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04/Mar/2024

In the never-ending quest for more effective mental health treatments, a centuries-old compound is re-emerging with potential to revolutionize the field. Psilocybin—known for its presence in “magic mushrooms”—is at the heart of a new wave of psychotherapy, proving to be an intriguing addition to the toolkit of psychiatrists and mental health professionals. This blog post will explore the advancements in assisted psilocybin psychotherapy, shedding light on its potential, current state, and future trajectory.

Understanding Psilocybin Psychotherapy

Unlocking the Substance

Initially introduced to the masses by indigenous cultures, psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound found in certain mushrooms. It became widely known in the West during the counterculture movement of the 1960s, only to be banned in many countries following stricter categorization of substances. Despite this, research persisted underground and in more permissive regions.

Delving into the Psychedelic Experience

When correctly administered in a controlled environment, psilocybin produces powerful psychological effects, including a profoundly altered state of consciousness. This experience, often described as “psychedelic,” can involve euphoria, introspective insights, and a sense of interconnectedness with the universe. In the context of therapy, this altered state is approached with intention, guiding patients through a process of self-reflection and emotional healing.

Benefits of Assisted Psilocybin Therapy

Mental Health Improvements

Research indicates that psilocybin therapy has the potential to significantly alleviate symptoms in various mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The therapy’s effects are reported to be enduring, with some studies showcasing a single dose’s ability to induce a lasting positive shift in mood and outlook.

Treatment-Resistant Conditions

One of the most promising aspects of psilocybin therapy is its ability to aid individuals who are resistant to traditional treatment. In the realm of depression, where conventional approaches can fail a significant portion of patients, psilocybin might provide a much-needed alternative path toward healing.

Holistic Healing Approach

Assisted psilocybin therapy is more than just a psychological experience; it’s frequently described as a spiritually significant event. Its holistic approach addresses the interconnected nature of mental, emotional, and sometimes even physical well-being, leading to a more comprehensive healing process.

Current Research and Studies

Groundbreaking Discoveries

Recent studies on psilocybin therapy have provided compelling evidence of its effectiveness. For instance, a landmark study at Imperial College London revealed that patients with treatment-resistant depression experienced substantial reductions in depressive symptoms after two doses of psilocybin. Other research explores its potential for smoking cessation and even end-of-life anxiety in terminally ill patients.

Clinical Trials and Methodologies

To legitimize its medical application, psilocybin therapy is undergoing rigorous clinical trials. These trials employ a blend of traditional psychological support alongside carefully structured doses of psilocybin, ensuring the patients’ safety and maximizing the therapeutic experience.

Challenges and Considerations

Legal and Ethical Hurdles

Despite growing evidence of its benefits, psilocybin’s societal and legal status presents significant barriers. Its current classification as a Schedule I substance in the United States, for example, places tight restrictions on its use and research. There are also ethical considerations surrounding its use in therapy and accessibility to patients in need.

Integration into Mainstream Healthcare

For psilocybin therapy to reach its full potential, it must find acceptance within mainstream healthcare systems. This involves not only changing legal frameworks but also navigating the cautious medical landscape wary of its past associations with recreational use.

Future Outlook

Potential Impact on Mental Health Treatment

Should psilocybin therapy continue to demonstrate positive outcomes, it has the potential to reshape mental health treatment paradigms. Its possible use alongside, or in place of, traditional psychiatric medications is a promising avenue, offering a different approach for people who do not respond to conventional treatments.

Opportunities for Further Research and Development

The future of psilocybin therapy lies in extensive further research, exploring dosing regimens, the optimal therapeutic settings, and the full scope of its potential applications. Additionally, there’s room for the development of supportive technologies and treatment protocols addressing patients’ post-therapy integration and aftercare.

Conclusion

The recent advancements in assisted psilocybin psychotherapy mark a pivotal moment in the evolution of mental health care. While it faces significant hurdles, the accumulating evidence of its therapeutic capabilities, combined with the growing cultural openness to alternative healing modalities, suggests a bright future. The potential to uplift countless individuals from the trenches of mental health struggles underscores the importance of continuing the conversation and research around this potentially game-changing form of therapy. With the right support and approach, psilocybin therapy could stand as a beacon of hope for those in need of relief from the burdens of the mind.

