Tag: psychedelics

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“Journeying into the Unknown: Exploring the Mystical Properties of DMT”

A digital abstract artwork depicting multiple hands of different colors intertwined with each other. The background is a gradient of bright colors, including blue, purple, pink, orange, and yellow. The hands seem to be emerging from a central point and radiating outward, as if representing the interconnectedness of consciousness.

I. Introduction

  • Brief explanation of what DMT is and its origins: DMT, or dimethyltryptamine, is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain plants and animals. It has been used for centuries in indigenous cultures for spiritual and medicinal purposes.
  • Explanation of why DMT is considered a powerful and mystical substance: DMT is known for inducing intense, otherworldly experiences that many people describe as spiritual or mystical.
  • Brief overview of what the blog post will cover: In this post, we will explore the history, effects, risks, and cultural significance of DMT.

II. History and Culture of DMT Use

  • Overview of the history of DMT use in indigenous cultures: DMT has been used for thousands of years in South America, particularly by indigenous communities in the Amazon region who brew ayahuasca, a tea made from DMT-containing plants.
  • Discussion of how DMT has been used in modern contexts, including scientific research and spiritual practices: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the therapeutic potential of DMT, and some spiritual communities have incorporated DMT use into their practices.

III. How DMT Affects the Brain and Body

  • Explanation of how DMT affects the brain and body: DMT is a powerful psychedelic compound that rapidly crosses the blood-brain barrier, leading to intense effects on perception, emotions, and thought processes.
  • Overview of the different ways DMT can be consumed: DMT can be smoked, vaporized, injected, or consumed orally as part of an ayahuasca brew.

IV. The Mystical Experience of DMT

  • Description of what the “DMT experience” is like: Many people report intense, otherworldly experiences while on DMT, including encounters with beings, mystical revelations, and ego dissolution.
  • Discussion of the various mystical and spiritual experiences people report having while on DMT: Some people describe DMT experiences as spiritual or mystical, and many report feeling a sense of interconnectedness with the universe.
  • Exploration of the similarities and differences between DMT experiences and other mystical experiences, such as near-death experiences: Some researchers have drawn parallels between DMT experiences and other types of mystical experiences, such as near-death experiences.

V. Risks and Precautions

  • Discussion of the potential risks and negative effects of DMT use: DMT can have a range of physical and psychological side effects, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, anxiety, and psychosis.
  • Overview of precautions that should be taken before using DMT: It is important to be well-informed and prepared before using DMT, and to ensure that the substance is obtained from a reputable source.

VI. Legality and Future Research

  • Explanation of the legal status of DMT: DMT is illegal in many countries, but there are some exceptions for religious or cultural use.
  • Overview of current and future research on DMT: Despite the legal and ethical challenges of studying a Schedule I drug, there is growing interest in exploring the therapeutic potential of DMT.

VII. Conclusion

  • Summary of the key points covered in the blog post: DMT is a powerful psychedelic compound with a rich cultural and spiritual history, and its effects and risks should be carefully considered before use.
  • Reflection on the cultural and spiritual significance of DMT: DMT is deeply intertwined with indigenous cultures and spiritual traditions, and its growing popularity raises important questions about cultural appropriation and respect for diverse ways of knowing.
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Our Brain Is Like A Television

Old brown television on stand playing movie

Tuning Into Different Channels

Our brain is a receiver of information; it scans the environment to retrieve everything that it detects with the senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. Some would go as far to say that we also have a sixth sense. This sixth sense is a different channel that we are all capable of tuning into; we just have to learn how to tap into the parallel universe that it belongs to.

Tuning into different channels is not something that we live our lives thinking about. Usually, mystics, those who practice meditation and users of psychedelic drugs are interested in tapping into different states of consciousness. These different states of consciousness are the different channels that our brain can switch on for us to enjoy.

But how do we tap into these channels and why is it so difficult? It’s believed that we weren’t designed to tap into these channels in the first place; our brain remains on the “normal channel” or what is perceived to be everyday reality. It’s also believed that parallel universes may exist and that humans only have access to them through certain tools.

The next question becomes, are we allowed to access these parallel universes? If we are, then why didn’t God create us with the ability to do so naturally? We do we have to consume psychedelic drugs or meditate for years to tap into these different channels? Why isn’t it as easy as clicking a button on a remote?

If we had the answer, then we wouldn’t be sitting here entertaining the idea of altered states of consciousness. We don’t know if we’re allowed to tap into them; Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree and look what resulted from their actions! We live in a world of suffering.

But the answer to the original question is that we are capable of tapping into different channels for our pleasure. You can either take the long route of practicing meditation for years or the short route of consuming psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, LSD or DMT. Either method will help you tap into altered states of consciousness.

Your brain is like a television. It’s your choice whether you want to upgrade your provider and get more channels or remain with the basics.

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)

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Psychedelic Momentum

Psilocybin magic mushroom growing in nature

Psilocybin On The Horizon

The first US center for psychedelic research has opened up at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. For over 50 years, psychedelics have been outlawed by the U.S. government and classified as schedule I drugs. Schedule I drugs are regarded as having no medical benefits as per the federal government. Some of these include marijuana, MDMA, heroin and peyote.

This is very exciting news, as just recently the FDA granted psilocybin breakthrough therapy designation for major depression. Psilocybin is the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms or “magic mushrooms.” They have been used for thousands of years by indigenous tribes in South America and by Native Americans in the U.S., for spiritual, medicinal and mystical experiences.

