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Psychedelics researcher approached his death with calm and curiosity

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Re: Psychedelics researcher approached his death with calm and curiosity

#111

Post by pacificmaelstrm »

freedomben wrote: post #14
zozbot234 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do psychedelics achieve here that ordinary meditation as in e.g. vipassana does not? They seem like a pointless shortcut, and potentially a problematic one. If the hallucinatory dynamic is specifically what you care about, that's also typical of perfectly ordinary experiences such as dreaming, or even just drifting in and out of sleep. What "treasure" are we gaining by dosing the brain with chemicals, that we co…

This is very similar to "what do antidepressant medications achieve that regular diet and exercise do not? " Assuming equal efficacy is possible in the first place, and assuming every human is even capable of reaching those levels, there are people who can't spend the sometimes years it takes to practice meditation to a point where they can achieve psychidelic efficacy. Why not have both available and you can do you?

An equally valid and troubling question, doesn't really make your point.

Re: Psychedelics researcher approached his death with calm and curiosity

#112

Post by martopix »

pacificmaelstrm wrote: post #110
martopix wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the kind of drug use you're thinking of means addiction to a substance (one that typically numbs you or makes you feel unnaturally happy). Here he's discussing about people improving their condition after a single dose.

His best example of a patient outcome is "patient came to believe in a Higher Power and felt at peace". Why are we being so credulous?

You should not be relying on an interview for evidence anyway. I am no expert and I have no opinion one way or another. But you shouldn't have preconceived opinions either. Look for scientific literature if you're interested.

Re: Psychedelics researcher approached his death with calm and curiosity

#113

Post by gymbeaux »

freedomben wrote: post #27
gymbeaux wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because beer and cigarettes are both mind-altering drugs yet get a pass because of mostly-economic reasons.

Not economic, historical. It's purely because both were things before the puritan movement (which still greatly impacts society today) and people are already familiar with them. If alcohol were discovered today, there's no way in hell it would be legal

So of course they’re both very old staples in human culture, but I mean to say that any attempts to regulate them are/will be met with more economic resistance than cultural… like Anheiser-Busch (spelling definitely wrong) and Philip-Morris (now Altria I believe) would be a bigger obstacle than “the people.”

Re: Psychedelics researcher approached his death with calm and curiosity

#114

Post by gymbeaux »

almatabata wrote: post #33
gymbeaux wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because beer and cigarettes are both mind-altering drugs yet get a pass because of mostly-economic reasons.

Do cigarettes have such a big mind-altering effect?

I can’t speak personally, but people often get from nicotine what they would also get from marijuana- both have a “high” that makes you feel “different”, and the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine are more like those of meth than marijuana (which as far as I know, has no withdrawal since it’s non-addictive).

Re: Psychedelics researcher approached his death with calm and curiosity

#115

Post by bobosha »

huytersd wrote: post #51
bobosha wrote: post #3

I wish there was more support to not just decriminalize but legalize psychedelics broadly. I know there are plenty of ongoing clinical trials, but the collection of Psilocybin, LSD, Mescaline, Ibogaine is genuinely a treasure chest and probably the best thing that has happened to medicine in a long time, if not ever. Edit: i highly recommend watching Michael Pollan's "How to change your mind" (Netflix documentary). h…

I understand that people are very different because if I took mushrooms when I was terminally ill, I would have a trip so bad it would break my mind.

AFAIK, there are 3 key ingredients to the trip: the set (before), the setting (during) and integration (the after). This is not a DIY therapy, but needs to be under a therapist's supervision.

Re: Psychedelics researcher approached his death with calm and curiosity

#116

Post by zemvpferreira »

jseliger wrote: post #4
Arubis wrote: post #2

For those so inclined, Tara Brach had a lovely interview with Roland early this year: https://overcast.fm/+SWwgtYFDM From the podcast summary: Meditation, Psychedelics, Mortality: A conversation with Tara and Roland Griffiths - Roland is a long-term meditator, a psychopharmacologist and professor at Johns Hopkins, and a leader in researching the clinical effects of psychedelics, including their impact on those strugg…

I'm not a psychedelic researcher, but I have taken psychedelics, and I recently wrote "Strange trip: Psychedelics and confronting the fear of death:" https://jakeseliger.com/2023/09/25/strange-trip-psychedelics... , which covers similar themes.

I got to this late but thank you for sharing Jake, a beautiful read. Here's to hoping on the extraordinarily unlikeliness you'll still be with us in your 50s.
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