'I Wake Up and I'm a Baby': An NFL Star's Journey into Ayahuasca

From www.guardian.com: “Kerry Rhodes says a series of hallucinogenic trips he took as part of a documentary helped him understand himself more deeply. “Once it kicks in there are prisms and shapes and stuff like that, I could see visually stunning stuff. I literally had to tell myself, ‘You’re OK, you’re good, this is what you signed up for.’” The first “purge” – vomit – into a bucket brought a particularly bizarre vision: Rhodes, at his playing peak one of the NFL’s pre-eminent safeties, was brought face to face with a foetus…”

Oakland California Decriminalizes Magic Mushrooms, Other Natural Psychedelics

“Oakland, California has become the second city in the United States to decriminalize the use and possession of psychedelic mushrooms, The Associated Press reports. The Oakland City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday night, just weeks after Denver voters narrowly approved a similar measure. Along with mushrooms containing psilocybin, the resolution also decriminalizes other psychedelics naturally derived from plants or fungi, such as ayahuasca, peyote and DMT. Synthetic psychedelics like LSD and MDMA, are still illegal…”

DMT, Psychedelics, PoliticalArtful AlchemyFebruary 24, 2020DMT, Psilocybin, Peyote, MDMA, Ayahuasca, LSD, legalisation, Laws, America, Politics, Drugs, Depression, PTSD, Mental Health

5-MeO-DMT: The 20-Minute Psychoactive Toad Experience That’s Transforming Lives

From Forbes.com: “This isn’t the psychedelic you remember from college. It isn’t an eight-hour marathon experience tripping through the woods like Alice. It’s fast-acting, short-duration — sometimes lasting as briefly as seven minutes — and is a rocket-ship ride into the center of the cosmos. In a recent European study, after one single use, the substance 5-MeO-DMT was shown to produce sustained enhancement of satisfaction with life, and easing of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)…”

Psychedelic Events Are Going Mainstream, Where The Much-Maligned Mushroom Industry Focuses On Mental Health

“Psychedelics have been a mainstay for a millennia and appreciated in the counter-culture for decades. In 2020, whether consuming, investing, or both, mushrooms are having a moment…”

Study Finds Evidence that DMT is Produced Naturally from Neurons in the Mammalian Brain

“New research published in Scientific Reports indicates that the rat brain is capable of synthesizing and releasing a powerful psychedelic drug called dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Scientists suspect that the same could be true in humans…”

DMTArtful AlchemyJuly 16, 2019DMT, Studies, Neuroscience, Pineal Gland, America, Near Death Experiences

AOC Pushes To Make It Easier To Study Shrooms And Other Psychedelic Drugs

“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) filed legislation on Friday to remove a legal barrier that scientists say makes it unnecessarily difficult for them to study the medical benefits of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and MDMA. Psilocybin, the active component of so-called "magic mushrooms," and MDMA, commonly referred to as "ecstasy," have "shown promise in end of life therapy and treating PTSD," a summary of Ocasio-Cortez's proposal says...”

Psychedelics, PoliticalArtful AlchemyJune 9, 2019Psychedelics, Psilocybin, MDMA, Laws, legalisation, Studies, PTSD, Cannabis, America

Scientists Rethink Psychedelics As Attitudes Change Toward Formerly Illicit Drugs

“The irony. The generation who brought psychedelic drugs to the attention of the world, may just be the ones who use them as medicine to treat anxiety and depression or simply to face death. But while researchers around the world are looking at some formerly illicit drugs in a new way, they’re doing it with caution...”

Denver Decriminalizes Mushrooms | Oakland Moves to Decriminalize Other Entheogens

“After Denver paved the way by decriminalizing mushrooms, a major city in California is moving on other psychedelics like ayahuasca, ibogaine, and mescaline cacti. Now Oakland is calling for decriminalization of other psychedelics like mescaline cacti, ayahuasca and ibogaine…”

The Extraordinary Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs Explained

“Though psychedelic drugs remain illegal, guided ceremonies, or sessions, are happening across the country, as more Americans seek out safe, structured environments to use psychedelics for spiritual growth and psychological healing. This new world of psychedelic-assisted therapy functions as a kind of parallel mental health service…”

The Uncontacted Tribes of Brazil Face Genocide Under Jair Bolsonaro

“Right now, deep in the Amazon rainforest, a small tribe of survivors is on the run. They are the Kawahiva, an uncontacted tribe of just a few dozen people, the victims of waves of horrific attacks which have pushed them to the brink of extinction.”

PoliticalArtful AlchemyDecember 31, 2018Brazil, Amazon, America, Human Rights, Deforestation, Kawahiva, Awá

Ayahuasca for Addiction? That's a Trip

So, what about using ancient plant medicines to treat addiction? It may seem completely contradictory to treat someone who has a substance use disorder with a psychedelic drug that may induce hallucinations, but there's emerging evidence to support this approach…

Ayahuasca for PTSD: Interview with "From Shock to Awe" Producer

“In this interview with the From Shock to Awe co-creator and producer Janine Sagert, we discuss whether ayahuasca is a “cure” for PTSD, where the film’s subjects are now (and if they’ve drank any more ayahuasca), the inspiration behind the film, and more…”

Ayahuasca, Mental HealthArtful AlchemyDecember 1, 2018Interviews, Ayahuasca, PTSD, Documentaries, Plant Medicines, Healing, America, Ceremonies, Laws, Peru, MDMA

Toad Medicine: New Psychedelic Knowledge under Construction?

“The increasing supply and consumption of the so-called “toad medicine” in various parts of the world has led to a series of claims without theoretical, or historical support, and have allowed it to become an important lucrative activity for various stakeholders…”

psychedelic.support Creates a Network for Psychedelic Therapists

psychedelic.support is a website that will showcase clinics and providers who are looking to network with one another and connect with people seeking treatment. This site could soon become a useful asset to anyone interested in the professional world of psychedelic-related therapy… Continue reading

Mental Health, PsychedelicsArtful AlchemyNovember 1, 2018psymposia, MAPS, Therapy, MDMA, Psychedelics, Drugs, America