Daily Archives: August 2, 2022

Psychedelic Water is paving the way for a more accessible psychedelic experience. The drink will not make you hallucinate but it does contain psychoactive substances like kava, damiana, and green tea extract that have mood-boosting benefits. Many individuals and organizations are working to educate the public and destigmatizepsychedelics. "We want to contribute to this normalization with a unique approach. We feel that having a psychedelic-branded product on the shelves of your local convenience store between cans of Red Bull and jugs of milk could have a significant impact on the public perception and normalization of psychedelics," saysGogia.

Psychedelic Water aims to be approachable to people who are interested in psychedelics, but maybe are hesitant or unfamiliar with them. The drink hassimilareffects of psychedelics but with FDA-compliant ingredients. "We want to act as an entry point for people into the wider world of these substances and their many benefits," shares Gogia. And the benefits are immense.Psychedelic Water helps boost your mood and promotes stress relief. "People have described themselves as feeling giggly, bubbly, serene, and content after trying our blend. Basically, it gets you feeling good and puts a smile on your face while keeping your head clear and your cognition intact."

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Psychedelic Water CEO Pankaj Gogia Talks About The Future Of Psychedelics - Exclusive - Health Digest

This story originally appeared on Benzinga

A letter on behalf of the federal Health and Human Services (HHS) department acknowledges that the ongoing mental health and substance use crises require for the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapies to be further explored. The department would establish a task-force to do so, first reported by Mattha Busby in The Intercept.

The document, written in May 2022 and signed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on behalf of the HHS secretary Xavier Becerra, constitutes the federal response to a February letter signed by five Congress members proposing a task force towards addressing the issues associated with the expected FDA approval of MDMA for PTSD treatment and psilocybin for depression treatment within the next two years.

RELATED: Are Psychedelics a Good Investment? What You Need to Know

According to the reply letter, Biden's administration is "exploring the prospect" of establishing the suggested federal task force to monitor the emerging psychedelic treatment ecosystem, which could involve collaboration with the private sector as well as across federal agencies.

Joining the bipartisan Congressional lawmakers, other state legislators and military veterans had sent a companion letter to the HHS urging the agency to decide on a course of action, considering that "people are going to use them (the psychedelics) regardless of whether regulators act."

The battle towards federal legalization of psychedelic medicine is up and running. Besides the potential federal taskforce, two bipartisan bills co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker and Rand Paul along with Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Nancy Mace have recently been introduced against the DEA's denial to allow terminally-ill patients from accessing controlled substances.

Accordingly, the federal agency is currently facing another lawsuit regarding access to psilocybin for oncology patients backed by Right To Try laws.

So far, the DEA has responded positively to a separate claim: following a significant pushback from research and advocacy groups, it revoked its proposal to ban five potentially very therapeutic tryptamines.

More legislation to widen access to psychedelics is soon to be discussed, including one regarding research and pilot programs within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Biden Administration Says Task Force Is Needed to Advance Psychedelics Research - Green Entrepreneur

And a lot of people here are availing themselves of D.C.s unique decriminalization rules. Microdosing mushrooms as a kind of performance-enhancing brain boost already wildly popular among the California tech set is now fairly common in Washington, especially in media circles. Recreational use macrodosing? isnt all that uncommon either. If you want a fully legal psychedelic experience, you can stop by Field Trip, on 15th St. NW, where licensed therapists treat PTSD, depression and other mental health issues with psychedelic-assisted therapy using ketamine.

A lot of the new curiosity about psychedelics was sparked by Michael Pollans 2018 book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. (The book has now been turned into a show on Netflix.) In other circles, Joe Rogans podcasts about mushrooms created a flurry of interest.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is now conducting clinical trials with psilocybin, the drug in psychedelic mushrooms, to treat mental health issues. And The Intercept reported this week that in a recent letter to Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), the Biden administration revealed that the FDA is likely to approve the use of psilocybin to treat depression sometime in the next two years.

But cities and states are way ahead of the federal government. There are movements in more than two dozen states to either study, decriminalize or outright legalize mushrooms and other psychedelics. With many veterans as the face of the movement, its happening in blue states like California, New York and Vermont, as well as in red states like Utah, Kansas and Florida.

The epicenter of this movement, as was the case with cannabis legalization, is Colorado, where voters in November will decide whether to approve the Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022, which would create state-regulated healing centers where anyone over 21 could receive psilocybin-assisted therapy.

Its safe to say we are on the cusp of a new frontier in drug legalization, and in the next few years psychedelics are going to be as easily obtainable in cities and states across the country, as they are right now in D.C. And most politicians havent even started to think through what their position on this issue should be.

On this weeks episode of Playbook Deep Dive, Ryan traveled to Littleton, Colo.,and sat down with Veronica Lightning Horse Perez, the co-leader of the Colorado mushroom campaign. They talked about how psychedelics helped treat her mental health issues, what its like to undergo psychedelic therapy with mushrooms and ayahuasca, and her own journey to becoming the unlikely political activist at the forefront of mushroom legalization.

CORRECTION: The story has been updated to correct the spelling of Littleton, Colorado.

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Legalizing the trip: One 'shroom advocate's playbook - POLITICO

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'The result was a rebirth. I finally got where I wanted to go': Celebs who have tried psychedelics - The Daily Post-Athenian

"WITHIN is creating an environment that aims to address the root causes of [addiction] by enabling people to come together in community to heal." - Dr. Molly Maloof

AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB) August 01, 2022

WITHIN, a first-of-its-kind psychedelic medical clinic, retreat center and integration program offering cutting-edge treatment services through the use of ceremonial psychedelics hosted a Grand Opening event Friday, July 22, 2022 at its inaugural facility located in Austin, TX. WITHIN opened its doors on May 1, 2022, in the heart of the city and has been successfully guiding individuals through ceremonial psychedelic treatments over the past two months. The sold-out event included live music, educational talks from leaders in the psychedelic space and interactive wellness experiences including live painting, massage, sound, light and wave therapy.

A series of talks from psychedelic industry leaders kicked off the evening, with a keynote presentation by Greg Fonzo, Ph. D., Co-Director, Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy and Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at UT Health. Other speakers included Dr. Molly Maloof, Founder and CEO of Adamo Bioscience, Deanne Adamson, CEO of Being True to You, Mary Olivar from the Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange, and Dr. Mike North, CEO/Founder of Slow Wave.

Founder and CEO of WITHIN, David Naylor, a veteran of the mental health industry, shared his vision in opening this type of facility. Working in the mental health and addiction field for close to a decade, owning 4 treatment centers and 10 aftercare sober living properties, I saw the revolving door and 85% relapse rate, said Naylor. I watched too many of my friends and clients bounce from center to center, and I watched too many parents grieve losing their children. Psychedelic therapy changed my life four years ago after I, myself, was suffering from a lifelong battle with anxiety and fear. It was like doing 10 years of therapy in one session. I confronted and healed my fear of death and an anxiety thats been with me most of my life. I finally experienced what Johns Hopkins, MAPS, UT and others have been showing us for years with their data and research on psychedelic medicine and it gave me a whole new perspective and understanding for my life and why I am here. Today, we get to see these kinds of transformations and miracles every day in our clinic through individuals overcoming their biggest fears, sabotaging behaviors and addictions and finding a deep belonging, safety and connection within themselves.

According to Maloof, One of the biggest problems in society today is a lack of social connection due to social isolation and loneliness. Psychedelics administered in a healing context with proper preparation, set, setting, safety and integration, can be enormously helpful for helping people suffering from mental illness and diseases of despair. We need to consider that disconnection from oneself, ones life, and ones social environment contributes to the development of maladaptive coping habits such as addiction. WITHIN is creating an environment that aims to address the root causes of this condition by enabling people to come together in community to heal.

Clients from WITHINs first two months boast its success:Psychedelic therapy released attachments, blocks, and got me out of behaviors I had tried to break my entire life, says Luke Carver.

I got more out of one blindfold Therapy session Within using transformative psychedelic medicine than 20 years in therapy, boasts Misty Squires.

As the country experiences a growing interest in the use of psychedelics as therapyas evidenced by the popularity of Netflixs new smash hit, How to Change Your Mind, which explores the history of the use of psychedelics in a clinical settingWITHIN is leading the way by offering those seeking a reprieve from psychological strife or deep-rooted traumas with an alternative treatment option. WITHIN not only treats those in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, but also those battling depression, anxiety, traumas, PTSD, chronic pain and those navigating life transitions. Unlike clinics that tend to be sterile and cold, WITHIN offers a warm ceremonial approach, merging ancient traditions with modern medicine. There is a retreat center with a focus on integration and community along with four conscious living homes. To date, WITHIN has raised $600,000 to launch the flagship Ausin location and is currently raising a $1.5 million seed round with plans to expand to three more states by the end of 2023.

For information about available treatments or investment opportunities, contact: info@within.center.

ABOUT WITHIN:WITHIN is a psychedelic medical clinic, retreat center and integration program based in Austin, Texas, that provides safe, transformational healing modalities for those looking to release trauma, to combat stress, anxiety, addiction, and depression and to regain their mental health and well-being. WITHIN is pioneering the future of health and is revolutionizing the current healthcare model, offering breakthrough psychedelic therapy merging the ancient traditions with western medicine. A medical clinic with a medical license and staff, WITHIN has a unique model of therapy, shifting the paradigm around how we collectively view ourselves and our lives; our wholeness, our wellness, and our quality of life.

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Texas' first Ceremonial Psychedelic Treatment Center WITHIN opens in Austin - PR Web

About the opportunity

The Drug Discovery Initiative and the School of Chemistry is seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow with prior experience in behavioural and molecular neuroscience. This exciting opportunity involves investigating how psychedelic molecules impact the neurodevelopment in preclinical models of disease. The successful applicant will work under the supervision of Professor Michael Kassiou, and Dr Eryn Werry from the Drug Discovery Initiative in the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

The Drug Discovery Initiative aspires to enable improved health outcomes through innovative drug discovery. Its mission is to design and develop innovative tools and techniques for identifying novel therapeutic targets, delivery mechanisms and bioactive molecules with high potential for industry uptake and clinical translation. By providing an overarching framework that links aligned areas of research strength from across the University, the Initiative will accelerate impactful research and enhance multi-disciplinary collaboration both within the University community and with broader health industry partners.

