Category Archives: Psychedelics

Last November, Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic use. Psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic mushrooms, are in a pilot program in Oregon where they can be used to treat depression, addiction, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Though Texas is still in theprocess of expandingthe diagnoses that can be treated with medicinal marijuana, experts think psychedelics could follow the same pattern that marijuana cleared over the past couple of decades.

Research has shown promising results for psilocybin mushrooms, which grow in meadows and woods worldwide, in treating PTSD and depression. In May 2019, Denver became the first city to decriminalize the substance and was followed by Oakland, California, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and elsewhere. The substance was made illegal through federal law in 1970, but in 2000, Johns Hopkins was grantedaccessto study its use in treating addiction, depression, and PTSD.

Momentum is building behind the decriminalization and eventual legalization of psychedelics. Canada has also made psilocybinavailableto those with mental health issues, and psychedelics have even received theattentionofShark Tankco-host Kevin OLeary, chairman of OShares ETFs. Publicly traded companies are raising billions of dollars in the space. Wall Street estimates put the number of potential patients in the U.S. at two to four million people with annual sales from $1 to $5 billion.

Calum Hughes (Courtesy: Allied Corp.)

Investment excitement aside, broader use of psychedelics will necessitate a change in public opinion as well. Those in the space are focused on shifting the image of psychedelics from one of young people losing their mind in the streets tripping on magic mushrooms. This is a micro-dose of psilocybin that has enough therapeutic effect in the human neurons to impact adrenaline which causes anxiety, says Calum Hughes, CEO and Founder of Allied Corp., a Canadian-based health and technology company that operates in the psilocybin and marijuana markets. The product is not a magic mushroom, but is a highly complex medically researched molecule that does something very specific in the human brain.

The pandemic has meant an increase in mental health issues in an already overwhelmed industry, and these medicines may be able to impact ways that traditional drugs havent. Given COVID-19, the amount of people recovering from, experiencing, or witnessing trauma, anxiety, or social isolation is going to be even more prevalent, Hughes says. Youre talking millions and millions of people globally who are suffering from these conditions. There are a lot of antidepressant medications that are global, multibillion-dollar products. Were finding results as good or better than these products in our preliminary research. So, to say that were excited is an understatement.

Dallas may be years behind the likes of Oregon and Canada when it comes to legalizing medicinal psilocybin, but there are local efforts to decriminalize the drug in the works.Attorney and former City Council member Philip Kingston has been working in Dallas with a national group called Decriminalize Nature, whose mission is To improve human health and well-being by decriminalizing and expanding access to entheogenic plants and fungi through political and community organizing, education, and advocacy. He is helping the organization get psilocybin to be treated like marijuana in Dallas by decriminalizing small amounts of the drug.

Two years ago, Dallas County District Attorney announced he would stop prosecuting marijuana possession charges. Still, it was only this year when new police chief Eddie Garciasaidhis officers would stop charging residents with less than two ounces of marijuana. Those under four ounces will receive a ticket but not be arrested. The district attorneys office has not prosecuted 3,161 cases from January 2019 through June 2020.

Part of the advocacy for the decriminalization of psychedelics is to demonstrate the drugs medical benefits, Kingston says. This idea of decriminalization, or even legalization, came in large part because of the amazing success of substances like these on PTSD, which is an incredibly difficult syndrome to treat for the medical profession. It looks like hallucinogens might be a real breakthrough.

He is hopeful that local efforts can make progress where the state legislature has not. Nobody can stop cities from making it a policy that their officers do not arrest for these kinds of offenses, Kingston says. And nobody can make the district attorney prosecute. Thats the local breakthrough that weve achieved on this specific topic in the naturally occurring hallucinogens.

When the new council is installed later this summer after the remaining runoffs, Kingston says Decriminalize Nature will step up its advocacy efforts to decriminalize hallucinogens, which is often a step toward medicinal or full legalization. Understanding that there is no serious risk of harm from using these drugs and that there are potential medical benefits from it is the main hurdle to getting movement on it, Kingston says. Weve been encouraged that Chief Garcia has said that the focus of his department is going to be on preventing and punishing crimes that endanger Dallasites, and drug possession doesnt fall into that category.

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What Will Psychedelics Mean for the Future of Medicine? - D Healthcare Daily

NEW YORK, May 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NetworkNewsAudio Tryp Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: TRYP) (OTCQB: TRYPF) announces the availability of a broadcast titled, Wall Street Unicorns in Process of Changing the Healthcare Landscape.

To hear the AudioPressRelease, please visit: The NetworkNewsAudio News Podcast

To view the full editorial, please visit:https://nnw.fm/QOAcO

Most people may not recognize some of the medical terms for psychedelics, but nearly all know their street names, including magic mushrooms, ecstasy, Molly and LSD. Over decades, people have been conditioned to the stigma of these illicit substances, instigated and promoted by the Controlled Substances Act. However, the negative stigma is being lifted and being replaced by a growing body of scientific clinical evidence that strongly suggests psychedelics may well become one of the greatest advancements in mental health and neuropsychiatric disease in decades. . . .

Tryp Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: TRYP) (OTCQB: TRYPF) offers a best-in-class, drug development team capable of taking compounds from early stage and advancing them through the rigors of clinical development to commercialization. This team of executives and advisors cannot go understated as its made up of deep experience and key leadership positions throughout, including large pharma, emerging pharma, drug approvals, psychedelics and capital markets.

About Tryp Therapeutics Inc.

Tryp Therapeutics is a pharmaceutical company focused on developing compounds with known activity and safety profiles for the treatment of rare and other diseases with unmet medical needs. Tryps psilocybin-for-neuropsychiatric disorders, or PFN(TM) (PFN), program is focused on the development of synthetic psilocybin as a new class of drug for the treatment of certain neuropsychiatric-based disorders. Tryps lead PFN drug candidate is TRP-8802 for the treatment of fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome estimated to affect more than five million people in the United States. The company is also preparing to initiate a phase 2a clinical study for eating disorders in partnership with the Dr. Jennifer Miller at the University of Florida. In addition to its PFN program, Tryp is developing TRP-1001, an oral formulation of razoxane for the treatment of soft-tissue sarcoma. Soft-tissue sarcomas are a rare and diverse group of tumors that account for about 1% of all cancers in adults and 7% in children. Based on the prevalence of soft-tissue sarcomas in the United States, Tryp believes it is a rare disease and that TRP-1001 should qualify for orphan drug status.

