Biography/Memoir

Making the invisible visible: …psychiatry, midwifery, and psychedelics

 I draw on the records of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center LSD Training Program Study and the papers of Grof to explore the “unexpected entanglements” between psychiatry, midwifery, and psychedelics. Grof observed “astounding parallels” between psychedelic experiences and the clinical stages of delivery, believing that the common denominator between the two was the trauma of…

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Spirituality

Study suggests psychedelics promote positive mental health through increased spirituality and emotion regulation

The study found evidence of a pathway whereby the use of psychedelics increases spirituality, and in turn, leads to better emotion regulation. This improved emotion regulation then appears to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and disordered eating. Study authors Adele Lafrance and her colleagues say that increased spirituality and improvements in emotion regulation have been…

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Medicine/Healing

Use of psychedelics to treat… chronic pain…

What have scientists discovered about whether these drugs are effective in treating… chronic pain? New research is exploring whether psychedelic drugs [ie, psilocybin] might help in treating… chronic pain. The drugs so far appear to be quite effective. Original Article (KRQE):Use of psychedelics to treat PTSD, OCD, depression and chronic pain – a researcher discusses recent…

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Science

New study provides insights into the neurophysiological basis of psilocybin-induced alterations in consciousness

“We disproved our initial hypothesis that psychedelic states (here with psilocybin) produce higher complexity,” Ort explained. “Unlike the observed reduction of complexity during dreamless sleep, anesthesia or minimally conscious states, the psychedelic state has the same quantitative complexity as in normal waking – even though the quality of the conscious experience has massively changed.” Ort…

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Politics

Magic mushrooms are a legal gift…

In most of these decriminalized places, it’s not a crime – or a very minor one – to grow mushrooms and give them away… in more than 20 cities, states and counties – from Ann Arbor to Somerville, MA, to Santa Cruz, CA… some psychedelics… are decriminalized or legalized. Colorado legalized mushrooms for personal use…

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Politics

Governor Jared Polis signs Colorado psychedelics bill

Proposition 122. [“People can grow it for their own use… there’s no criminal penalties if you grow it yourself for recreational…” said Governor Jared Polis.] [Subsequently] Senate Bill 23-290… passed… before the 2023 session ended… puts guidelines on Proposition 122, the landmark psychedelics ballot initiative passed by Colorado voters last November [2022]. Although the bill received plenty of attention…

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Science

Chinese labs are selling fentanyl ingredients for millions in crypto

The Elliptic report notes that the tens of millions of dollars worth of precursor sales it tracked on blockchains would likely be enough to manufacture enough fentanyl to, if distributed efficiently, kill every person on earth… the US government may be increasingly aware of the activity of fentanyl precursor sellers in China and of cryptocurrency’s…

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Politics

The psychedelic renaissance is at risk of missing the bigger picture

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) founding constitution defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Leaving psychedelics in the hands of the biomedical industry and state-regulated facilities can undermine their potential by excluding more diverse “sets and settings” (a term describing how…

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Washington State… drugs…

A law signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday [5/17/2023] would make possessing or publicly using drugs a gross misdemeanor offense… Under the new law, the penalties for a person’s first two drug offenses will be lower than for most gross misdemeanors – up to 180 days in jail… the maximum fine will also be… $1,000… encourages prosecutors…

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