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Michael Pollan reluctantly embraces the 'new science' of psychedelics

• ilackarms 8y ago
  ibogaine: the only psychedelic people need to know about. and they need to know.
  • platz 8y ago
    http://theplaidzebra.com/hunter-s-thompson-spread-rumor-presidential-candidates-drug-addiction-taken-seriously/ http://theplaidzebra.com/hunter-s-thompson-spread-rumor-pres...
  • rosser 8y ago
    Ibogaine is absolutely not for everyone. Saying something like that is actively dangerous.
  • ozzmotik 8y ago
    i highly agree that more people should know about ibogaine but at the same time it is important to note that unless you really know what you're doing or you have an experienced professional administering it, you really shouldn't mess around with it. stuff is serious business and not unknown to be fatal. also, i really wouldn't classify it as a psychedelic, as to my understanding it's more of a dissociative, which while quite similar in concept, any experienced psychonaut can confirm that dissos and psys are extremely different in practice and in mechanism of action. personaly I'd say that ayahuasca would be better for the lay person since a traditional brew isn't as dangerous as ibogaine, but certainly as powerful in terms of self growth and discovery. however, they both address different aspects of the self; I would say that in general, psys are very internally directed whereas dissociatives tend to invert that and pierce the outward veil, as it were
    • fapjacks 8y ago
      Your post is great and I agree with everything in it, except for suggesting ayahuasca to regular people. Over perhaps the last ten or twelve years I have made ayahuasca for people and sat with them during their trip. I strongly recommend people have experience with another psychedelic before trying DMT (or a brew in which DMT is a component, like ayahuasca). I actually generally won't let someone drink ayahuasca unless they've experienced other psychedelics beforehand. I will usually take them on a mushroom trip first. Only one time did I let someone drink ayahuasca without any experience with psychedelics first, and it was the wife of an experienced tripper friend and who also had experience with other substances. That went totally fine, but it is just such an intense hallucinogen (and/or dissociative depending) and it lasts for so long, I just couldn't do that to someone that didn't have a taste of what to expect beforehand.
      • ssijak 8y ago
        On every ceremony that I went, at least 1/3 of participants never tried psychedelic before, and there are at least 1-2 persons which never tried anything before, not even marijuana. For some reason, people get drawn to ayahuasca and don't look at it like they look at other substances. Maybe because of the stigma that governments produced against other substances and maybe because ayahuasca ceremony involves shamans. Anyhow, I have never witnessed problems after the ceremony ended. Yes, it can be really hard and heavy during the ceremony, but after the ceremony ends, everybody feels like they are new and like they never felt that good before. And in after effects of the next several weeks, everybody reports positive and lasting effects.
      • ozzmotik 8y ago
        just to clarify, I was more trying to say that I would be inclined to suggest ayahuasca and dmt for individuals in contrast specifically to ibogaine. i wouldn't recommend either really but if I absolutely had to, for the lay person I'd go with ayahuasca
• koverstreet 8y ago
  > The way [psilocybin is] being used is in a very controlled or guided setting. ... They don't just give you a pill and send you home; you're in a room. You're with two guides, one male, one female. You're lying down on a comfortable couch. You're wearing headphones listening to a really carefully curated playlist of music — instrumental compositions for the most part — and you're wearing eyeshades, all of which is to encourage a very inward journey. Erg, having people trip this way who are already are struggling with depression strikes me as downright dangerous. Bad trips are a real thing, and leaving someone alone with their thoughts, without a lot of sensory input, is a good way to do it. I hope they know what they're doing... It's really much, much better and safer to be outside, in nature.
  • giarc 8y ago
    They aren't left alone. As your quote says "You're with two guides, one male, one female."
    • Stratoscope 8y ago
      They could go outside with you, instead of confining you to a room with headphones on.
      • maxander 8y ago
        I suspect the reason that it’s done indoors is that, most places with a high enough density of humans for this practice to be available, the outside is a dangerous place for a tripping patient. Someone driving by blasting a rap album out their window could send a trip in some bad directions.
        • erikpukinskis 8y ago
          Also, it’s a clinical study. They need to control the conditions or it’s not science.
          • 8y ago
• giarc 8y ago
  Great podcast this week on Recode/Decode. https://www.recode.net/2018/5/16/17358484/michael-pollan-how-to-change-your-mind-book-drugs-engelbart-kara-swisher-podcast https://www.recode.net/2018/5/16/17358484/michael-pollan-how...
• orasis 8y ago
  This is the playlist from Johns Hopkins for a blindfold + headphones session. https://open.spotify.com/user/phillysblunt/playlist/5KWf8H2pM0tlVd7niMtqeU https://open.spotify.com/user/phillysblunt/playlist/5KWf8H2p... An experienced sitter is required.
  • deleted 8y ago
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  • ethagnawl 8y ago
    Compiled by _phillysblunt_? Seems legit.