For more information about the company, please visitwww.TrypTherapeutics.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS:The latest news and updates relating to TRYP are available in the companys newsroom athttps://ibn.fm/TRYPF.

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Tryp Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: TRYP) (OTCQB: TRYPF) Brings Best-in-Class Team to Psychedelics Development - BioSpace

Psychedelics have been used for healing purposes for thousands of years, but popular culture is only beginning to understand just how powerful and multifaceted these substances are. This article will explore the past and present of psychedelic medicine, as well as introduce you to Psychable an online resource aimed at helping people find professionals who can support them on their journey with psychedelics.

What is Psychedelic Medicine?

Psychedelic medicine is an emergent field that utilizes naturally occurring or synthetic psychedelic substances as tools for healing and self-improvement.

The Controlled Substances Act prohibited psychedelic use in 1971, crucially limiting research efforts and driving many psychedelic therapists underground or abroad to locations with less stringent laws. However, in the last decade, partly due to tireless advocacy on the part of organizations such as the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), research into psychedelics is seeing a revival.

A limited but promising body of clinical evidence on the safety and efficacy of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD, ketamine, ayahuasca, and MDMA shows that they may be able to treat various psychological and physical disorders. At higher doses, psychedelics such as LSD may increase neuroplasticity, the ability of our brains to change and adapt.

One survey study even found that psychedelic use is linked to better physical health. Current research supports the idea that psychedelic substances could have powerful healing potential for a variety of conditions, such as PTSD, major depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder.

The potential for psychedelic medicine to successfully treat these disorders is exciting, as many of these conditions are often resistant to conventional treatment, says Jemie Sae Koo, Psychable CEO and Co-Founder.

However, more research is needed in order to determine how to optimize outcomes for patients and what psychedelic therapy protocols are best indicated for specific conditions. Researchers are also investigating psychedelics for applications such as coping with racial trauma, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and even reducing recidivism.

Additionally, psychedelics can help people to expand their minds in fascinating ways. Many professionals, especially from the tech and business world, report microdosing LSD to solve problems, enhance creativity and improve performance. Some microdosing research suggests that subjective benefits of microdosing may only be the placebo effect rather than the efficacy of the drug explicitly.

Although researchers are cautiously optimistic about psychedelics for mental health conditions, there is not enough clinical evidence to prove that psychedelics can address the problems of the modern world.

Keeping Up with the Current Research and Trends in Psychedelic Medicine

Psychedelics are not a panacea, explains Matt Zemon, Psychable Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder. Some people try to fit psychedelic medicine into their existing concept of medicine, typically the western medical paradigm that rests heavily on the use of pharmaceutical interventions or surgical procedures. This may lead to the misunderstanding that psychedelics are potential instant cures for diagnoses. Psychedelics are tools; just like a knife that can be used in service of help or harm.

This oversimplification of psychedelic medicine is one example of the shadow side of psychedelics, a phenomenon receiving more attention recently as global interest and demand increase. Other related issues include accessibility, the overharvesting, and endangerment of peyote and iboga, the complexities of decriminalization efforts, the potential pitfalls of mainstreaming psychedelics, ethical and legal issues, spiritual bypassing, sexual misconduct in psychedelic therapy and psychedelic spaces, and more.

Psychable can help you get informed about everything in the world of psychedelic medicine. They envision a world where the safe, legal and ethical use of psychedelics has transformed global mental health, allowing more people to heal, transform and access their true potential. Psychables mission is to empower individuals seeking the healing properties of psychedelics with practitioners, knowledge, and a safe community that legally supports them.

As the legal landscape continues to shift, Psychable aims to simplify the process of finding experienced professionals who offer legal healing modalities and pre-and post-psychedelic experience support.

Psychable is for service-seekers and practitioners, as well those who are new to learning about psychedelic-assisted therapy. Browse their collection of evidence-based articles, participate in their engaged and passionate online forum, and check out the professional directory powered by ratings and reviews.

Published May 15th, 2021

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Psychedelic Medicine Read All About It on Psychable - Influencive

By Brent Furdyk.18 May 2021 6:54 PM

Kristen Bell is revealing shes begun experimenting with psychedelics as a way to treat the depression and anxiety that have plagued her for decades.

Appearing on the Hypochondriactor podcast, hosted by Will & Grace star Sean Hayes and Dr. Priyanka Wali, Bell explained that she decided to take this new approach to managing her mental health after reading Michael Pollans book How to Change Your Mind.

He really goes into detail about this underground academic community that has continued to study the effects of LSD and psilocybin on what they call healthy normal, said Bell. There are aspects to those two particular drugs that the places you can go in your brain are much deeper and more healing than anything else.

RELATED: Dax Shepard Honours Kristen Bell On Mothers Day With Nude Photo: We Are So Grateful

As a result, she explained, she became really interested in doing mushrooms in order to feel what kind of doors open, have a trip that was my own.

According to Bell, husband Jax Shepard was on hand to oversee, but not participate.

I am very lucky to be married to an ex-drug addict, she joked. Not only did he know where to get the mushrooms he got that really nice, quality, organic, set and setting, beautiful mushroom. And then he babysat me.

Bell said she took her trip on her last birthday. I said, I really would like to experience this. And I dont want to, Im not going to party with it, but I want to know what this feels like. And I want to talk while Im doing it, and I want you to talk to me. And he took me on a walk around the neighbourhood and it was so lovely.

RELATED: Kristen Bell Says Shes Turned On By Dax Shepards Sense Of Humour: The Stupid S**t He Does Just By Being Himself Is So Attractive To Me

One effect the mushrooms had, she revealed, was to make her so enamoured with her own body.

