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Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#271

Post by LegitShady »

BelmundoRegal wrote: post #223
LegitShady wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think people should be generally afraid of any substance that can I give long term personality changes with just a few doses, sometimes even with a doctor's help.

I calculate a 99.99% chance you have never tried any such substance and therefore know not what you're talking about. The "long term personality changes" are for the vast majority transformational in a positive way, as in doing away with pathological stuff forever. I encourage you to take a moment to get acquainted with what is being done clinically ( which to be honest is not what I was referring to ) ; Matthew John…

> I calculate a 99.99% chance you have never tried any such substance and therefore know not what you're talking about. The "long term personality changes" are for the vast majority transformational in a positive way, as in doing away with pathological stuff forever.

You've calculated statistics for things you've made up.

>Matthew Johnson: Psychedelics | Lex Fridman Podcast #145

Please please don't quote podcasts as research, and giving me 3.5 hours of homework listening to understand your point is poor communication and ensures the maximum amount of resistance to understanding what you're trying to say.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#272

Post by LegitShady »

zepto wrote: post #224
LegitShady wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think people should be generally afraid of any substance that can I give long term personality changes with just a few doses, sometimes even with a doctor's help.

Afraid? Pretty much everything we do affects us. I’d say choice of jobs and schools has had a giant effect on me, much of it not what I would choose. Make a careful, informed decision. But there is no need to be ‘afraid’.

Not all change is equal, not all change is equally controlled. Pretending it is because change occurs sabotages your ability to categorize, analyze, and ultimately judge change.

Most people are not qualified to and cannot make careful informed decisions about the way drugs affect you.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#273

Post by david_allison »

TurkishPoptart wrote: post #261

What kind of dose are the individuals being given? It says 2 high-level doses over a 6 week period. Are we thinking the antidepressant effects aren't from the trip itself, but from the aftereffects? That's sort of what's being discovered w/r/t ketamine therapy for depression.

> Patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive two separate doses of 25 mg of psilocybin 3 weeks apart plus 6 weeks of daily placebo (psilocybin group) or two separate doses of 1 mg of psilocybin 3 weeks apart plus 6 weeks of daily oral escitalopram (escitalopram group);

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#274

Post by kodah »

I see articles about curing depression from time to time and I have hope but not much. I have lived most of my life as a depressed kid. The most jolting realization that I had as an adult was that around sixth grade I was contemplating suicide without knowing what that word meant. Since then, life has been like a long, slow death march. If you asked most of my friends they'd likely tell you that I'm really happy, funny, quirky, and eccentric but inside I battle the demons of my own mind. I've let those demons shape my understanding of the world before and each day they don't these days is a choice. I've used cognitive behavioral therapy as a tool to do battle against them, I take daily melatonin, and I take long vacations but those things are coping mechanisms. The days I am hit with depression that wants to keep me anchored to my bed are the days I really go to war. I have to keep my mouth shut more because whatever I say on those days will almost assuredly be tainted with tinges of, I hate myself and am discontented with the world tones. I have to pressure myself to focus. When the day is over I throw myself on the couch and hope that tomorrow that veil is lifted.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#275

Post by vokep »

meepmorp wrote: post #267
barbacoa wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Cocaine, Heroin, Meth, and Fentanyl should never be legal. They are too addicting. I know 10X as many people who threw away their lives working minimum wage and minimum responsibility jobs just so that they can afford enough marijuana to make themselves happy with living without ambition. Not that I think marijuana should be illegal but if we are going to legalize one we should be consistent and legalize everything.

If they're happy with the lives they live, then how are their lives wasted? Is it possible they just have different values?

It comes down to each individual I guess, but I'm doubtful that such people are really very happy. Smoking every day to offload stress can seem nice, until you're looking back on all the time you could've used better, and realize its not making you happy, it just distracts from what makes you unhappy. It can be really fun to add to experiences that are already enjoyable, and every now and then it can be helpful to offload stress during something undesirable, but if its use is too frequent, given my own experience and those around me, it does become a black hole of time. The old South Park explanation was quite spot on, it makes you alright with being bored, when being bored should motivate to do something.

All that said, with conscious planning to use it in a productive way, I've found incredible enhancement of working on creative projects while stoned out of my mind.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#276

Post by _meu9 »

I have had many psychedelics experience during the last 2 years but I've only had the opportunity to try mushrooms once.

They definitely are powerful and healing, however I believe the only safe path shrooms will take in our society is national legalization for use in therapy and not recreational use.

My main argument is the following: legalization for recreational use will trivialize the image of psilocybin in the eyes of the population, and we will start to see an increase in "bad experiences" due to people using it without having a trip sitter or preparation. Therefore, legalizing it only for therapy use will be more beneficial for the general population.

Decriminalization is an option, but legalization ehhh.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#277

Post by randomopining »

_meu9 wrote: post #276

I have had many psychedelics experience during the last 2 years but I've only had the opportunity to try mushrooms once. They definitely are powerful and healing, however I believe the only safe path shrooms will take in our society is national legalization for use in therapy and not recreational use. My main argument is the following: legalization for recreational use will trivialize the image of psilocybin in the e…

It should be legal to grow yourself (only serious people will do it) and also for therapy.

I think I agree that straight recreational legalizing would attract people who aren’t prepared to just take a ton and be idiots.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#278

Post by randomopining »

scruple wrote: post #233
simmerup wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's your take on allowing a substance to change you so much?

I had a very bad trip, my last trip, and it took me years to recover. That was > 2 decades ago. It's my opinion that we need to recognize that these substances have the power to modify us in extremely powerful, unknown ways. And we need to create a safe environment (how? I do not know, probably regulation, but after seeing how California is handling "legal weed," I am not holding my breath) for people to use these su…

Did you prepare and also surrender to the experience? I think if you give in and accept, you can’t lose.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#279

Post by randomopining »

jeremyjh wrote: post #204
simmerup wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's your take on allowing a substance to change you so much?

The substance turns your thought process inward. You think about the thoughts you are having, and the associations behind those thoughts much more deeply than you otherwise would. You think about ordinary, everyday things in a much deeper way. This is what changes you. You could do the same thing with meditation probably.

Shrooms hit at a raw emotional level, especially highlighting your connection and oneness with nature.

Meditation is the ultimate key though, putting in the hard work and then using shrooms sparingly to cash in on that.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#280

Post by randomopining »

BelmundoRegal wrote: post #212
tzury wrote: post #162

I was not able to speak to my father, let alone staying in the same room were he was, for about 26 years (~18yr old till recently ~44yr). The background for this was my choice of leaving an ultra orthodox jewish community and going on my own. I recently tried that (after 3 years of hesitation) and the magic happened. It affected my structure of feelings in several ways indeed, but in the context of this one, I would…

See also ; MDMA Solo ; https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25974701 “The brain is not a blind, reactive machine, but a complex, sensitive biocomputer that we can program. And if we don't take the responsibility for programming it, then it will be programmed unwittingly by accident or by the social environment.”

Is it worth it solo?
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