• empath75 8y ago
  When he talks about the default mode network that sort of matches with my intuitive understanding of what the experience of taking psychedelics is like. People do things in loops— they go to work every day, come back home every day, hang out with the same people, engage in the same hobbies, think the same thoughts. It’s just our natural mode of being to repeat ourselves, and psychedelics seem to just shut all of that down. You’re no longer a person who does these things or has those habits. You’re barely a person at all— just purely living in the moment, without any feeling of separation from the rest of the world. And as you come back from that, you engage in the reconstruction of your personality— and if you’re careful about how you do it, you can change it — in both positive and negative ways.
  • oceanghost 8y ago
    I have used drugs extensively-- good ones and bad. I'd be happy to answer any questions, but you're on the right track here except for the ineffable. Drugs distort the pattern matching systems in your brain. You see patterns that are there, patterns that aren't, patterns of patterns, patterns of patterns of patterns. You make connections that you should and shouldn't. If I could describe my phsycelidc experinces--of which I've had dozens--It would be--"psychadelics break your brain intro a thousand pieces, hand you thebroken shard and say, "have fun putting this back together." Genericaly, amphetmainish things tie you to the real world. Disscocitiaves the spiritual world. Psychadelics-- the self reflective at moderate doses and at high doses the "other side" (if that makes any sense at all). I would not trade my expereinces for ANYTHING, but I wouldn't recommend it either. The spiritual experiences I've had on drugs have been profound enough to change me from an stone cold atheist to, well a guy who believes in what he's seen himself. I've floated through space and time, I've received vissions, advice, knowledge of the future. I've been shown some of the secrets of the universe... but the most improtant message of all was simply "learn as much as you can and be as kind as you can to others." There are some things that are indescribable-- ineffiable. Any description of the religious experneices ive had would be, inadequate. You've either had one, or they're complete fucking nonsense. What im saying is--the world of faith is beyond that of experience. It may, or may not be real, but it sure as hell feels like it is.
    • 8y ago
• mathattack 8y ago
  He is making the rounds. He appeared with Kara Swisher on Recode, which may be accessible to this audience. https://www.recode.net/2018/5/16/17358484/michael-pollan-how-to-change-your-mind-book-drugs-engelbart-kara-swisher-podcast https://www.recode.net/2018/5/16/17358484/michael-pollan-how...
• Jedi72 8y ago
  Im a stable, sane, not depressed or anything person. I once took LSD (mixed with other things aswell...) and had a trip during which I spoke to God, Satan and various other imaginary beings. It was not a fun experience - I'm a man of science, but the feeling/perception was so real, my entire world view was shattered. It stuck with me for months after. I've gone from someone who 100% believed in evolution and a material universe, to someone who deep down thinks there may be a God, and I may actually have to face some kind of hell for some kind of sins I may unknowingly commit in this life. I don't consider this a spiritual awakening or something profound - it's more like I put a crack in my sanity that I can never completely fix. These drugs are extremely powerful. They can potentially destroy healthy minds. I support more research and even, in time, legalisation - but I am sharing the story so others may take away the point that when you start hacking with your brains firmware, you should be EXTREMELY careful you dont accidentally brick it. EDIT: For clarity purposes, this wasn't my first time doing LSD and it wasn't a huge dose. Nobody understands exactly how these drugs work, maybe this was a 1/1000 event. But it happened - and I don't do drugs any more.
  • deleted 8y ago
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  • dominotw 8y ago
    i just had giggles and tummy ache.
  • deleted 8y ago
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  • inteleng 8y ago
    This is apparently not an uncommon reaction. It's usually called an ego death.
    • ajryan 8y ago
      What the parent describes is not ego death - that is meant much more literally - loss of a sense of self and dissolution of the barrier between one's identity and the rest of existence.
• senatorobama 8y ago
  Someone identify what Soma was.
• newnewpdro 8y ago
  The world would be a better place if everyone ate magic mushrooms in the wilderness on a camping trip as part of outdoor ed. in school. If you've never experienced it, you probably won't understand.
  • jMyles 8y ago
    Maybe not everyone - I think there are some people who already have fuzzy boundaries and for whom boundary-dissolving compounds are not the best medicine. But yes, most people. :-)
  • culiuniversal 8y ago
    I feel like this comment right here is what everyone who has taken psychedelics (and had a positive experience) want to say. But nobody does because they don't wanna seem "crazy" or strange. As someone who never even touched alcohol until 18 or so, I never ever thought I'd be the one saying the entire world needs to try LSD
  • gepi79 8y ago
    I wish people would stop the unhealthy and irresponsible and dangerous life-destroying hype and promotion of psychedelics including cannabis. All medical experts warn against the use of drugs and psychedelics except as medical tools of medical experts. Drugs and psychedelics can trigger all kinds of long term mental disorders that even the best experts might not be able to heal. Medical science and psychology are still very limited and primitive with regard to addictions and mental disorders and understanding and (healthy) manipulation of the (unhealthy) brain. If "you" do not believe me, check the internet for reports of people suffering from addiction or mental disorders and their sad quest for help. Even bad diets and lack of sports and lack of dental care are unsolved health problems in societies in 2018.