I had gone to the bathroom, I went to pee and I came downstairs wide-eyed and I said, Dax, I had to pee. I felt the sensation of having to pee and all of a sudden this beautiful lady and I was pointing to my legs picked me up. She walked me down the hallway. She sat me down on the toilet. She rolled a little roll of toilet paper for me and just put it on my lap till I was done peeing. Then she wiped me. Then she flushed the toilet and now Im back out here,' she recalled.

But in my head, I had separated this body that had done so much good in my life, that has taken me through happiness and pain and workouts and laziness that I was just like, couldnt stop touching my legs going, Youre so strong. Youre so elegant.

The entire podcast episode can be heard below.

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Kristen Bell Reveals She Tried Psychedelic Mushrooms To Treat Her Depression - ETCanada.com

What factors should businesses account for when investing in the production, provision or sale of psychedelics or related services? What are the risks and potential benefits of entering this area now?

In addition to the start-up risks facing psychedelics companies as early-stage pre-revenue companies or as companies with modest revenues, since psychedelics are, and are likely to remain, highly regulated substances, certainty in the application and design of legal and regulatory regimes in which the business operates should be at the forefront of considerations of businesses in the psychedelics industry. This may not be true for all of the activities of a psychedelics business, but in our view should be for a majority of the operations of those businesses. For example, jurisdictions that have legal and regulatory regimes that are in constant flux or that have inequitable or unpredictable results limit the ability of psychedelics companies to, among other things, operate effectively, gain investor confidence, access capital and banking, develop products or deliver services in a timely and cost-effective manner.

In addition, one of the key risks facing many psychedelics is the risk of getting lost in the crowd. In the past 12 months a significant number of psychedelics companies have completed go public transactions and raised capital. Many more have raised substantial amounts of capital and have grown to a significant size, but remain private. Many of these existing companies have similar business plans so a company finding its niche in the market has become that much more challenging. That being said, the psychedelics industry is experiencing a renaissance in the investment community, the medical or health and wellness community and the general public, with substantial areas of opportunity for enterprising psychedelics companies that want to make a meaningful difference through the advancement of ground-breaking therapies.

How would you advise clients in this area to limit their exposure to liability and potential litigation? Do clients in the psychedelics space require protection against multiple types of liability?

In addition to ordinary course business risks, psychedelics companies face risks associated with operating in a nascent, rapidly evolving, yet highly regulated industry. In our experience, these factors, and others, require companies in the psychedelics industry to professionalize their management teams and establish sophisticated processes and views on risk at a much earlier stage that companies operating in other industries. By taking these actions at an earlier stage, psychedelics companies can formulate strategies to identify, weigh and manage risk, to make informed decisions on risk versus reward for the opportunities they consider. As the psychedelics industry continues to develop so does the insurance industry supporting these companies, with an increasing range of insurance products becoming rapidly becoming available.

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Canada's Psychedelic Future: a guide to the evolving legal and regulatory landscape and what's next - Lexpert

Stateside's conversation with Paul Austin

Humans have used psychedelics like magic mushrooms, acid, or ecstasy in a variety of ways for a long time. Though the drugs remain illegal on the federal level in the U.S., interest in psychedelics is continuing to grow, as is the movement to normalize their use particularly for therapeutic purposes.

Last September, the city of Ann Arbor decriminalized psychedelic plants and fungi, and one of the organizations behind the effort is now aiming to decriminalize them statewide. And, as psychedelic use becomes a little more commonplace, some entrepreneurs are building careers out of educating and coaching people on the practice of microdosing.

West Michigander Paul Austin, the author of Microdosing Psychedelics: A Practical Guide to Upgrade Your Life, says he thinks psychedelics are becoming more widely accepted as a therapeutic tool for mental health conditions. Hes also an advocate for using them in small doses to achieve what he calls an optimal outcome in your work or life.

It's really looking at: how can microdosing help with leadership development? How can it help with optimal wellbeing, with things like flow and creativity? Austin said. And what does it say about people, as they're starting to work with psychedelics in terms of both microdoses and also higher doses, how does that change the work that they choose to pursue, even?

Clinical trials studying the effects of taking psychedelics to treat conditions like depression, anxiety, or addiction have increased in the past decade. For example, in one Johns Hopkins University Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research study last year, scientists found that adults with major depression experienced improvement in their symptoms after receiving doses of psilocybin, a hallucinogenic compound found in some kinds of fungus.

But despite growing research and interest in psychedelics, theres still a lot we dont know about them and how they can uniquely affect people. Scientists and medical practitioners point out that while clinical trials might show benefits, participants in those studies are taking psychedelics in carefully controlled environments not without supervision. And in certain cases, particularly for people with heart conditions or with family histories of psychosis, psychedelics might be a risk to physical or mental health.

Austin emphasizes the importance of working with a guide when using psychedelics for therapeutic or recreational purposes. He offers a coaching package for people interested in microdosing through The Third Wave, an online resource he founded for people hoping to learn more about psychedelic use. Austin says a coach can help people navigate a microdosing or higher-dosage experience.

Their goal is to provide a mirror, to help guide someone into a deeper knowing in themselves, to become more coherent, to heal certain trauma that might be stored in the unconscious and the subconscious, and to do it in a way that guides someone to better outcomes, he said.

Austin says clinically trained professionals are the best guides for patients seeking to use psychedelics to help with a mental health condition. For individuals interested in nonclinical outcomes like expanding creativity, Austin says a therapist or psychiatrist may not be necessary, but he recommends a guide with strong listening skills and knowledge of integrative wellness.

Oftentimes the initial process of psychedelics is healing. There's often, for many, if not all of us, elements to explore, shadow elements to explore what needs to be healed, what needs to come up from the subconscious and the unconscious, he said. But for those of us who have either done this or had other practices, these are phenomenal tools for these expanded states of being, which are just so connected, so beautiful.

For more, listen to the full conversation above.

This post was written by Stateside production assistant Nell Ovitt.

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Psychedelics as therapy? West Michigan author advocates for further research and acceptance - Michigan Radio

NEW YORK, May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc. ("MindMed" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: MNMD) (NEO: MMED), (DE: MMQ), a leading psychedelic-inspired medicine company announces the launch of its Project Angie to advance the development of psychedelics, including LSD, to treat pain conditions. MindMed is currently exploring two primary clinical indications for the treatment of pain.

