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Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

independent.co.uk

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Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#191

Post by sneak »

ams6110 wrote: post #113
ttul wrote: post #30

So, precisely the wrong approach would be to block research of any kind by continuing the severe prohibition of these substances.

Perhaps we need a new category of prescription, e.g. "for use only under direct supervision of a qualified medical professional" In other words it could be dispensed in a clinical setting, but not via a pharmacy or other "take home" pathways. I'm thinking that must already exists for certain surgical anesthetics, etc.

That's pretty much what "Schedule 2" is for.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Schedule_I_drugs_(US)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Schedule_II_drugs_(US)

Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#192

Post by yosito »

s-shellfish wrote: post #182
psyc wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Psychedelics punch through the big illusion, as in maya. They give the game away. I feel people are subconsciously and collectively terrified of this.

Is it at all possible to explain this to a sober person? One who is neither consciously nor subconsciously afraid of having the illusion removed?

Sure. And it's also possible to explain to a homebody who is not afraid of traveling what another country is like, but nothing can replace going there first hand and experiencing life in that place.

Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#193

Post by 01100011 »

camel_Snake wrote: post #172
oldgeezr wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have permanent visual disturbances and suffered long-term panic attacks and anxiety as a result of psychedelic use. Things got better over time, but not completely back to normal. I'm not advocating for the continuation of our current legal strategy, but I feel like these drugs need to come with strong cultural wisdom about their appropriate use and potential for abuse. Anyone who's been in a psychedelic community…

Out of curiosity do you have colorblindness?

Nope(sorry I'm OP but using my home account). I'm nearsighted. I was eventually diagnosed as slightly bipolar(agitated depressed), but that was after my experience with psychedelics. FWIW, I believe the life changing experience was caused by something other than LSD. A friend got tie-dye blotter from the Grateful Dead parking lot around '90. I took two tabs. It lasted around 21 hours, which is odd for LSD. Definite LSD-like effects(time dilation, huge trails, tunnel-vision in the early stages...). It was blotter though, so it limits the number of RCs it could have been.

Also I ended up with essential tremor, ticks, and restless leg syndrome. That runs in my family though. I probably have mutations in my dopamine system.

Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#195

Post by Sohakes »

tranchms wrote: post #184
zug_zug wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to negate this anecdote, but just to point out your mileage may vary. The research on this subject is still in its infancy. I know a lot of people are looking for that "magic-bullet" panacea for all their small woes (social anxiety, minor depression, etc) and have tried everything under the sun (exercise, all kinds of diets, all kinds of books). It's been my experience with the people I knew personally who did ac…

I hear ya. My anecdote is unique. If I provided more context, and told you my life story, it might make better sense. And it’s impossible to assign responsibility solely to psychedelics, but after years of hospitalizations and addictions and depression and suicidal attempts and witnessing a few friends suicides, there was a turning point in my life, and it conincided with my experimentation of LSD and mushrooms, some…

>I think the psychedelics nurture the ability to recognize that feelings and narratives are not representative of reality

>The ability to detach from self, to recognize a spectrum of truth, of perception

It sounds a lot like meditation and buddhist practice. I mean, I already hear that everywhere and there are some clinical trials with meditation too. But your narrative fits nicely. That's cool.

Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#196

Post by Sohakes »

rjurney wrote: post #143
oldgeezr wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have permanent visual disturbances and suffered long-term panic attacks and anxiety as a result of psychedelic use. Things got better over time, but not completely back to normal. I'm not advocating for the continuation of our current legal strategy, but I feel like these drugs need to come with strong cultural wisdom about their appropriate use and potential for abuse. Anyone who's been in a psychedelic community…

Yes, I experienced being 'fried' for a couple of years after excessive MDMA and LSD use. My experience mirrors yours.

MDMA is neurotoxic though. It's strange if only hallucinogens triggered problems in the other poster. LSD is not as far as I read.

Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#197

Post by perfmode »

yosito wrote: post #190
cyberpip wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another Terence McKenna quote I'm reminded of! "The British enzymologist, J. B. S. Haldane in the 1920s, in an essay, said, "The universe may not only be stranger than we suppose; it may be stranger than we can suppose," and I suggest to you that as we look back over human history, every pinnacle of civilizationf whether it be Mayan or Greco-Roman or Song dynasty, has believed that it was in possession of an accurate…

Eh, I'm not saying we have a full picture of what's going on, but the scientific method is much more effective at helping us arrive at a real description of what is going on than any arbitrary religion of the past.

So we believe, for now.

Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#198

Post by dylan604 »

ams6110 wrote: post #113
ttul wrote: post #30

So, precisely the wrong approach would be to block research of any kind by continuing the severe prohibition of these substances.

Perhaps we need a new category of prescription, e.g. "for use only under direct supervision of a qualified medical professional" In other words it could be dispensed in a clinical setting, but not via a pharmacy or other "take home" pathways. I'm thinking that must already exists for certain surgical anesthetics, etc.

I would have serious concerns that if a law/rule was made that allowed this, it would require the subject to take these tests in a sterile lab type environment. I could not imagine having a psychedelic experience in a lab/hospital/etc. That would absolutely freak me out. I would want to be outdoors in nature preferably.

Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#199

Post by GuiA »

yosito wrote: post #190
cyberpip wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another Terence McKenna quote I'm reminded of! "The British enzymologist, J. B. S. Haldane in the 1920s, in an essay, said, "The universe may not only be stranger than we suppose; it may be stranger than we can suppose," and I suggest to you that as we look back over human history, every pinnacle of civilizationf whether it be Mayan or Greco-Roman or Song dynasty, has believed that it was in possession of an accurate…

Eh, I'm not saying we have a full picture of what's going on, but the scientific method is much more effective at helping us arrive at a real description of what is going on than any arbitrary religion of the past.

The scientific method is the most important tool that humanity has ever developed, without question.

That being said, the belief that the scientific method can build up arbitrarily accurate models of any observable phenomena is without foundation, yet some behave as if it is obviously true.

Until we have something like a unified model of physics, there is no reason to believe that statement to be true.

(and in fact, the scientific method has led to results like Gödel’s incompleteness theorem, which makes it perhaps more likely for it to be false)

Re: Psychedelics could heal brain cells in people suffering from depression: study

#200

Post by b6 »

taneq wrote: post #181
bernardino wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A lot of people feel threatened by that, so they try to push it away, lock it up, turn it off, or dismiss it. You hit the nail right on the head. It reminds me about how we want and need security, particularly around our beliefs. What I think is true in that regard is what Adyashanti, a spiritual teacher, once noted: "The magical part is that the more you let go, the better it feels. The more you step into insecuri…

I've always felt that this philosophy, and others like it, ultimately boil down to "you're going to lose no matter what, so try not to care about the game."

That's really not it at all. Have you heard the story "who knows what's good or bad"?

Something happens, and we judge it good and feel good about it. Then something else happens, and we judge it bad and feel bad about it. And so on. Our feelings are put on a roller coaster according to our judgements. But we don't have enough information to judge anything good or bad. It always remains to be seen. Deeply internalizing this results in equanimity.

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