    • bfuller 8y ago
      Psychedelics should be a last resort, as you can trigger underlying conditions, I agree. But microdosing LSD has saved lives pulling people out of suicidal depression. There's a reason its highly regarded, because for those of us that benefit, its literally a miracle.
• tiisetso 8y ago
  Podcast: Pollan's interview on the Tim Ferriss show for additional thoughts. Ferriss is committing a million USD over the next few years to support the scientific study of psychedelic compounds. Audio link just a slight scroll in. https://tim.blog/2018/05/06/michael-pollan-how-to-change-your-mind/ https://tim.blog/2018/05/06/michael-pollan-how-to-change-you...
  • motdiem 8y ago
    I found the conversation very interesting- made me want to read the book. As an aside, I liked how when they weee discussing mental health, pollan put forward that the classifications that we use today (say differentiating between depression and anxiety) are more rooted in legacy and institutions and less in what the current science sees of what’s happening in the brain. Thought this was an interesting way to frame things.
• toomanybeersies 8y ago
  Aldous Huxley, dying of terminal cancer, took LSD on his deathbed, and died while on his final trip (it was planned that way), although a relatively low dose of 100ug. It seems to me like it would be a good way to go, a good way to conquer the fear of the unknown after you die. In a related experience, once when I was on a bender, I took 3 tabs of lsd, along with a whole plethora of other substances. I actually thought I was dead for a while, and strangely enough, I felt OK about it. I saw some pretty weird shit on that trip, it was the most mindblowing experience of my life, and not one I'm about to repeat in a hurry, it honestly wasn't that fun. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is not an instruction manual. But then I sobered up. I really think that Hunter S Thompson was right: it's all bullshit. You're not connecting to another plane of existence or getting in touch with your ancestors. You're just fucked on drugs. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not spiritual. He really nailed it in Fear and Loathing: > All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding for three bucks a hit. But their loss and failure is ours, too. What Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole life-style that he helped to create...a generation of permanent cripples, failed seekers, who never understood the essential old mystic fallacy of the Acid Culture: the desperate assumption that somebody-or at least some force-is tending the Light at the end of the tunnel.
  • erikpukinskis 8y ago
    So certain you are.
  • KozmoNau7 8y ago
    In short, you're not experiencing the universe. You're experiencing your own mind.
    • toomanybeersies 8y ago
      Absolutely. I do think that everyone should try psychedelics at least once, in a comfortable, controlled environment with friends. You may not unlock the secrets to the universe, but I do think it teaches you an important lesson that your reality and experiences are subjective. I don't mean that reality itself is subjective, but our perceptions of it are. LSD will mess with your perceptions in really weird ways that can't really be described with words. Things like your perception of depth and age get thrown off completely.
• jammi95 8y ago
  Be n
• asciimo 8y ago
  Ha. I had this open in another tab all day but I didn't realize it was Michael Pollan. Time to read.
• 40acres 8y ago
  Okay, but where can I get it?
  • jes5199 8y ago
    darknet markets
• sev 8y ago
  Psychedelics should be treated with respect. I often speak to people who have no clue what dosage they take or took. Due to the potency, it’s not as easy as other substances to know whether you’ve had too much, and that’s why they require extra care. You could die if you drink too much water, or if it is contaminated; that doesn’t mean water isn’t good for you.
• eip 8y ago
  "When I said we may be our programs, nothing more, nothing less, I meant the substrate, the basic substratum under all else, of our metaprograms is our programs. All we are as humans is what is builtin and what has been acquired, and what we make of both of these. So we are one more result of the program substrate-the selfmetaprogrammer. As out of several hundreds of thousands of the substrate programs comes an adaptable changing set of thousands of metaprograms, so out of the metaprograms as substrate comes something else-the controller, the steersman, the programmer in the biocomputer, the selfmetaprogrammer. In a well organized biocomputer, there is at least one such critical control metaprogram labeled I for acting on other metaprograms and labeled me when acted upon by other metaprograms. I say at least one advisedly. Most of us have several controllers, selves, selfmetaprograms which divide control among them, either in time parallel or in time series in sequences of control. As I will give in detail later, one path for selfdevelopment is to centralize control of one's biocomputer in one selfmetaprogrammer, making the others into conscious executives subordinate to the single administrator, the single superconscient selfmetaprogrammer. With appropriate methods, this centralizing of control, the elementary unification operation, is a realizable state for many, if not all biocomputers." --John C Lilly https://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9780015308735-es.jpg https://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9780015308735-es.jpg
• tgamba 8y ago
  DMT trip reports point to a use of psychedelics beyond therapy. Since so many users describe the same thing -- points of contact with other beings-- we can hypothesize that DMT gives us access to other dimensions or aspects of space and time. But how we move from subjective reporting to a scientific theory on this, I have no idea. (I have never tried DMT, it sounds terrifying)