For the commencement of Project Angie, MindMed will initiate a study of LSD in a severe pain indication. MindMed is currently preparing a pre-IND briefing package for this Phase 2a Proof of Concept study which it plans to submit to the FDA in the second half of 2021. In addition, the Company is also evaluating a second indication in a common, often debilitating, chronic pain syndrome.

Patients experiencing chronic pain represent a large and growing segment of the population and, according to IQVIA, the global market for analgesics is expected to grow to over $31 billion by 2030. At the same time, overuse of opioids in the treatment of pain has contributed to the opioid epidemic in the United States and around the world.There has been little innovation in the pain market in decades and the treatment paradigm is still dominated by opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Preliminary evidence, including a clinical study co-authored by MindMed collaborating researchers Prof. Dr. Matthias Liechti and Dr. Kim Kuypers, suggests that psychedelics may offer an entirely novel mechanism of action for treating pain, which could ultimately offer patients a new treatment option. The exact mechanisms by which psychedelics may carry out their analgesic effect have not been fully characterized but may involve direct effects on endogenous pain modulation pathways. This mechanism is particularly relevant as altered function, or dysfunction, of these pain modulation pathways has been implicated in a range of pain syndromes.

"Evidence dating back to the 1950s suggests that LSD and other psychedelics may have analgesic effects, but this treatment area remains largely untapped by companies studying psychedelics, with the majority of research focusing solely on psychiatric indications" said MindMed Chief Development Officer, Rob Barrow.

MindMed CEO & Co-Founder J.R. Rahn said "With the launch of Project Angie, we seek to align closely with MindMed's core mission to improve mental health and combat substance use for the many patients in need. If we can help to develop a new paradigm to treat pain, it may have the potential to greatly reduce the use of addictive medicines such as opioids currently ravaging society and its mental health."

Additional details about MindMed's planned clinical trials in pain will be forthcoming.

About MindMed MindMed is a clinical-stage psychedelic medicine biotech company that discovers, develops and deploys psychedelic inspired medicines and therapies to address addiction and mental illness. The company is assembling a compelling drug development pipeline of innovative treatments based on psychedelic substances including Psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, DMT and an ibogaine derivative, 18-MC. The MindMed executive team brings extensive biopharmaceutical experience to MindMed's approach to developing the next generation of psychedelic inspired medicines and therapies.

MindMed trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol MNMD and on the Canadian NEO exchange under the symbol MMED. MindMed is also traded in Germany under the symbol MMQ.

Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release related to the Company constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws and are prospective in nature. Forward-looking information is not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "will", "may", "should", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe", "potential" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking information in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's plans and the timing of such plans related to its study of LSD in a severe pain indications, the potential benefits associated with psychedelics as a pain treatment option generally and compared to other currently available treatment options ability and the Company's other intended future business plans and operations. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the Company. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including history of negative cash flows; limited operating history; incurrence of future losses; availability of additional capital; lack of product revenue; compliance with laws and regulations; difficulty associated with research and development; risks associated with clinical trials or studies; heightened regulatory scrutiny; early stage product development; clinical trial risks; regulatory approval processes; novelty of the psychedelic inspired medicines industry; as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to herein and the risks described under the headings "Risk Factors" in the Company's filings with the securities regulatory authorities in all provinces and territories of Canada which are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR atwww.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update this forward-looking information.

Media Contact: [emailprotected]

SOURCE Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.

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MindMed Announces Project Angie, Targeting the Treatment of Pain with Psychedelics - PRNewswire

In February 2021, Josh was in his room and looking at his phone when he was struck by a strange feeling.

"The room looked normal, nothing was moving, but I felt as though I was under the influence of a psychedelic," he told Big Think.

As a teenager, Josh had experimented with LSD, mushrooms, and other psychedelics a couple dozen times. Now 25, he had been sober for about a year. He brushed off the incident.

But soon, Josh, which is not his real name, was struck again by the same strange feeling.

"I had no idea what was going on in my brain at that time and the anxiety and paranoia grew so intense that I became fearful I had developed everything from brain cancer to schizophrenia," he said.

The physical and psychological symptoms he began suffering were "devastating."

"The world [looked] crooked and out of focus, pictures had an eerie quality to them, things would go in and out of focus, at night while falling asleep I would experience vivid and terrifying hypnagogic hallucinations that made rest impossible."

After three weeks, Josh said his visual symptoms amplified with "unbelievable intensity."

"The floors would [breathe], paint on the walls looked wet, visual snow was so intense [that] pure black looked like it was glowing, at night I would see tracers everywhere, halos appeared around text. [...] I did not sleep, my thoughts were anxious and at times deranged, I had unbelievably intense dereliction that made the world seem fake."

What Josh experienced is commonly called an LSD flashback. It's a mysterious phenomenon in which someone who's previously taken a hallucinogenic drug suddenly and temporarily experiences the effects of that drug days, weeks, or even years after consuming it.

Flashbacks can occur after taking a wide range of psychedelic drugs. But compared to other hallucinogens, flashbacks seem to be most common among people who have consumed LSD, according to studies.

Credit Newwup via Adobe Stock

People have reported acid flashbacks for decades. The earliest recorded case may be Havelock Ellis' 1898 report of taking mescaline and then experiencing sustained heightened sensitization to "the more delicate phenomena of light and shade and color."

But it wasn't until the 1950s, little more than a decade after Albert Hoffman first synthesized LSD, that scientists started researching LSD and its potential long-term effects. While studies have illuminated some aspects of how psychedelics affect the brain, scientists still have much to learn about the nature of LSD flashbacks, what causes them, and how to treat them.

What's certain, however, is that a small percentage of people who consume psychedelics report bizarre and sometimes debilitating effects that emerge long after taking hallucinogens.

Among the most common symptoms of LSD flashbacks are visual distortions. In a 1983 study titled "Visual Phenomenology of the LSD Flashback," the psychiatrist and LSD researcher Dr. Henry David Abraham described 16 common visual disturbances reported by people with LSD flashbacks. To name a few:

The effects of LSD flashbacks aren't limited to visual distortions. In a 1970 study called "Analysis of the LSD Flashback," researchers sorted LSD flashbacks into three broad categories: perceptual, somatic (meaning of the body), and emotional.

