Medicine/Healing

If… [individuals utilized]… psychedelics, [would we] do more about climate change?

Dissecting the psychedelic experience could help policy makers, scientists, and journalists attempt to recreate the core feeling of relatedness that the drugs bring about: the sense that nature is a part of us, our bodies, our lives, and that we are a part of it. Capturing that might lead people to act to protect the planet, since the planet is an extension of themselves.

In January 2018, scientists from Imperial College London found that psilocybin… led to a significant increase in feelings of connection to nature after just one dose. Seven to 12 months later, that increase persisted … Forstmann is now working on a placebo-controlled trial that will look at the effect on nature-relatedness and ego dissolution from psychedelics. This stricter study design could help rule out some other confounding factors, one being that people often trip in nature, making it difficult to differentiate the impact of the outdoors on the drug experience. It’s unclear whether being exposed to the natural elements is a crucial piece of the puzzle—there are some anecdotal reports where people took drugs in labs and still reported feelings of connection, Forstmann said. But Gul Dolen, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University, thinks that what happens during a trip is important … [Afterall], The United Nations recently said that there are only 11 years left to prevent “irreversible damage” from a warming Earth. And yet a Pew Research survey from 2017 found that while three-quarters of Americans were concerned about personally helping the environment, only one in five actually make an effort in their daily lives. Meanwhile, the 100 companies responsible for 71 percent of global emissions take no decisive action to curb their impact, nor do governments hold them accountable…

Original Article (Vice Magazine):
If Everyone Tripped on Psychedelics, We’d Do More About Climate Change
Artwork Fair Use: Michael Richardson

Psychology

…policy… lead…

Psychology

MDMA… marriage…

Psychology

…salvinorin…

Psychology

Home grow…

Psychology

…for macrodosing