It is not yet known how psilocybin works on the brain and how it potentially helps depressed patients. It is thought that it rewires the brain circuits by shutting down bad connections and sprouting new good ones. Consider this analogy: a person living in the financial distract of Manhattan does not have too much contact with people in the upper west side. But if consistent contact were to be made, a potentially new fruitful connection could be established, benefiting people from both places.

It’s also believed that the actual psychedelic experience of hallucinations in a controlled therapeutic environment, helps patients to confront their demons, resulting in the alleviation of their pain and suffering. This method is much different than your conventional antidepressants, which provide no mystical experiences and take up to 4-6 weeks for therapeutic effects to be noticed.

Psychedelics were once used in the field of psychiatry back in the 1950s, until they were classified as schedule I drugs in 1970 under the Controlled Substances Act. Psychedelics were never meant to leave the laboratory, but they were unfortunately introduced to the masses, sparking the Hippie movement which glorified the use of psychedelics. In return, this motivated the U.S. government to outlaw the sacred compounds.

These new times are much more promising for the use of psychedelics. The hope is that the evidence will be present in regards to establishing therapeutic value for mental health disorders. Any new tools which can help alleviate the mental health suffering of millions of people around the world, is a step in the right direction!

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)

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Does DMT Cause Schizophrenia?

Purple psychedelic silhouette of person standing

The Mystery Of The Pineal Gland

The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland in the human brain that produces melatonin; the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. It is believed by some in the medical and scientific communities that the pineal gland may also secrete DMT, a chemical compound responsible for altered states of consciousness, intense hallucinations and mystical experiences.

DMT has been discovered in the human brain in extremely small concentrations. At these concentrations, no altered states of consciousness are experienced. It is also believed that the pineal gland may contain anti-DMT enzymes that constantly break down the compound, preventing us from hallucinating.

The question becomes: are anti-DMT enzymes malfunctioning in patients with schizophrenia, resulting in too much release of DMT that may be responsible for auditory and visual hallucinations? It is believed that DMT may be released at birth, during dreams, during very traumatic experiences and death.

It would be quite difficult to measure DMT in the human brain during any of the scenarios listed above. But since we do not know what causes psychosis, besides the possibility of too much dopamine, it may be possible that DMT is uncontrollably released due to malfunctioning anti-DMT enzymes.

When DMT is used for recreational purposes, users describe a very intense psychedelic experience of vivid hallucinations, a universal consciousness and detachment from the body. These descriptions sound similar to people who have gone through near-death experiences.

In addition, it has been observed in small DMT clinical trials that participants did not experience tolerance to DMT after receiving multiple doses. Tolerance is classic after multiple, consistent doses of LSD, psilocybin and mescaline are received. If the human brain does not experience tolerance to DMT, can this be part of the reason why some schizophrenic patients hallucinate indefinitely?

The next reasonable question to ask is why would the human brain create an endogenous substance responsible for making humans hallucinate? The same question can be asked as to why the human brain contains cannabinoid receptors and a compound called anandamide.

The human brain also produces endogenous natural pain killers such as endorphins and enkephalins, which are released when a person experiences pain. The pattern seems to be quite clear: the human brain contains receptors and endogenous chemical compounds that help with pain relief, pleasure, eating and sleeping.

If DMT is produced by the pineal gland, is it possible that it may be responsible for causing schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses in millions of people worldwide?

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)

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Unique Keys To Mental Illness

Focus photography of psychedelics used for treating mental illness

Psychedelics For All Walks Of Life

Can chemical compounds such as DMT, psilocybin, LSD and mescaline be one day utilized to treat mental illness? MDMA is already in phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of PTSD. Defeating mental illness has already proven to be a difficult challenge for the medical community, with many drugs simply not touching the pathology responsible for these destructive conditions.

Psychedelics may one day prove to be unique keys to mental illness because of the altered states of consciousness in which they provide. It’s not necessarily their mechanism of action in the brain which is proving to be useful, but the meaningful and profound experiences which they provide for users.

Many patients in clinical trials have reported relief in their anxiety and depressive symptoms after having meaningful trips on psilocybin. The idea is that hallucinogens force the user to confront their troubles and unconscious conflicts directly in the trip; their madness comes out in a controlled and supervised medical setting.

Perhaps anxiety and depression is much more complex than the monoamine hypothesis of not having enough serotonin circulating in the synaptic cleft. Perhaps the reason why psychedelics are proving to work against these mental illnesses is because they directly tackle the unconscious conflicts which have gone haywire; psychedelics help the user untangle the intricate and sticky unconscious webs.

One exciting point about hallucinogens is that they’re non-addictive; no one wakes up everyday and states, “I want to trip on ibogaine today.” This is because hallucinogens provide such powerful experiences, that the mind simply does not have energy to “trip” on a consistent basis. This prevents users from becoming addicted.

Throughout history, psychedelics have been regarded as sacred medicines used for guidance, learning and healing. They were even previously used in the field of psychiatry in the 1950s before they left the laboratory and blew up into the free love social movement. In return, the Nixon administration viewed hallucinogens as a threat to the mind and soul of America’s youth and made them schedule I drugs; the research was buried underground.

As more traction is gained regarding the research studies on psychedelics, maybe one day we will be able to utilize these powerful medicines to help alleviate mental illness, and provide a higher quality of life for people from all walks of life.

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)

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