The emotional flashback is "far more distressing" than the other two, the researchers wrote, providing a case study of a 21-year-old woman who was suffering from LSD flashbacks:

"The patient had these frightening flashbacks during the day, while walking down the street, after smoking marijuana or drinking wine, during the night, and occasionally even while asleep. In one situation she awoke during the middle of the night with a feeling of panic and began running around her house fleeing an imagined threat she could not identify or comprehend. She had taken LSD a number of times, but her last few trips were bad ones with panic and fright followed by loneliness to the point of suicidal despair when she 'came down.' The combination of bad trips and emotional flashbacks made her seek professional help because of her fear that she would harm herself."

To be sure, LSD flashbacks aren't always emotionally distressing. A 2010 survey of 600 hallucinogen users found that, of the minority of users who reported experiencing at least one flashback, only 3 percent described it as a negative experience. In fact, some people enjoyed their flashbacks. On the website Erowid, which promotes research of psychedelic drugs, one user wrote:

"After 2 years of my last acid trip, while on vacation in a very nice wilderness place I was sitting on a rock and then I experienced a clear acid high. I was looking at a very steep hill and suddenly it started moving in nice patterns, exactly as one sees patterns while on acid. It wasn't something uncomfortable. In fact it was really pleasant and there was absolutely no trace of the nasty anxiousness after effects common to LSD. It lasted approximately 2 minutes and I enjoyed it very much."

But some LSD flashbacks are neither brief nor pleasant. A subset of people who use psychedelics develop hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD), a rare and poorly understood condition in which people experience omnipresent or recurring flashbacks. While the symptoms of HPPD vary, the condition can cause intense pain, irreversible perceptual distortions, emotional and psychological distress, and even suicidal thoughts.

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HPPD is estimated to affect between one to five percent of LSD users, though the actual figure is impossible to determine without better data. The disorder was first described formally in 1986 by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised (DSM-III-R). The current edition of the manual (DSM-5) says patients need to meet several criteria to be diagnosed with HPPD:

So, what's the difference between a flashback and HPPD? Mainly frequency and duration. A 2017 review published in Frontiers in Psychiatry noted that while "a flashback is usually reported to be infrequent and episodic, HPPD is usually persisting and long-lasting."

A 2014 review published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences outlined two types of HPPD. The first, HPPD I, is the "flashback type," which is a generally short-term, non-distressing, benign and reversible state accompanied by a pleasant affect. The severity of HPPD I varies, with some people describing their mild flashbacks as annoying, while others say it's like getting "free trips."

But HPPD II is a different beast. The condition can be permanent, with perceptual distortions and other symptoms manifesting irregularly or almost constantly.

"The symptoms usually include palinopsia (afterimages effects), the occurrence of haloes, trails, akinetopsia, visual snows, etc.," according to the aforementioned 2017 review. "Sounds and other perceptions are usually not affected. Visual phenomena have been reported to be uncontrollable and disturbing. Symptomatology may be accompanied by depersonalization, derealization, anxiety, and depression."

When asked what causes flashbacks and HPPD, Dr. Abraham told Popular Science, "I've spent my life studying this problem and I don't know, is the short answer."

But researchers have proposed explanations. One centers on memory. Because psychedelics can cause extremely powerful and emotional experiences, it's theoretically possible that certain environmental stimuli can remind people of those experiences, and then memory "transports" them back into that subjective mindset similar to how a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder might suffer an episode after hearing a loud, sudden noise.

Another hypothesis involves how LSD interacts with the brain's visual processing center. Dr. Abraham proposed that HPPD may arise due to "disinhibition of visual processing related to a loss of serotonin receptors on inhibitory interneurons," which may be caused by consuming LSD.

The basic idea is that LSD somehow changes the way the brain interprets visual stimuli. That might explain why people with HPPD have difficulty properly "disengaging" from the things they see around them. For example, a red stoplight might appear not as a discrete red circle but as a streak of red light painted across their field of vision; or a strobe light might not appear as a flickering light but a light that's constantly on.

Credit Yurok Aleksandrovich via Adobe Stock

"Such a locking of visual circuitry into an 'on' position following perception of a visual stimulus would explain such diverse complaints as trailing, color intensification, positive afterimages, phosphenes, and color confusions, each of which may represent a failure of the respective visual function to turn off the brain's response to the stimulus once the stimulus is gone," Dr. Abraham wrote.

It's also possible that people are genetically predisposed to HPPD and that ingesting LSD is the key that unlocks the disorder. This hypothesis would help explain why people have reportedly developed HPPD after taking a single, moderate dose of LSD.

Ultimately, the exact causes of HPPD are unclear. Partially as a result, there's currently no cure for the disorder, though studies show that people with HPPD have reported improvements in symptomatology after taking benzodiazepines. There's also anecdotal evidence that fasting can alleviate the disorder.

Despite uncertainty over the causes of HPPD, researchers do have a good idea of what can trigger "flare-ups" of HPPD. Dr. Abraham's 1983 study listed the most common triggers, some of which include:

To get a better understanding of HPPD, Big Think posted a questionnaire to the HPPD community on Reddit. Here are some of the responses:

How did HPPD first manifest for you?

IBeatMyGlied wrote:

"First I noticed highly enhanced creativity and intense visuals when [high on] weed and I really enjoyed that part. The realization that this is not going to go away soured the whole experience tho."

"My enhanced creativity left me after about a week and what I was left with was mild visual snow. I hardly knew anything about HPPD at the time and just didn't really care about my symptoms and still thought they were just going to vanish at some point, which they didn't. I kept taking drugs simply because I was addicted and felt like life is no fun without them. My HPPD got gradually worse over time and more symptoms appeared. First, I noticed mild tracers, which got worse over time (again due to continued drug use) and then tinnitus and brain fog. But primarily my symptoms are visual."

Are your symptoms episodic or constant?

"Both constant and episodic," wrote user LotsOfShungite. "A stressful event can trigger my symptoms off into the deep end."

