Psychedelics..... woah.

@sonhouse said
@wildgrass
If there was some kind of freaky multidimesional connection to some other place and/or time it would be hard if not impossible to be able to prove.
I don't think there is such a thing but if there were.........

Some of the Buddhist persuasion might say that you're not connecting to another place or time, but rather simply seeing reality for what it really is, when the ego is suppressed or suspended and therefore not reforming the world to accord with its rigid conceptual constructs of "I" versus "Other" (i.e. illusion of self). Of course many Buddhists try to achieve this through meditation, usually with years of effort.

I took four 7 to 7.5 gram shroom trips spaced about 8 or 9 days apart at one point, and during parts of each trip I think I achieved what is often referred to as "ego death," but not to the degree reported by some who may spend an hour having no idea who they are. An hour that may seem like several hours. Not sure how "fun" that would be.

@wildgrass said
I learned something new today.

https://www.iflscience.com/brain/heres-why-lsd-microdosing-could-be-the-next-major-breakthrough-in-mental-healthcare/page-3/"

"The broad hypothesis was that LSD, with its action on blood capillaries, restored that connection, flooding the senses and allowing us to experience the world something like a newborn baby did. The key to control ...[text shortened]...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/10/amanda-feilding-lsd-can-reset-the-brain-interview

Been around a long time. The techies been micro dosing for a while. Here's the real sad part> https://www.history.com/mkultra-operation-midnight-climax-cia-lsd-experiments

@kquinn909 said
Been around a long time. The techies been micro dosing for a while. Here's the real sad part> https://www.history.com/mkultra-operation-midnight-climax-cia-lsd-experiments

It's "been around" longer than that, as discussed earlier. Obviously techies microdosing doesn't speak to it's efficacy. The techies also like replacing their own blood with younger people's blood. Like vampires.

Evidence-based science regarding psychedelics as treatment for neurological diseases is new, and very interesting/promising. Patient sizes are still very low. Ongoing clinical trials for PTSD, Alzheimers, alcoholism etc. Therapeutic mechanisms of action and overall effect on brain function long term are still outstanding questions.

September 4th 2019 - According to a press release, researchers will investigate how psilocybin affects "behavior, brain function, learning and memory, the brain's biology and mood." Potential applications under investigation will include therapies for opioid addiction, Alzheimer's, PTSD, eating disorders, alcoholism and even post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. Clinical trials already planned for the research center include an investigation into psychedelics relation to brain function and blood biomarkers..

https://www.newsweek.com/magic-mushrooms-research-alzheimers-depression-shrooms-psilocybin-johns-hopkins-1457707

@wildgrass said
I learned something new today.

https://www.iflscience.com/brain/heres-why-lsd-microdosing-could-be-the-next-major-breakthrough-in-mental-healthcare/page-3/"

"The broad hypothesis was that LSD, with its action on blood capillaries, restored that connection, flooding the senses and allowing us to experience the world something like a newborn baby did. The key to control ...[text shortened]...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/10/amanda-feilding-lsd-can-reset-the-brain-interview

I considered microdosing psilocybin as a way of coping with severe depression.

I know that it's said that SSRIs take weeks to work, but I honestly felt better within hours of taking Escitalopram. Unfortunately, it gave me sexual side effects within 2 days, which was no good.

I am now on a natural SSRI (which has been used by the Khoisan people for hundreds of years) called sceletium tortuosum. It has really helped to stabilize my brain chemistry, and I no longer have rapid-onset feelings of crippling emptiness. I have experienced no side effects whatsoever.

@Ashiitaka
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3828542/

I found this link, says it works apparently with not much in the way of side effects, like you said.

I am lucky in that regard, never had much in the way of depression. Too busy going to tech schools I guess, head immersed in high tech semiconductor machines, which I still do, in addition to composing music so I keep busy.

I assume you already tried the non drug things like getting a lot of sun, that is supposed to ameliorate depression also.

@ashiitaka said
I considered microdosing psilocybin as a way of coping with severe depression.

I know that it's said that SSRIs take weeks to work, but I honestly felt better within hours of taking Escitalopram. Unfortunately, it gave me sexual side effects within 2 days, which was no good.

I am now on a natural SSRI (which has been used by the Khoisan people for hundreds of years) ...[text shortened]... ger have rapid-onset feelings of crippling emptiness. I have experienced no side effects whatsoever.

If you do decide to try microdosing, just don't take psilocybin in combination with SSRIs. I seem to recall there can be some potentially dangerous interactions.

@sonhouse said
@Ashiitaka

I assume you already tried the non drug things like getting a lot of sun, that is supposed to ameliorate depression also.

No guarantees, of course.

But I've read about the "nature pill." Just two hours a week in nature may help one's sense of wellbeing.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190613095227.htm

@sonhouse said
@Ashiitaka
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3828542/

I found this link, says it works apparently with not much in the way of side effects, like you said.

I am lucky in that regard, never had much in the way of depression. Too busy going to tech schools I guess, head immersed in high tech semiconductor machines, which I still do, in addition to composing mu ...[text shortened]... tried the non drug things like getting a lot of sun, that is supposed to ameliorate depression also.

When a wave hit me, it was nearly impossible to function normally. I had to work to pay my university fees and I also had to pass a difficult degree. I could not afford to sit down and get to the root of the problem, so I just had to pick myself up and get on with it. Being under such pressure all the time and not dealing with my depression definitely made it worse, and I regret not medicating it earlier now that I know how much suffering I could have avoided.

My life has drastically improved this year. I almost had to quit university because I was so behind on the fees, but within 2 days of being kicked out, an older friend of mine offered to pay my fees, and removing that pressure has given me the time and space to get on top of my mental health issues. My university has strict policies on mental health and students are required to see a counsellor for assessments on a regular basis lest they will not let you take the exams. Because my university is the best in Africa, many of the students here have fought their way through the most terrible circumstances to be here, and so mental health is a huge problem. I saw a counsellor, who recommended (which is a polite term - it wasn't really a choice) that I change to an easier degree and continue to see her until I felt better. I was devastated at the time, but looking back, I don't regret it.

I'm getting on top of it. I already feel so much better than I did, say, two months ago. It's a work in progress.

I play blitz over at Lichess under the name "Kurushimi". I was obviously not feeling too good when I made my account in 2017, because the Japanese word "苦しみ" (kurushimi) roughly translates to "emotional suffering". Jesus.

@soothfast said
If you do decide to try microdosing, just don't take psilocybin in combination with SSRIs. I seem to recall there can be some potentially dangerous interactions.

Yeah, I won't microdose now - the sceletium is really helping. I'll leave psilocybin as an occasional recreational indulgence.

@ashiitaka said
Yeah, I won't microdose now - the sceletium is really helping. I'll leave psilocybin as an occasional recreational indulgence.

Interesting... I have not seen a follow up of this 2013 study, but https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3828542/

we show that Zembrin compared with placebo administration reduces anxiety-related (Bishop et al, 2007) amygdala reactivity and attenuates amygdala–hypothalamus coupling. These results not only have importance as the first evidence on the dampening effects of Zembrin on the brain's threat system but support further work on the clinical applicability of dual PDE4 and 5-HT reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression.