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Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

theguardian.com

71–80 of 97 posts

Re: Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

#71

I had never done any kind of drugs in my life or psychedelics, but took Ayahuasca once with friends who were in the personal wellness space circa 2010. My experience: - tastes like mud - it’s recommended to vomit after taking it, but I felt too self-conscious because we were all together in the same room - the first part of the trip was wonderful as I spent 2hours in bliss seeing colored lights, I still remember this…

Interesting read, but you would think that resolving some of that past trauma that was hidden would allow you to transition into a state that isn't your old "normal", but a nice halfway between your arrogant 10x present self and your old self chained by trauma.

Perhaps this experience when bundled with a professional could have great impacts that are permanent, as long as you don't start fighting the therapist I suppose! The opposite could also happen, I don't know. Would be interesting to see studies on this.

Re: Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

#73
This drug normalisation in media makes me so sad. For few lads with life changing ayahuasca trip there is a hundred depresive and miserable trips, also lasting for months! And if someone dares to speak up, reply is "oh your set & setting was wrong". Drugs are wrong, it's high risk substance with highest probability to mess you up and minuscule to give any longer lasting benefit.

Re: Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

#74
post #45

DMT triggered severe anxiety in my that lasted 4 years. It was hell. It ruined my life

Set & setting?

You can reduce this risk considerably with set and setting but there will always be a risk .

That's why a benzo should be a requirement if you are spiraling

Re: Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

#75

I've seen two people go down the Ayahuasca path in the past years and both of them have undergone such profound personality changes that I've had to stop seeing them. They've gone off the deep end in ways that are hard to describe. What also bothers me is that they've become incessant advocates for others to join them in their misery.

I have … “joked” that the mushrooms/plants have influenced their hosts brain in a similar way to some fungus or worm causing a bug to climb up a grass stalk to be eaten by a bird. The level of evangelism can be disturbing, viewed in this light.

Re: Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

#76
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think you could shift back into that "10x more confident self" consciously without the Ayahuasca?

I definitely tried but couldn't. It always felt like I was forcing it (becoming aggressive) and not natural like after the ayahuasca.

Fake it till you make it, killer.

Re: Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

#78
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Awesome experience report, but > it seems the reason it lasted so long is because I couldn’t vomit in the first place, so the “medecine” stayed with me longer I highly doubt that, it was probably metabolized and out of your system in a few days max. What you describe are classical "afterglow" symptoms. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterglow_(drug_culture)

Afterglow is a layman's term but tells you nothing of the science. After the high does of amines (serotonin analog) which results in a drastic change serotonin receptor densities. It takes a while fro these receptors densities to return to normal. DMT behaves as an agonist at both 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors. There is nothing more to the magic than that. P.S. I have the same experience as being on DMT and I do not ta…

Since you try to bring scientific rigor into the discussion, could you point me to some evidence that the epiphenomal effects of the named condition are clearly merely caused by a temporary increase in receptor densities?

Having taken several neuroscience classes, I think that claim is a gross oversimplification and an overly reductionist take on the incredibly complex topic at hand.

> So tell me again how this is beneficial?

I can't answer that question as I have made no statement about any purported benefits or lack thereof.

Re: Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

#79

I had never done any kind of drugs in my life or psychedelics, but took Ayahuasca once with friends who were in the personal wellness space circa 2010. My experience: - tastes like mud - it’s recommended to vomit after taking it, but I felt too self-conscious because we were all together in the same room - the first part of the trip was wonderful as I spent 2hours in bliss seeing colored lights, I still remember this…

> - I got more confrontational which almost got me into fights, but also got me laid These systems are likely deeply tangled up in your biology. Robert Sapolsky has a Stanford lecture series on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnIGh9g6fA Well worth a watch!

How can it be deeply tangled up in his biology if it can be changed by taking a drug?

Re: Psychedelic brew ayahuasca’s profound impact revealed in brain scans

#80

Why not take the good old acid instead?

Different type of psychedelic, different trip experience... also synthetic whereas ayahuasca can be fully natural and traditional

synthetic = no assurance of actual dosage (without accurate testing).

natural = some assurance?

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