Halven89 wrote:

"Except the brain fog and head pressure that varies, my visual disturbances are constant. The most debilitating ones are the visual snow, especially when I'm inside except if I watch the TV since it filters some of it out. It's also VERY frustrating that I no longer can focus on objects/details (can't stare) and the astigmatism-like symptoms that I got, like blurriness, especially in the distance and ghosting (double vision) plus starbursts from strong light sources. When I'm outside, the pattern glare is really annoying, same with the excessive amount of floaters that came with this. I also see halos from light sources."

IBeatMyGlied wrote:

"My symptoms are mostly constant and only change through rather obvious outside influences, such as certain drugs (almost all drugs), stress, lack of sleep, etc. Although my HPPD is quite pronounced, I have learned to accept it and almost only notice it when I pay attention to it. I always [know] it's there and it somewhat bugs me but I get along."

What are some common misconceptions about HPPD?

IBeatMyGlied wrote:

"One of if not the biggest 'misconception' is that many people believe that HPPD does not exist. But I guess there is no way to prove to another person that it does, so this is gonna stay the case until HPPD enters the public consciousness of the psychedelic community."

Halven89 wrote:

"They usually don't understand anything about it since most haven't heard about it, which really is crazy considering how debilitating this disorder is for many. And as Dr. Abraham said: in the medical field it's highly under- and misdiagnosed. Often as psychosis."

Lopyriev via Adobe Stock

Since experiencing his first acid flashback in February, Josh has found a few helpful strategies to minimize symptoms, including seeing a psychologist, staying sober, getting enough sleep, staying productive, and talking regularly with friends. He seemed optimistic about the future:

"The symptoms will lessen with time and sobriety, and HPPD provides an opportunity to improve yourself. That being said, because thoughts of suicide are apparently common with people that have HPPD, the medical community should take the condition seriously. Especially given how many people use psychedelics today."

While the future of HPPD research remains unclear, general psychedelic research is going through something of a renaissance. In recent years, researchers have published a growing body of studies showing how psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA can help treat conditions like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and existential distress.

But, among people with HPPD, opinions on the utility of psychedelics vary. Josh advised caution:

"I would not recommend [hallucinogenic] drugs be taken for recreational purposes. They are tools to help us treat illnesses and should be treated as such. If someone has depression or other mental health issue, maybe psychedelics administered in a clinical setting by a doctor is appropriate, but otherwise, playing with your brain like it's a chemistry playset is asking for trouble down the road."

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The never-ending trip: LSD flashbacks and a psychedelic disorder that can last forever - Big Think

After decades of limited research and legal roadblocks to medical and recreational use, psychedelic drugs are rapidly remerging as treatments of interest in psychiatry. Cannabis for medical use is widely available across the United States, and in the 2020 elections, a number of states relaxed drug laws, with Oregon allowing psychedelic treatments at medical centers.1

These legal changes, particularly regarding nonmedical or recreational use, will have many physicians worried about the development of substance use disorders in broad swathes of the population. However, relaxed regulations may offer an opportunity to learn more about how the diverse range of psychedelic drugs can be applied as treatments in psychiatric settings.2-4

The first part of this series of articles (Psychedelic Drugs: Lessons From Ketamine and Psilocybin) explored a couple of very different psychedelic treatments for psychiatric disorders, namely esketamine and psilocybin-based treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD).5 Whereas the development of esketamine has focused on a fast-acting, novel treatment mechanism, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy has emphasized hallucinogenic properties as a means of confronting complex psychological processes. These drugs also differ in terms of their medical histories ketamine has been used for anesthesia and magic mushroom-derived psilocybin has mostly been applied recreationally in nonmedical settings.3-5

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Alongside psilocybin, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is considered to be the most studied psychedelic treatment, according to a review published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, and promising findings in terms of efficacy and safety warrant further research on MDMA-assisted treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).6-8 Furthermore, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has demonstrated considerable cost-effectiveness in a recent study published in PLoS One.9

A recent New York Times16 article reported on a study about MDMA and PTSD to be published later this month in Nature Medicine. The study found that patients with severe PTSD who received MDMA during therapy had a significantly greater reduction in the severity of their symptoms compared with those who did not receive therapy and received an inactive placebo. Two months after treatment, 67 percent of participants in the MDMA group no longer qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD, compared with 32 percent in the placebo group. In addition, the study found no serious side effects, although some participants temporarily experienced mild symptoms like nausea and loss of appetite.

Much of the groundbreaking work on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has been funded and conducted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit research center that has been a leading advocate for psychedelic treatments in medical settings since its founding in 1986. Given the considerable restrictions on certain substances under federal drug scheduling, MAPS has advocated for improved access for researchers trying to study psychedelic drugs. In particular, MAPS has explored the emerging medical applications of MDMA and cannabis.8-11 Although both substances may fall under the label of psychedelics and share a history of medical and recreational use, their risks, mechanisms of action, and methods of treatment differ greatly.2-3

MAPS recently filed a Massachusetts lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Attorney General in an attempt to force the DEA to process applications for marijuana production licenses to conduct clinical trials.12 In a press release, MAPS noted that clinical trials are limited by the current sole licensee and source of marijuana for studies, with researchers arguing that its poor quality and limited variability are not comparable to cannabis currently available through either state-regulated markets or informal markets.12

In this second part of the series, we spoke with Dr Michael Mithoefer, Senior Medical Director for Medical Affairs, Training, and Supervision at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).13 Dr Mithoefer has worked on phase 2 trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and trains therapists in these experimental techniques.8,13 He practices and conducts research in Asheville, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina and prior to specializing in psychiatry Dr Mithoefer practiced emergency medicine.

We also spoke with Sara Gael, MA, a Harm Reduction Officer with the Zendo Project and former Director of Harm Reduction at MAPS. She has served as a therapist on MAPS clinical trials for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and specializes in trauma.

Why do you think psychedelics have become a major area of research in psychiatry? Over the course of your career, what have been the main challenges to making them seriously considered as treatments in the field?

