7 ms·

Magic mushrooms, illegal in most places, may have therapeutic uses

44 points by johnny313 7y ago

aarpmcgee 7y ago
No shit.
- Lambdanaut 7y ago
  Yeah like honestly, pretty much anyone that's had them and didn't have a freakout can tell you that
  - warent 7y ago
    Even the freakouts can be therapeutic depending on the individual's perspective and how they integrate it.
temp129038 7y ago
It was just decriminalized in Oakland.
toss1911 7y ago
One of the most powerful benefits of psilocybin I don't see talked about very often is in the treatment of ADHD. A tip for researchers: The anxiety reducing effects are probably linked very strongly to emotional regulation which also receives similar positive benefits.
sharkweek 7y ago
I never really had much of an interest in psychedelics for two (and a half) reasons. 1) I’m a child of the DARE era, which scared me about the big, scary risks associated with mind-altering substances!!! 2) I get severely anxious when I smoke even a little bit too much marijuana. 2.5) I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder (specifically OCD) which I now manage with ERP. But I severely fear losing control of my thoughts. However, I recently read How To Change Your Mind, and it did reshape my thinking about a lot of the above. I’m still hesitant to try shrooms or LSD, but the idea of a guided trip with a trained therapist, who will walk me through the more fear-inducing moments, does have an appeal. To think that maybe this would HELP my daily anxieties seems like a dream.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- codr7 7y ago
  About weed, did you smoke in a legal or illegal setting? Last thing you need when exploring your mind for the first times is fear of cops storming the room. The other source of anxiety is that cannabis raises your pulse for a few moments, I would guess because of increased blood flow (which is sometimes visible in the eyes). From my experience that never goes away entirely, but you learn to not freak out since it's not dangerous. Organic drugs like shrooms are definitely less dramatic than synthetic such as LSD from my experience.
  - sharkweek 7y ago
    It’s legal where I’m from but wasn’t when I tried it the first few times. The heart rate thing sounds like it is what gets me, like a moment of panic of, “oh shit I’m about to die!!” The times where I have pushed past that and chilled out it was more enjoyable, but even knowing it’s not going to kill me, I can’t help but worry I’m the first person who is going to OD on a few puffs of a joint.
    - Lambdanaut 7y ago
      You should know it's VERY common for people to freak out on cannabis but not psychedelics. I'm one of those people. I have to be careful around cannabis but as long as I'm in a safe place I can take psychedelics with virtually zero anxiety.
      - codr7 7y ago
        Sure, our bodies react differently to different substances. But it's likewise very common to use Cannabis to take the edge of the unsettling feeling of having your ego deconstructed/reconstructed when going in/coming out of stronger psychedelic trips. Also worth noting that more Sativa-leaning hybrids are potent psychedelics in themselves at higher doses.
    - 7y ago
dr_dshiv 7y ago
Sold over the counter in Amsterdam. It's not really a problem here, I suppose, because the many open canals enforce minimal sobriety
shaki-dora 7y ago
The recent interest in Ketamine/MDMA/psychedelics is long overdue. But I can't help feeling the optimism is somewhat too high? I would encourage everyone to try LSD at some point in their lives. There are just vast parts of culture and humanity that you will suddenly understand. Most striking for me was seeing everyday scenes on the streets–people in cafés, parks, etc.–exactly as they are depicted in impressionist paintings. Or, of course, The Dark Side of the Moon. But I'm sceptical regarding therapeutic use. Somewhere between 2% and 5% of people have recreationally tried most any given category of drugs. It was explored rather thoroughly in the therapist community in the 60s and 70s. If, indeed, they had the potential to essentially cure any of the diseases we have so far failed abysmally (depression, schizophrenia), no moralising majority would have had the power to suppress them. What's promising are some less-frequent diseases such as PTSD. PTSD is somewhat unique because it involves memory, a system which we seem to have a much better chance at influencing compared to the evolutionary ancient limbic system of emotions. Another fun aspect is the use of MDMA in talk therapy. For psychiatrist, it's an absolutely mind-blowing experience. They have often devoted their life to learning to get people to open up to them. And here you give them a pill and the effect is, reliably, like that scene of Robin Williams hitting Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting.
- taurath 7y ago
  I think they provide something no pharmaceuticals do - a rapid and acute shift in perspective. In the face of trauma which creates damaged areas of the brain, the perspective shift can allow us to address root problems that would be otherwise inaccessible.
JumpCrisscross 7y ago
Mushrooms, cannabis and LSD are each much safer than alcohol [1]. (Objectively speaking, cocaine, amphetamine and MDMA are, too.) Legalisation for the first three and decriminalisation for the latter makes sense. (I’m a wine and whiskey person myself. But my subjective choices shouldn’t have relevance.) [1] https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-rank-recreational-drugs-based-on-how-dangerous-they-are https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-rank-recreational-d...