For ongoing clinical trials and an in-depth look at psilocybin assisted therapy check out the work being done at Compass Pathways

Here are a few centres offering psilocybin assisted therapy:

Empire Psychotherapy 
Numinus
Dr. Erica Zelfand N.D.

Check out my article on Psilocybin and the Default Mode Network Click Here


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25/Dec/2023

Of all the cultural icons we associate with Christmas, few are as universally recognized as Santa Claus. He’s a jolly figure who lives at the North Pole, spends most of his time making toys, and on Christmas Eve delivers them to children all over the world. But did you know that Santa Claus is also associated with psychedelic mushrooms? That’s right: the man in the red suit might not be as straight-laced as he’d like us to think. There is, in fact, a long and fascinating history of mushrooms and other hallucinogens being connected to the myth of Santa Claus.

Amanita Muscaria

Many cultures around the world have used psychoactive plants and fungi in their spiritual practices for centuries, and the story of Santa Claus is no exception. In ancient pre-Christian Europe, groups of people would gather in the winter months and ingest Amanita muscaria mushrooms, to experience altered states of mind. These mushrooms are bright red and white, and resemble the stereotypical image of Santa Claus. They contain a powerful psychoactive chemical called muscimol, which can cause hallucinations and feelings of euphoria.

Some scholars argue that these shamanic practices eventually came to be associated with the Christian holiday of Christmas. For example, the Santa Claus figure that we know today has several similarities with the Norse god Odin, who was sometimes depicted wearing a long red robe and carrying a staff. Odin also had a pair of magical reindeer who could fly, just like Santa’s famous team. And, like Odin, Santa is often depicted as being able to reward good behaviour or punish bad behaviour.

Saint Nicholas

Another theory is that the connection between Santa Claus and mushrooms is related to the story of Saint Nicholas, the Christian bishop who is the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus. According to some accounts, Saint Nicholas was once faced with the task of saving a town from starvation. He sprinkled bags of grain into the chimneys of every house in the town, and the grain would land in shoes that were drying beside the hearth. This miraculous act of charity might have been inspired by the shamanic use of mushrooms, which were often dried and then hung over the fireplace.

One thing is for certain: the link between Santa Claus and psychedelic mushrooms is not a recent invention. In the 1960s, when psychedelic drugs were becoming more popular in Western culture, some counterculture figures began to explore the idea that Santa Claus was actually a symbol of an ancient shamanic tradition. The Grateful Dead even wrote a song about “Saint Stephen with a rose, in and out of the garden he goes,” which is believed to be a reference to Saint Stephen (a Christian martyr) and the use of hallucinogenic plants in spiritual practices.

Conclusion

So, does Santa Claus actually take psychedelic mushrooms? Probably not – at least, not in the way that we might imagine. However the connection between mushrooms and the Santa Claus myth is a fascinating one, and it speaks to the long and complex history of human relationships with psychoactive substances. Whether or not there is a direct link between Santa Claus and mushrooms, it’s clear that there is much more to the story of this beloved holiday figure than we might have thought. So next time you see Santa’s red and white outfit, take a moment to consider the mysterious and colorful history behind it – who knows what other secrets it might hold?

Want to read more about the health benefits of psychedelic mushrooms? Click Here

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23/Aug/2017

Relax an let go

We need to learn how to relax. Many great spiritual teachings and teachers have at some point arrived at a similar insight. At its essence it’s the importance of relaxation and letting go. A Chinese proverb states “Tension is who you think you should be, relaxation is who you are”.  We spend an awful lot of time in a state of tension and many believe this to be a productive state, describing it as “good stress”. In reality, tension of the body and mind is a great inhibitor of creative thought and positive emotions.

 

Recently I underwent a quest of sorts with a good friend of mine in the wilderness of northern Ontario. We were both very lucky to have walked away from that experience with several insights. The most important lesson was that ones true self and ones ability to act with creativity, love and insight is most possible when the mind is able to let go and the body is able to relax.

 

Health

It is a fact that stress can negatively impact health if left unchecked. Stress affects the body, mood and behavior; it can cause headache, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression and overeating. A Japanese study from 2002 examined 73,000 Japanese men and women, age 40-79, for two years. Men and women who reported a high level of perceived mental stress had between a 1.5 and 2 fold increase in the risk of stroke and congestive heart disease. [1]

 

In Kompier and Coopers 1999 publication, “Preventing Stress, increasing productivity: European case studies in the workplace”, the impact of stress related illness in the UK is estimated at an economic cost of 2.5-10 percent of the gross national product, with an estimated 30 million days lost due to stress related illness every year.[2] One can easily see that stress is an impeder rather than a supporter of productivity. Kompier and Coopers publication outlines a very technical analysis of strategies for preventing stress in the workplace; however, as a healthcare practitioner I see and understand the need for a simplified strategy that one can implement anywhere and at anytime.

Training

Thus I return to the idea expressed at the beginning of this article, namely to relax and let go. I can predict that many of you reading this are probably muttering to yourself “easier said than done” or something along that line, and you would be absolutely correct; it is! Experience has taught me that in order for the mantra “relax and let go” to stick it helps to have experienced a prolonged state of mental and physical stillness, awareness,  or expanded consciousness. By sampling an elevated state of being one is able to better understand the benefit of a stilled mind and better equipped to return to awareness. Unfortunately it is one of those things that as Morpheus told Neo “you must see… for yourself”.

 

Many of you that have practiced meditation, living in the moment or even a transcendental occurrence through a near death experience or psychedelics may have a sense of what I am talking about. For the rest, step one is to capture a moment of stillness in order to sew the seed of relaxed awareness. For this I can suggest a few things:

  1. Go into nature (nature emits a certain vibration that facilitates meditation, or at least filters out the hustle and bustle of modern mechanistic living).
  2. Practice meditation (for centuries this has been the primary tool used to quiet and focus the mind and body)
  3. Practice a paradigm shift (try to gain a new perspective on yourself and life by pondering a night sky, life itself and trying to live within the moment).
  4. Respectfully and responsibly participate in a traditional healing ceremony (A sweat lodge or a ceremony incorporating herbal medicine, often psychedelics, is a centuries old practice traditionally lead through ritual. Psychedelics are traditionally used to promote expansion of consciousness and are gaining favor in modern medicine as possible treatment for PTSD and depression.)  http://www.mwikwedong.com/?page_id=131 http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/how-doctors-treat-mental-illness-with-psychedelic-drugs-w470673

In order to train a muscle to act in a certain way you must implement repetition, a process known as muscle memory. It is the same with the mind, in order to train the mind to relax and let go you must repeatedly remind yourself to do this. I want to clarify that it is possible to practice this without prior experience in achieving states of expanded consciousness, it is just more difficult to maintain because you may lack the frame of reference as to what to return to and why to return to it. The persistent reminding of yourself to relax and let go may be facilitated with a strategy such as setting an alert on a phone, calendar or clock every 30 or 60 minutes. Ultimately you will find a method that works best for you.

 

The take away message from this discussion is that we can all be more productive, better listeners, more creative, more loving and more aware when we relax and let go. The “relax and let go method” is simple and can be practiced anywhere, you just simply have to remind yourself to relax and let go. It helps when you have a frame of reference as to what a truly relaxed state of mind and body is; however, it’s not necessary and with enough practice you will get there. There is no trying with this method, it is in essence the complete opposite of trying, one just has to remember, over and over, to relax and let go, relax and let go. https://doctorshawn.ca/about-me/

[1] https://doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.0000028145.58654.41

Circulation. 2002;106:1229-1236

Originally published August 12, 2002

 

[2] https://books.google.ca/books?id=OFsSz45OxewC&lpg=PR11&ots=S64R_GVnY2&dq=stress%20and%20productivity%20in%20the%20workplace&lr&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=stress%20and%20productivity%20in%20the%20workplace&f=false


dr_shawn

Patient focused integrative health care. Utilizing effective natural approaches designed to be used alone or to compliment conventional medical care.


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