The School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney is a leading Chemistry department in the country, with outstanding staff and students undertaking world-leading teaching and research. With more than 30 academic staff, 100 research staff, and 100 research students we conduct research across the full spectrum of pure and applied chemistry. Our research excellence is recognised by numerous prizes and awards to individual staff members and the award of almost $10 million in research funding each year. With the support of over 30 professional, technical and administrative staff, the School of Chemistry administers and delivers undergraduate teaching for more than 3 000 students. We are committed to creating a diverse workplace by improving equity, access and opportunity, and we are continuously working to identify and remove biases and barriers in an effort to make our workplace open, supportive and safe for everyone.

To learn more about the Drug Discovery Initiative, click here

About you

The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for a

Postdoctoral Research Fellow who has:

Essential Experience:

Preferred Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

To keep our community safe, please be aware of our COVID safety precautions which form our conditions of entry for all staff, students and visitors coming to campus.

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

Please note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Australian Temporary Residents currently employed at the University of Sydney may be considered for a fixed term contract for the length of their visa, depending on the requirements of the hiring area and the position.

Pre-employment checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement

At the University of Sydney, our shared values include diversity and inclusion and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community which reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this commitment through our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTIQ. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard. Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or support filling out this application, please contact Helen Efstathiou, Recruitment Consultant. Recruitment Operations, Human Resources on +61 2 8627 7137 or by emailrecruitment.sea@sydney.edu.au

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Wednesday 17 August 2022 11:59 PM

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychedelics, Neurodevelopment and Electrophysiology job with UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY | 303322 - Times Higher Education

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Unlimited Sciences, a psychedelic research nonprofit, today announces a seminal new observation research study that will measure the potential healing effects of ayahuasca on individuals with past experiences of trauma. The study, beginning this summer, will engage mostly female immigrants and refugees seeking remedial therapy through the powerful psychoactive brew, which has been identified as a candidate for the treatment of trauma. To fund the groundbreaking endeavor, Unlimited Sciences kicked off a GoFundMe campaign to raise the necessary $50,000 to conduct the study.

Despite robust reports and significant historical roots recognizing the vast therapeutic potential of ayahuasca, the psychoactive alkaloid present in ayahuasca, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), is a Schedule I controlled substance classified as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, said Matthew X. Lowe, Ph.D., Research Director at Unlimited Sciences and principal investigator for the study. As a result, there has been little research conducted on ayahuasca. Current therapeutic options may be insufficient to meet the increasing needs of a growing number of individuals presenting with symptoms of trauma. Alternative treatment options are desperately needed, and ayahuasca has been identified as a candidate therapy for the treatment of trauma.

Ayahuasca produces powerful experiences that have been likened to intense psychotherapy, indicating its therapeutic potential for treating trauma and its resulting mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). High numbers of refugees and immigrants endure complex and multilayered forms of distress, including physical and sexual violence, persecution, experiences of war and torture, life-threatening situations and tense journeys before and during the process of migration. The mind-altering psychedelic effects produced by ayahuasca can have lasting and severe long-term mental health consequences, yet few studies have examined the impact of trauma experienced after migration.

DMT is a particularly intriguing psychedelic. The visual vividness and depth of immersion produced by high doses of the substance seems to be on a scale above what is reported with more widely studied psychedelics such as psilocybin or magic mushrooms, said Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, co-principal investigator on the study and Founding Director of The Neuroscape Psychedelics Division and newly endowed Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Its hard to capture and communicate what it is like for people experiencing DMT but likening it to dreaming while awake or a near-death experience is useful.

Donations raised through the GoFundMe campaign will help pay for expenses related to key research personnel, equipment, institutional review board and other direct costs such as materials and publication expenses. Unlimited Sciences was invited to observe the ceremony and study health outcomes related to the event, and is solely focused on observational research which does not include organization, facilitating the ceremony, or administering ayahuasca to participants. Unlimited Sciences is aware of the risk psychedelic substances can pose to vulnerable individuals or individuals predisposed to mental health conditions, and does not endorse the use of ayahuasca outside of clinical settings. Unlimited Sciences will eventually publish the studys results and share them with the general public in the interest of advancing scientific understanding of both the risks and benefits of using ayahuasca for therapeutic purposes. To learn more about Unlimited Sciences and real-world psychedelic research, please visit http://www.unlimitedsciences.org.

About Unlimited Sciences

Unlimited Sciences is a psychedelic research nonprofit that uses the power of data to serve the community, educate the public, and inform common-sense practices and policies regarding psychedelic use. At Unlimited Sciences, we are focused on driving psychedelic research forward, and our goal is to capture observational data in real-world settings and share these results with the public. Its estimated that over 30 million people have used some form of psychedelics in the U.S. alone. Our goal is to access this knowledge, mitigate harm and reduce stigma through education.

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Unlimited Sciences Announces Groundbreaking New Study to Observe Ayahuasca's Effects on Trauma - Business Wire