44 points by johnny313 7y ago

aarpmcgee 7y ago

No shit.

Lambdanaut 7y ago
Yeah like honestly, pretty much anyone that's had them and didn't have a freakout can tell you that
- warent 7y ago
  Even the freakouts can be therapeutic depending on the individual's perspective and how they integrate it.

temp129038 7y ago

It was just decriminalized in Oakland.

toss1911 7y ago

One of the most powerful benefits of psilocybin I don't see talked about very often is in the treatment of ADHD. A tip for researchers: The anxiety reducing effects are probably linked very strongly to emotional regulation which also receives similar positive benefits.

sharkweek 7y ago

I never really had much of an interest in psychedelics for two (and a half) reasons. 1) I’m a child of the DARE era, which scared me about the big, scary risks associated with mind-altering substances!!! 2) I get severely anxious when I smoke even a little bit too much marijuana. 2.5) I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder (specifically OCD) which I now manage with ERP. But I severely fear losing control of my thoughts. However, I recently read How To Change Your Mind, and it did reshape my thinking about a lot of the above. I’m still hesitant to try shrooms or LSD, but the idea of a guided trip with a trained therapist, who will walk me through the more fear-inducing moments, does have an appeal. To think that maybe this would HELP my daily anxieties seems like a dream.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
codr7 7y ago
About weed, did you smoke in a legal or illegal setting? Last thing you need when exploring your mind for the first times is fear of cops storming the room. The other source of anxiety is that cannabis raises your pulse for a few moments, I would guess because of increased blood flow (which is sometimes visible in the eyes). From my experience that never goes away entirely, but you learn to not freak out since it's not dangerous. Organic drugs like shrooms are definitely less dramatic than synthetic such as LSD from my experience.
- sharkweek 7y ago
  It’s legal where I’m from but wasn’t when I tried it the first few times. The heart rate thing sounds like it is what gets me, like a moment of panic of, “oh shit I’m about to die!!” The times where I have pushed past that and chilled out it was more enjoyable, but even knowing it’s not going to kill me, I can’t help but worry I’m the first person who is going to OD on a few puffs of a joint.
  - Lambdanaut 7y ago
    You should know it's VERY common for people to freak out on cannabis but not psychedelics. I'm one of those people. I have to be careful around cannabis but as long as I'm in a safe place I can take psychedelics with virtually zero anxiety.
    - codr7 7y ago
      Sure, our bodies react differently to different substances. But it's likewise very common to use Cannabis to take the edge of the unsettling feeling of having your ego deconstructed/reconstructed when going in/coming out of stronger psychedelic trips. Also worth noting that more Sativa-leaning hybrids are potent psychedelics in themselves at higher doses.
  - 7y ago

dr_dshiv 7y ago

Sold over the counter in Amsterdam. It's not really a problem here, I suppose, because the many open canals enforce minimal sobriety

shaki-dora 7y ago

The recent interest in Ketamine/MDMA/psychedelics is long overdue. But I can't help feeling the optimism is somewhat too high? I would encourage everyone to try LSD at some point in their lives. There are just vast parts of culture and humanity that you will suddenly understand. Most striking for me was seeing everyday scenes on the streets–people in cafés, parks, etc.–exactly as they are depicted in impressionist paintings. Or, of course, The Dark Side of the Moon. But I'm sceptical regarding therapeutic use. Somewhere between 2% and 5% of people have recreationally tried most any given category of drugs. It was explored rather thoroughly in the therapist community in the 60s and 70s. If, indeed, they had the potential to essentially cure any of the diseases we have so far failed abysmally (depression, schizophrenia), no moralising majority would have had the power to suppress them. What's promising are some less-frequent diseases such as PTSD. PTSD is somewhat unique because it involves memory, a system which we seem to have a much better chance at influencing compared to the evolutionary ancient limbic system of emotions. Another fun aspect is the use of MDMA in talk therapy. For psychiatrist, it's an absolutely mind-blowing experience. They have often devoted their life to learning to get people to open up to them. And here you give them a pill and the effect is, reliably, like that scene of Robin Williams hitting Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting.

taurath 7y ago
I think they provide something no pharmaceuticals do - a rapid and acute shift in perspective. In the face of trauma which creates damaged areas of the brain, the perspective shift can allow us to address root problems that would be otherwise inaccessible.

JumpCrisscross 7y ago

Mushrooms, cannabis and LSD are each much safer than alcohol [1]. (Objectively speaking, cocaine, amphetamine and MDMA are, too.) Legalisation for the first three and decriminalisation for the latter makes sense. (I’m a wine and whiskey person myself. But my subjective choices shouldn’t have relevance.) [1] https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-rank-recreational-drugs-based-on-how-dangerous-they-are https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-rank-recreational-d...