Michael Mithoefer, MD: Psychiatry was once focused largely on psychotherapy, but when pharmacological agents were developed there was optimism that they would be effective treatments and there would be steady advance in this area. Unfortunately, even though they were helpful for some conditions, in many cases they suppressed symptoms rather than meeting the hopes expressed in the names given to the drugs such as antipsychotics, antidepressants and antianxiety drugs.

In fact, they fell far short of curing well-understood diseases the way antibiotics and many other drugs can, and little by little many therapists and psychiatrists became increasingly disappointed in the available treatments for many psychiatric disorders and frustrated that they didnt have more effective treatments for their patients.

The studies that explored psychedelics (often LSD) before they became illegal had been quite promising and there was a lot of interest in mainstream psychiatry until they were made illegal. When we and other researchers started publishing rigorous studies in respected journals our results were at first greeted with skepticism, but as the data accumulated and people became better informed about the science, there was a hunger for better treatments.

Sara Gael, MA: We are in dire need of effective treatments and solutions in the mental health field. We are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis on this planet, which cannot be extricated from the larger systemic issues our society is facing on social, political, and environmental levels.

We can no longer treat mental health as an isolated factor, but one that is connected to and interwoven within a complex and dynamic web. We can no longer afford, as a society, to view and treat mental and emotional health by addressing just the symptoms. We have deep collective trauma that has amassed over centuries. Psychedelic therapy and treatment have the potential to treat some of the root causes of distress and suffering, including this multi-generational trauma.

The stigma surrounding psychedelics including misinformation, fear, and the systemic issue of drug prohibition have made psychedelic research and treatment difficult to pursue. We are reaching a time where people are waking up to this misinformation and beginning to understand that the prevalent misinformation about psychedelics in our society is not grounded in fact and sound evidence but in misinformation and resulting stigma against psychedelics and psychedelic use.

How do you think psychedelics can be incorporated into existing systems of care? When and where do you see these treatments eventually being used?

MM: I think it is likely to be incorporated in a number of different ways. If MDMA is approved, some treatment will probably happen in private clinics, some at academic centers, and hopefully some in specialized centers dedicated to research and treatment.

What makes psychedelics different from more traditional psychiatric medications? How will the study, production, and implementation of psychedelic treatments differ in relation to the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory bodies?

MM: The difference is that psychedelics are used as catalysts to psychotherapy rather than just a drug treatment, and psychedelics are administered only a few times rather than daily.

The difference in the research and production of MDMA is strikingly different from most pharmaceutical drug development in that it is done through a non-profit/public benefit model without any government or industry funding. There are articles about that in the MAPS bulletin that are available without charge at the MAPS website.

SG: Psychedelic therapy has the potential to address some of the root causes of psychological distress, including trauma. Traditional psychiatric medications can be very helpful for symptom relief and work for many people. For some, traditional medications are not entirely effective or carry with them unwanted side effects.

Rather than being used in an ongoing manner, psychedelics are more likely to be used for a determined period of time or at certain intervals. They are also much more likely to be taken as an adjunct to psychotherapy and not on their own.

Medical marijuana has demonstrated promising effects for patients with PTSD, but it has also been linked to psychosis. Are there other disorders that you think medical marijuana could safely treat? Do you have any concerns about misuse?

MM: There is always concern about misuse. Wise use and setting are very important in determining the results and the safety. The MAPS study of cannabis for PTSD did not show an effect over placebo, but additional studies are planned. There is quite a bit of research about other indications.

MAPS has done pioneering work on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, with patients receiving a small number of doses in a targeted treatment. How does the treatment regimen work, and what are the next steps for trials?

MM: Please see some of our papers for the details of the treatment course and some hypotheses about mechanism.7 Another good source is a book that just came out that has a chapter my wife and I wrote about MDMA, the Handbook of Medical Hallucinogens, edited by Charles S Grob and Jim Grigsby and published by Guilford Press.14 Our chapter has quite a few reflections about the nature of the therapeutic process. The approach is also described in detail in our treatment manual that is also available at the MAPS website.10

You have also helped therapists complete a training program in MDMA therapy. What have you learned by training therapists, and what resources are needed to make this treatment accessible and available?

MM: Weve now trained over a thousand therapists in the method described in the manual, and were in the process of redesigning our training program and bringing on more trainers so we can scale up the training to meet anticipated demand. Weve found that watching and discussing videos from research sessions, role play and then supervision of their first treatments has led to good results. We think another important element is that therapists do enough of their own inner work to allow them to maintain empathic presence during 8 hour sessions that can be very emotionally intense.

How can physicians and researchers develop a sense of trust and security with patients who may be skeptical of psychedelics? Have you faced any challenges with patients during trials?

MM: This is why preparation sessions are so important. If therapists have a deep understanding of and trust in an individuals innate capacity for healing, along with an awareness of potential challenges and experience with supporting people in facing them, then they can help the patient develop a greater sense of trust. Part of this is exploring and addressing, in an unhurried and empathic way, any concerns or questions the patient may have.

The FDA has approved intranasal esketamine for the treatment of refractory depression. What are the implications of esketamines approval on psychedelic drugs more broadly?

MM: This is an example of the problem with for-profit drug development. Generic ketamine works as well as esketamine and costs a few dollars rather than a few thousand dollars, so the only reason for developing esketamine was that ketamine was off patent. Also, esketmine is usually used without psychotherapy. There should be studies (and there are some happening now) to see if adding psychotherapy to ketamine would lead to more durable results, instead of wearing off in a week or two.

In the past election, many states passed more lenient drug legislation. What are the implications of this shift and why do you think the general public has become more open to the use and study of previously illicit drugs?

MM: [Thats a] very complicated question I think part of it is a result of the media educating people about the scientific results. Michael Pollans book has certainly been part of it.15 A generation is coming along who doesnt carry the fears and misconceptions and misinformation from the Nixon years, and I suspect part of it is that on some level, it makes intuitive sense to people that theres potentially more richness to psychological growth and healing than simply administering a drug.

