Spirituality

Why 2016 was a positive year for psychedelic drugs being used as medicine

“If compassion for the suffering of the patients fails to overcome the taboo, then perhaps financial advantage to Health Services will. The evidence is building up that more can be achieved in one session with these compounds than through years of psychotherapy.” Research currently underway includes an investigation into whether psychedelics can treat nicotine addiction,…

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Spirituality

Why ayahuasca is [often] a new age spiritual scam

“What’s often overlooked is that ayahuasca powers an entire micro-tourism industry that has sprung up in the Amazon. Opportunistic shaman prey on naive Westerners for cash and compete with each other by sometimes using dangerous ingredients to create ever-stronger brews that will reel in customers that want more bang for their buck. People have died…

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Spirituality

Why psychedelic history matters

“What’s different about the psychedelic renaissance of the 21st century, of course, is that it’s here and actually happening, with once marginalised ideas entering the mainstream in legitimate ways…what might actually be significant about the psychedelic renaissance of the 21st century is that it’s the first psychedelic renaissance from which the past can be viewed…

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Spirituality

Global commission on drugs calls for worldwide drug decriminalization

“Only then,” the report says, “can the societal destruction caused by drug prohibition be properly mitigated.” The report, Advancing Drug Policy Reform: A New Approach to Drug Decriminalization, is a product of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a high-level commission that includes former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; former presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and…

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Spirituality

The existential medicine

“Ultimately, his friends and daughter—entering college by this time—convinced him that he needed to address his mental wellbeing. He tried counseling, but it didn’t improve his outlook. Neither did antidepressants. After several screening and counseling visits, Martin found himself sitting on a couch in a converted medical office/living room on Hopkins’ Bayview campus.” Meanwhile, early…

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