Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy : A Review of a Novel Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders Kelan Thomas, Pharm.D., M.S., Benjamin Malcolm, Pharm.D., M.P.H., and Dan Lastra, B.S. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2017 Doi : 10.1080/02791072.2017.1320734 Abstract Recent research suggests that functional connectivity changes may be involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Hyperconnectivity in the default mode network has been associated with psycho-pathology, but psychedelic serotonin agonists like psilocybin may profoundly disrupt these dysfunctional neural network circuits and provide a novel treatment for psychiatric disorders. We have reviewed the current literature to investigate the efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted therapy for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. There were [...]
Lire la suiteThe Religious Significance of Entheogenic Drugs Hugh Asher More Info: This is my unpublished Master's Dissertation. Abstract This paper examines the use of psychoactive substances such as Psilocybin, Mescaline, and LSD as adjuncts to mystical, religious or spiritual experiences. There is an analysis of the psychological changes and the changes in perception that these substances cause and how these can be interpreted as contributing to religious or spiritual enlightenment. There is also a discussion on the nature of what could be considered a religious experience. An overview of the use of such ‘entheogenic’ drugs from an historical perspective follows, looking specifically at the use of [...]
Lire la suitePsychological Explorations of the Magic Mushroom (Psilocybin) Experience, Part I : Subjective Effects and Time Passage Perception José Arturo Costa Escobar, M.S., Antonio Roazzi, Ph.D. Neurobiologia, 2011, 74, (3-4), 81-97. ABSTRACT Magic mushrooms are rich in the active compound psilocybin, whose activity on consciousness deeply alters cognitive functions, can promote spiritual/mystical experiences and has high biomedical and psychotherapeutic importance. Twenty-eight participants underwent a magic mushroom experience after consuming dehydrated Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms at the dosage of 55.6 mg/Kg (350 μg/kg of psilocybin). Results of subjective aspects of the experience through the Hallucinogen Rating Scale revealed equivalent dosage effects comparable to other studies and similar [...]
Lire la suitePsychological Explorations of the Magic Mushroom (Psilocybin) Experience, Part II : Neuropsychological Measures José Arturo Costa Escobar, M.S., Antonio Roazzi, Ph.D. Neurobiologia, 2011, 74, (3-4), 99-112. ABSTRACT Some investigations conducted with psilocybin and mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus on the human mind point to a peculiarity of these substances to promote a special state of consciousness. The present study measured the effects of dehydrated magic mushrooms on human visual processes and memory utilizing tasks in a pre- and post-test form. We observed defi cits in visual working memory and these results were consistent with other, recent psilocybin studies. However this and other visual mechanisms [...]
Lire la suiteChanges in Spirituality Among Ayahuasca Ceremony Novice Participants Stephen M. Trichter A Clinical Research Project Submitted to the Faculty of Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area In partial fulfillment of the requirements for The degree of Doctor of Psychology Point Richmond, California Copyright May 2006 _____________________________ CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION Context of the Problem Psychiatry and clinical psychology have developed with the aim of relieving maladaptive psychological symptoms, partially through the use of medical technology. Presently, the field encourages the use of anti-depressants, anti-anxiety agents, and antipsychotics to relieve symptoms from which patients suffer. Despite continuous breakthroughs in psychiatric medicine, many writers feel that this approach is questionable. For [...]
Lire la suiteThe evolutionary neuroanthropology of consciousness : exploring the diversity of conscious states across cultures. An interview with Michael Winkelman. Michael Winkelman & Martin E. Fortier ALIUS Bulletin, 2019, 3, 45-97. doi : 10.34700/krg3-zk35 Abstract In this interview, Michael Winkelman and Martin Fortier discuss the extent to which consciousness is grounded in deep evolutionary mechanisms and can be enculturated. First, the main tenets of two neuroanthropological approaches to consciousness and culture are outlined. Next, the upsides and downsides of evolutionary psychology are examined; the fruitfulness of this approach in the study of cultural phenomena such as shamanism is debated. The authors then discuss the promises of [...]
Lire la suiteSense of reality, metacognition and culture in schizophrenic and drug-induced hallucinations : An interdisciplinary approach Martin Fortier In J. Proust & M. Fortier (Eds.) : "Metacognitive Diversity : An Interdisciplinary Approach", 2018. Oxford/New York, Oxford University Press. Abstract Hallucinations possess two main components : (i) a sensory content; and (ii) a sense that the sensory content is real. Influential models of schizophrenic hallucination claim that both the sensory content and the sense of reality can be explained in terms of metacognitive dysfunction. This chapter assesses whether such a claim holds for schizophrenic and drug-induced hallucinations; it further attempts to determine the actual role of metacognition [...]
Lire la suiteChapter 12 : Gnosis Potency : DMT Breakthroughs and Paragnosis Graham St John in B. C. Labate, C. Cavnar (eds.), "Plant Medicines, Healing and Psychedelic Science", Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 doi : 10.1007/978-3-319-76720-8_12 Abstract DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a powerful tryptamine that has experienced growing appeal in the last decade, independent from ayahuasca, the Amazonian visionary brew in which it is an integral ingredient. Investigating user reports available from literary and online sources, this chapter focuses on the gnosis potency associated with the DMT “breakthrough” experience. I explore the parameters of the tryptaminal state and, in particular, the extraordinary paragnosis associated with [...]
Lire la suiteA dangerous method ? Psychedelic therapy at Modum Bad, Norway, 1961–76 Petter Grahl Johnstad History of Psychiatry, 2020, 1–10 Doi : 10.1177/0957154X19894537 Abstract After many years of disregard, the use of psychedelic drugs in psychiatric treatment has re-emerged in recent years. The prospect that psychedelics may again be integrated into mainstream psychiatry has aroused interest in long-forgotten research and experience from the previous phase of psychedelic therapy, which lasted from the late 1940s to the 1970s. This article will discuss one large-scale psychedelic therapy programme at Modum Bad Nervesanatorium, a psychiatric clinic which treated 379 inpatients with psychedelic drugs during the years 1961–76. The psychiatrists [...]
Lire la suite“Go Ask Alice”: The Case for Researching Schedule I Drugs Kenneth V. ISERSON Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 2019, 28, 168–177. © Cambridge University Press 2018. doi : 10.1017/S0963180118000518 Abstract : The available treatments for disorders affecting large segments of the population are often costly, complex, and only marginally effective, and many have numerous side effects. These disorders include dementias, debilitating neurological disorders, the multiple types of drug addiction, and the spectrum of mental health disorders. Preliminary studies have shown that a variety of psychedelic and similar U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Schedule I drugs may offer better treatment options than those that currently exist and pose potentially [...]
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