Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity • Hacker News Board

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#51

Post by ada1981 » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 6:54 PM UTC

psychedictic wrote: post #32

tranchms wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear ya. I’ve yet to see it negatively effect anyone other than a bad trip, which, seen in the right light, can be a therapeutic experience. But I know they need to be respected and understood. I also realize that some people with a family history of mental disorders like schizophrenia, would be better off staying away. Like, some people have used psychedelics, and they go crazy. But how many of those people were c…

Someone does not need to have a "family history of mental disorders" to become an acid casualty. Some people simply have a bad reaction to the chemical and there isn't a reliable way of knowing in advance how a person might react to it.

Do you have any research to suggest people can become an “acid casualty”?

This seems to be more lore than fact.

And recent meta analysis shows that psychedelic use has no negative impacts on mental health (and in many cases, is beneficial).

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#52

Post by ada1981 » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 6:56 PM UTC

cageface wrote: post #17

tranchms wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear ya. I’ve yet to see it negatively effect anyone other than a bad trip, which, seen in the right light, can be a therapeutic experience. But I know they need to be respected and understood. I also realize that some people with a family history of mental disorders like schizophrenia, would be better off staying away. Like, some people have used psychedelics, and they go crazy. But how many of those people were c…

I watched a good friend freak out in front of me on a bad trip. Almost thirty years later he's still not the same and needs antipsychotic medication to function. This kind of thing isn't common but it can definitely happen.

What was the set and setting for your friend?

What was going on in his life at the time?

Who was with him and how did they work with his “freak out”?

It sounds like he lacked the set, setting and support to integrate that experience in a healthy way.

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#53

Post by ada1981 » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 6:59 PM UTC

ChristianBundy wrote: post #41

arkades wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t understand this common response at all. If I prescribe penicillin to a patient with a pcn allergy, the fact that I “uncovered an underlying flaw” is irrelevant. Pcn is dangerous to them and should not be prescribed to them. This is true, in one sense or another, of the majority of adverse effects people have from medications given in therapeutic ranges. It’s basically what having an adverse effect -means-. It…

The difference is that penicillin allergies can only be triggered by penicillin (or maybe penicillin-adjacent analogues). Mental illnesses and psychedelics don't work the same way. Psychedelics bring these issues to the forefront, but they don't necessarily cause mental health issues, as the same issues could happen without LSD. I understand what you're trying to express with your example of penicillin, but it's not…

A good mindset of psychedelic use is that you’d like things to be brought to the surface so they can be worked with and integrated.

This is precisely what makes them such useful tools for things like PTSD and why it can be a bummer if someone does Molly at a rave and winds up with a memory of being molested and her friends are too busy doing K to talk with her.

In a safe and supportive setting, this is exactly what can help people heal.

It’s when things get uncovered but not fully released and processed they can occupy ones life.

A good psychedelic therapist or sitter should be able to help someone integrat a current or former bad trip.

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#54

Post by sametmax » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 7:10 PM UTC

tranchms wrote: post #7

I’m a huge proponent of safe psychedelic use, specifically LSD. I was massively depressed and suicidal growing up (I had family problems, and two of my best friends killed them selves at 13 and 17). I dropped out of high school. I experimented with LSD and mushrooms around 17/18 years old. And while I didn’t realize it then, my life massively changed for the better. Maybe I grew up. Maybe I took responsibility for my…

What advices would you give yourself, if you tried it again in the present time ?

First time product, dosage, aquisition method and protocol ?

Anything to read or other things to know ?

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#55

Post by sametmax » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 7:12 PM UTC

vitro wrote: post #46

I cannot find the author of the quote, nor the quote itself, but it was something like this: "You should take psychedelics and then work hard to experience the same, but without psychedelics itself". I remember one guy posting about his experience with psychedelics and then with long period of yoga and meditation. Interesting thing was, that he described something similar. On psychedelics it was as if you would take…

There are several meditations teaching that strongly advise to avoid mixing deugs and meditations. Some, like vipassana, even recommand to stop taking any drug prior practice.

