Spirituality

Congress subpoenas Drug Enforcement Administration for informant policy

In a dramatic display that stretched across two committee hearings…, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) subpoenaed the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration for documents on its confidential sources program. Members of Congress have been seeking copies of the DEA’s informant guidelines since last year, following an eye-opening report by the Department of Justice watchdog. The…

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Spirituality

Meditation and the psychedelic drug ayahuasca seem to change the brain in surprisingly similar ways

Among volunteers who take ayahuasca for studies, scientists have documented a rise in certain key traits that mirror those of experienced meditators. These changes include increases in openness, optimism, and a particularly powerful ability known as decentering. At the end of a dark earthen trail in the Peruvian Amazon stands a round structure with a…

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Spirituality

Can ayahuasca, the ‘Sacred Plant’ of the Amazon, help addiction and depression?

“Observational studies have also indicated that long-term members of Brazilian ayahuasca religions have apparently recovered from depression, anxiety, and drug dependence (especially alcohol and cocaine).” Recent preliminary, open-label studies, or non placebo-controlled trials, on patients diagnosed with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder have been promising. These studies, led by Jaime Hallak from the University of São…

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Spirituality

How to return to normal life after a crazy ayahuasca trip

Despite the growing body of research on the potential of psychoactive substances to help with anxiety, depression, drug addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a variety of other psychiatric conditions, there continues to be a limited number of clinical trials in the US in which people can legally take these drugs. Thus, Americans like Arlet, who…

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