References

1. Siegel Z. 2020 election results prove Americas war on drugs is finally ending. NBC News. Published online November 9, 2020. Accessed April 5, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/2020-election-results-prove-america-s-war-drugs-finally-ending-ncna1247141

2. Nutt DJ, Erritzoe D, Carhart-Harris R. Psychedelic psychiatrys brave new world. Published online April 2, 2020. Cell. doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.020

3. Rucker J, Iliff J, Nutt DJ. Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future. Neuropharmacol. 2018;142:200-218. doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.040

4. Johnson MW, Hendricks PS, Barrett FS, Griffiths RR. Classic psychedelics: an integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2019;197:83-102

5. Williams B. Psychedelic drugs: Lessons From ketamine and psilocybin. Psychiatry Advisor. Published online October 21 2020. Accessed April 5, 2021. https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/general-psychiatry/psychedelic-drugs-lessons-from-ketamine-and-psilocybin/

6. Reiff CM, Richman EE, Nemeroff CB, et al. Psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Am J Psychiatry. Published online February 26, 2021. doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19010035

7. Luoma JB, Chwyl C, Bathje GJ, Davis AK, Lancelotta, R. A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.J Psychoactive Drugs. Published online June 12, 2020. doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2020.1769878

8. Mithoefer MC, Wagner MT, Mithoefer AT, Jerome L, Doblin R. The safety and efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. J Psychopharm. Published online July 19, 2010. doi.org/10.1177/0269881110378371

9. Marseille E, Kahn JG, Yazar-Klosinski B, Doblin R. The cost-effectiveness of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD. PLoS One. Published online October 14, 2020. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239997

10. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study protocols. MAPS. Published online September 26, 2020. Accessed April 5, 2021. https://maps.org/research/mdma

11. Bonn-Miller MO, Sisley S, Riggs P, et al. The short-term impact of 3 smoked cannabis preparations versus placebo on PTSD symptoms: A randomized cross-over clinical trial. PLoS One. Published online March 17, 2021. doi.org:10.1371/journal.pone.0246990

12. Lawsuit filed against the DEA and attorney general to compel issuance of licenses to manufacture marijuana for clinical trials and potential FDA approval. MAPS. Published online December 3, 2020. Accessed April 5, 2021. https://maps.org/news/media/8610-press-release-lawsuit-filed-against-the-dea-and-attorney-general-to-compel-issuance-of-licenses-to-manufacture-marijuana-for-clinical-trials-and-potential-fda-approval

13. Michael Mithoefer, MD biography. MAPS. Published online January 2, 2010. Accessed April 5, 2021. https://maps.org/news/media/1472-michael-mithoefer-m-d-principal-investigator

14. Grob CS, Grigsby J. Handbook of Medical Hallucinogens. Guilford Press; 2021.

15. Pollan M. How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. Penguin Press; 2018.

16. Nuwer, R. A Psychedelic Drug Passes a Big Test for PTSD Treatment. New York Times. Published online May 3, 2021. Accessed May 6, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/health/mdma-approval.html

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Expert Q&A: MAPS and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy - Psychiatry Advisor

This article by Evan Lewis-Healeywas originally published onPsychedelic Spotlight, and appears here with permission.

Modern psychedelic research is touting the benefits of substances such as psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca. The former two have been integrated into Western popular culture for decades now, while more and more people are travelling to South America for ayahuasca ceremonies.

However, a lesser-known psychedelic, peyote, has been used in Indigenous healing and spiritual practices for thousands of years. Many Indigenous people praise peyote for its healing effects for a myriad of mental and physical ailments.

Dominic Milton Trott| Flickr

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a small and spineless cactus found in North America. It naturally occurs in the South of Texas in the US, and all across Mexico. The wordpeyotecomes from the wordpeyotlfrom the Aztecan language Nahuatl, meaning caterpillar cocoon, in reference to the shape of the cactus.

Crucially, there are many different psychoactive compounds found within the peyote cactus. Among them ismescaline, which is responsible for the majority of the psychedelic effects found in the cactus.

The peyote cactus is considered sacred to Indigenous people within the region. Apublicationreleased in 2005 used radiocarbon dating to identify the age of two samples of peyote. These samples were found in Native American ruins now located in Texas.

The researchers found that the samples dated back some 5700 years. This suggests that Native Americans may have been using the psychoactive effects of peyote for thousands of years.

image: pixabay

Like other psychedelics, mescaline, the psychoactive compound in peyote, activates serotonin 2A receptors in the brain. This means that the experiences under peyote can be somewhat similar to experiences on LSD and magic mushrooms (psilocybin).

The effects of peyote, like other psychedelics, will depend on the amount taken, as well as the users mindset (set) and the surroundings during the trip (setting).

At lighter doses of peyote, there may be small perceptual distortions, as well as feeling more energised after a period of physical dullness. However, like other psychedelics, heavier doses have much more radical effects on cognition, perception, and state of consciousness. The effects of peyote will typically last around 10 hours.

At these heavier doses, the possible effects of peyote include:

Peyote nursery | Peyote Way Church of God

The Native American Churchis one organization that currently uses peyote for sacramental purposes. Peyote is therefore not thought of as a drug, but is rather viewed as a medicine for healing purposes.

In addition to its use in religious ceremonies, it hasbeen found thatsome Native Americans have more widespread uses for peyote. Some tribes, for example, believe that peyote has healing properties in relation to toothache, pain in childbirth, fever, rheumatism, alcoholism, and other drug addictions.

Modern academic research has found that peyote has the potential to relieve some mental health issues, too. A recent study,published this year, found that the use of mescaline was associated with a reduction in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Moreover, individuals with a history of alcohol or substance use disorders reported a significant reduction in alcohol and drug use following their experience with mescaline.

Up to 50% of the sample in the study also reported that their experience with mescaline was one of the top five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives.

Another studyreleased in 2013 also found that individuals who have used peyote/mescaline had a significantly lower rate of agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder related to going outside. This suggests that the use of peyote may be associated with a reduction in symptoms of anxiety.

Indigenous cultures were ahead of their time in a number of key areas, and their use and understanding of peyote is further proof that modern humans still have much to learn.

Read the original Article on Psychedelic Spotlight.

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The Benefits Of Peyote: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Medicine - Benzinga