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#56

Post by agumonkey » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 7:14 PM UTC

tranchms wrote: post #7

I’m a huge proponent of safe psychedelic use, specifically LSD. I was massively depressed and suicidal growing up (I had family problems, and two of my best friends killed them selves at 13 and 17). I dropped out of high school. I experimented with LSD and mushrooms around 17/18 years old. And while I didn’t realize it then, my life massively changed for the better. Maybe I grew up. Maybe I took responsibility for my…

After extreme depression I lost some physical abilities, it came back but not 100%. It's most probably due to damages in my brain (hypoxia, inflamation, whatever). Anyway, since then I'm always wishing for some way to give my brain some fertilizer so I can get skills back. I learned music on my own, I acquired patience, dedication and sensitivity with it, but when your brain is cracked progress is almost inexistant.

Not long ago I found a shop that had CBD eliquids, they gave me a sample (3 strokes). A little bit after my brain was a minuscule amount lighter, but at layers that I never really had a control over (unlike the sensation I get when meditating, I can feel some parts of my brain going off). As usual, may be placebo, but still another thing that cause that itch for a little psychoactive help to regain my previous life quality.

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#57

Post by throwaaaay » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 7:18 PM UTC

tranchms wrote: post #37

tibbon wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve seen a friend become semi dependent and kinda disassociated from reality after multiple times a week use of various research chemical psychedelics. It seemed to bring out some underlying bipolar like condition. Anyway; also a strong proponent, but I’ve seen the potential harm as well. On the balance it seems worthwhile for many people, and good for many people to try a little LSD at least once.

Research chemicals are dangerous. They’re mostly all synthetics derived from amphetamine class of drugs like MDMA. 2CE. 2CB. 2CI. Etc. and countless others. No one taking them know what it truly is. They are dangerous. And more ubiquitous than LSD-25. You can never be sure what you’re getting. You can OD and have a psychotic episode. I do not classify them as therapeutic psychedelics, and always advise against. If yo…

Anecdotally I’ve consumed 50-75 100mcg doses of 1P-LSD over the last year and found it almost indistinguishable from LSD. Not to mention easier and safer to obtain (directly from a research lab).

Obviously there is no research on long term effects at this point, and there may never be, but for my personal therapeutic rituals it’s affectiveness is the same.

It’s also worth noting that I’m not microdosing, which you may have assumed from my doses over time. I’m taking it once a week at an average dose of 300-600mcg with a 1-2 week break every 4 weeks (obviously I didn’t start at this dose when I first tried it). Along with other health supplements and exercise just so were clear.

I am an experienced psychonaut, but I’m not a doctor, and I’m not here to champion 1P-LSD nor my personal rituals. But this is my experience.

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#58

Post by mythrwy » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 7:19 PM UTC

1996 wrote: post #10

pdgonzalez872 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So how do I get to experiment with this in a controlled and legal way these days?

Go to New Mexico for ayahuasca or peyote based religious ceremonies?

Arizona.

http://peyoteway.org/spiritwalk.php

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#59

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 7:20 PM UTC

tranchms wrote: post #13

pdgonzalez872 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So how do I get to experiment with this in a controlled and legal way these days?

You don’t. But if you have the drive, and are willing to take a small risk, you venture into the dark web and locate one of the handful of chemists/dealers who provide the world with its supply and buy in bulk. Or you find a friend who has already done this work.

[deleted]

Re: Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity

#60

Post by tomerv » Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 7:22 PM UTC

telchar wrote: post #49

psychedictic wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the common response from proponents of LSD. To them, it's never the LSD, and instead the adverse reaction must be because the person had a mind that was predisposed to some sort of mental illness. Even if it's true that someone has some kind of latent / dormant condition that is ultimately triggered by the LSD, then the act of taking the LSD itself was the catalyst, and the person would have been far better o…

What's your evidence that those people are worse off having taken the psychedelics? You can't know the counterfactual isn't that those people who respond poorly to the drug would have had a similar mental break without it. Until the drug is studied rigorously all we have to go on are conflicting anecdotes. That said in the face of a lack of reliable information caution is warranted.

Even if that person would not have taken LSD and would have had a psychotic episode 5 years later due to the underlying issue, that's still 5 years of good health lost because of LSD.