The Resurgence Of Psychedelics In Medicine
Psilocybin is the hallucinogenic chemical in “magic mushrooms.” It is converted to psilocin within 45 minutes after ingesting the mushrooms. Users start to feel “mind loosening”, increased perceptual awareness, heightened senses, and expansion of consciousness. Psilocybin has been studied for years in clinical trials at John Hopkin’s as well as a recent clinical trial in terminally ill cancer patients at NYU.
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has been studying hallucinogenic compounds for years; their famous study shows MDMA proving to be helpful for patients with PTSD. The MDMA helps the patients become very relaxed and empathic with the therapist, to the point of feeling extreme comfort reliving their traumatic experiences, and working through their traumatic experiences to help avoid being affected by them. But is there evidence that mushrooms and psychedelics can help the medical field, in particular, psychiatric patients?
Psilocybin and LSD actually used to be utilized in psychiatry in the 1950s and earlier on patients with schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and even alcoholics. Alcoholics were given LSD and the trick was to induce a frightening experience or “trip” similar to delirium tremens; a naturally scary hallucinating experience experienced during alcohol withdrawal.
It was shown that after their experience with LSD, many alcoholics refused to consume a drink even two months after the experience; a much better result than any medication assisted treatment present in 2019. Psilocybin has been shown to be effective in terminally ill anxious cancer patients who are afraid of dying; the chemical delivers a profound experience, resulting in increased self-acceptance of their fate, as well as drastically reduced anxiety.
Many people have experienced mystical and profound experiences on psychedelics. They come out of their trip reporting “being a new man”, “having rediscovered myself” and claiming to have their ego dissolved. One famous actor in the past even reported “young women are now very attracted to me.” Will psychedelics be utilized in the near future to help heal all the depression and anxiety which people are suffering from in modern day times? Let’s hope!
Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)
DSM (Defeating Stigma Mindfully) 
My personal experience is that it os very helpful. Whether the effect is permanent or lasting remains to be seen.
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Many people and patients have claimed that the effect from psilocybin and LSD has been permanent in a positive way! What has your experience been like?
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I started microdosing im October last year and found no relief. For the past few months I have found a weekly dose of 1 to 1.5 grams dried (mushrooms) very effective. Because of a build up of tolerance I have now moved to a dose every fortnight. I am not yet sure as to permanence. To be honest I am a little fearful of stopping at present and intend to carry on for the rest of the year. Then perhaps I will stop for a month or two and see what happens. Q
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Interesting! How do you find the mushrooms effective and why are you fearful of stopping?
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Has largely removed long stanfing depression but I fear its return
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That’s because we cannot rely on only one substance. Maybe you can benefit from psychotherapy which helps get to the root of the cause. Stay tuned for a psychotherapy piece.
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To be honest Alex I know myself inside out and over the years have taken much psycho therapy. The root of my problem is physical and that is where the answer lies. I analyse everything and everyone. Always have done. It has been my trade. It has reached the point in my life when I “know”. And not just about depression.
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Yet the depression lerks around the corner and is causing you fear? This is your mind telling you that there’s an unresolved issues. And we never truly “know” – there is always more we can learn about ourselves. We will never discover everything
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I honestly do not think we need to. Beyond a certain stage the illness is a physiological one and only pharmaceutical intervention is going to help. Hence psilocybyn. Endless introspection is more damaging than otherwise in my opinion and experience . Shaking the snow globe as Carhart Harris so aptly puts it has given me the first real relief ever. I can see that those who are not reflective or self aware may well benefit from therapy. In my own case I have done enough on that FJront. The only fear is that psilocybyn may not be a lasting solution ot may become unobtainable.
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Why wouldn’t it be a lasting solution? Oregon is voting to legalize recreational use in 2020 and Colorado just decriminalized it
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It takes more than legalisation in a couple of US states to free the world from depression!
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Well we don’t even know if psilocybin helps! We need clinical trails for those. But thank you for sharing your experience! Feel free to drop by anytime with more experiences
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Anecdotally I can tell you it does helo. I have been depression free for some months
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That is awesome! With time, I believe Psilocybin will be available for more people
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I can see however to those newer to the game and open enough to benefit a combination of psilocybyn and therapy could be very helpful indeed. It really does open the doors of perception. It really does open new pathways which have been long closed. I very much hope it becomes mainstream and legalised. The benefits could be enormous.
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How about LSD? From my reading in Michael Pollan’s “How to Change your Mind” it seems to provide very profound experiences
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