acquires leading superfoods business, Your Super, and lands $150M credit facility to expand community of brands - Yahoo Finance - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]