3 ms·

I can't think of many things more likely to induce a horrible trip than some credentialed "therapist" telling me what to do in a "clinal setting".

realbarack 7y ago
Consider expanding your definition of what a "therapist" could be and what a "clinical setting" could look like. Michael Pollan's interactions with the therapists (they're called "guides") in "How to Change Your Mind" are not clinical at all in the sense of sterility, beige-walled offices etc.
- stemsux 7y ago
  So some goofy guy whose parents paid for an online masters degree in trip therapy gets to bill my insurance $200 an hour? Meh, I'll take my chances on the black market.
  - realbarack 7y ago
    Pollan actually does go on the black market (still probably $200/hour though). You can't legally get a psychedelic trip guide in the US right now. The point is that the exact people who are well-known and respected as black-market guides would become therapists in a world where such a profession were legal!
    - jrochkind1 7y ago
      > You can't legally get a psychedelic trip guide in the US right now. Not entirely true, although only a few, there have been and continue to be legal studies involving psilocybin (also MDMA) in addition to the one in the OP. Here is a smoking cessation study in Baltimore, involving a psilocybin psychedelic trip. https://www.quitsmokingbaltimore.org/ https://www.quitsmokingbaltimore.org/ Here's an article about the findings of the 2014 pilot study on the same thing which describes the methodology to some extent. https://hub.jhu.edu/2014/09/11/magic-mushrooms-smoking/ https://hub.jhu.edu/2014/09/11/magic-mushrooms-smoking/
  - pugworthy 7y ago
    Seriously, read the book. You're grossly misjudging what the book discusses.
jrowley 7y ago
In running there is an expression, "you have to run your own race". The same is true here. But specifically in this context psychedelics are generally introduced to individuals who haven't had prior experience with them, and may need additional support that therapists can help with (e.g. survivors of sexual assault, deep depression, anxiety regarding terminal diagnosis, PTSD, etc) and the therapist have been trained specifically in guiding these individuals in psychedelic trips. So they are like the best trip sitters you can have if you are trying to get out of rut.

realbarack 7y ago

Consider expanding your definition of what a "therapist" could be and what a "clinical setting" could look like. Michael Pollan's interactions with the therapists (they're called "guides") in "How to Change Your Mind" are not clinical at all in the sense of sterility, beige-walled offices etc.

stemsux 7y ago
So some goofy guy whose parents paid for an online masters degree in trip therapy gets to bill my insurance $200 an hour? Meh, I'll take my chances on the black market.
- realbarack 7y ago
  Pollan actually does go on the black market (still probably $200/hour though). You can't legally get a psychedelic trip guide in the US right now. The point is that the exact people who are well-known and respected as black-market guides would become therapists in a world where such a profession were legal!
  - jrochkind1 7y ago
    > You can't legally get a psychedelic trip guide in the US right now. Not entirely true, although only a few, there have been and continue to be legal studies involving psilocybin (also MDMA) in addition to the one in the OP. Here is a smoking cessation study in Baltimore, involving a psilocybin psychedelic trip. https://www.quitsmokingbaltimore.org/ https://www.quitsmokingbaltimore.org/ Here's an article about the findings of the 2014 pilot study on the same thing which describes the methodology to some extent. https://hub.jhu.edu/2014/09/11/magic-mushrooms-smoking/ https://hub.jhu.edu/2014/09/11/magic-mushrooms-smoking/
- pugworthy 7y ago
  Seriously, read the book. You're grossly misjudging what the book discusses.

jrowley 7y ago

In running there is an expression, "you have to run your own race". The same is true here. But specifically in this context psychedelics are generally introduced to individuals who haven't had prior experience with them, and may need additional support that therapists can help with (e.g. survivors of sexual assault, deep depression, anxiety regarding terminal diagnosis, PTSD, etc) and the therapist have been trained specifically in guiding these individuals in psychedelic trips. So they are like the best trip sitters you can have if you are trying to get out of rut.