Additional Breakthrough Therapy approved for Psilocybin

Psilocybin for major depression has been granted Breakthrough Therapy by the FDA

This expands the Breakthrough Category from Treatment Resistant Depression to anyone with Major Depressive Disorder. 

Video: A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin

A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin (youtube)

... explores the treatment of end-of-life anxiety in terminally ill cancer patients using psilocybin, a psychoactive compound found in some mushrooms, to facilitate deeply spiritual experiences. The documentary explores the confluence of science and spirituality in the first psychedelic research studies since the 1970s with terminally ill patients. 

The treatment aims to help the patient understand that a 'good' death is possible, and to help the patient's family deal well with the dying process.

Mindfulness Enhances Psilocybin Experience

Mindfulness meditation enhances positive effects of psilocybin: study

Among 40 meditators given psilocybin on the 4th day of a meditation retreat,

"Psilocybin markedly increased the incidence and intensity of self-transcendence virtually without inducing any anxiety compared to participants who received the placebo"

The research group found that besides meditation depth, the participants' openness and optimism were conducive to a positive response to psilocybin.

 

Chicago Decriminalizes Psychedelic Plants

Chicago Follows Oakland, Decriminalizes Psychedelic Plants

"investigation and arrest of individuals involved with the Adult Use of Entheogenic Plants on the Federal Schedule 1 List be amongst the lowest priority or the City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department…” Chicago’s effort follows in the footsteps of Denver and Oakland, two other large US cities which passed similar measures earlier this year.

Finders Course Book and how-to ebook

I finally got around to checking out the Finders Course book.  I think it is highly worthwhile and interesting, if you are into this kind of stuff.

The Finders Course resulted from a search for ultimate happiness, eventually leading to extensive interviews with hundreds of enlightened individuals and eventually a protocol for leading down that path.  We can quibble perhaps about some of the assumptions here and there, and we can complain about the marketing of the course, but I found the material to be fascinating overall.  It's probably the first attempt to seriously reckon with the nuts and bolts of moving down the path of enlightenment.

There is also a free ebook available via the publications page, you'll have to enter an email and then you can download the book, listed near the top as the "Free eBook on Finders Course research findings".  What you will find is a 43 page ebook boldly titled as "how to safely, reliably, and rapidly reach fundamental wellbeing".

The recommendations:

1. Try multiple, proven methods and pick the one that you notice the most effects from.  Make this your primary method, but don't stop exploring new ones.  Be ready to discard any technique when it stops working or you find a better one.
2. Find a teacher with a good track record who seems flexible and understanding, and is not dogmatic.
3. Reach out and connect with a variety of Finders.  Spend times with the ones that you feel a resonance with, or who seem to produce a positive effect within you.
4. Get in a community of like-minded seekers for social interaction and support.

The most successful methods:

• Awareness centered
• Direct Inquiry
• Mantra
• Mindfulness
• Noting

Jamaica launches First Psychedelic Mushroom Research Center

The world’s first magic mushroom research center is launching in Jamaica

"The research center will study everything from the genetics of magic mushrooms to how best to extract their psychedelic compounds."

Canada Now Has Psilocybin Dispensaries

Canada Now Has Psilocybin Dispensaries

Dana Larsen, activist co-founder of a cannabis seed company, is selling microdoses of mushrooms.

So far, Canadian authorities have responded with the equivalent of "professional shrugs."

Gadgets: Technology Enhanced Mindfulness

The Techno Boost: From Stress Reduction to Enlightenment

Not an endorsement.  Just interesting to see what's out there including mindfulness apps, EEG headsets, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), virtual reality, and Transcranial Ultrasound (TUS).

Johns Hopkins Opens New Center for Psychedelic Research

Johns Hopkins Opens New Center for Psychedelic Research

Among the first trials are psilocybin for anorexia nervosa and psilocybin for psychological distress and cognitive impairment in early Alzheimer’s disease.

RElaxed Beliefs Under pSychedelics

Carhart-Harris & Friston 2019 – REBUS and the Anarchic Brain

REBUS is a (somewhat dubious) acronym for RElaxed Beliefs Under pSychedelics. The basic idea: psychedelics reduce the weight of held beliefs and increase the weight of incoming sensory input, allowing the beliefs to be more readily changed by the new sensory information.

Carhart-Harris & Friston theorize that the main thing psychedelics are doing is relaxing the weight of the brain’s top-down prediction-making (“REBUS”) and increasing the weight of the bottom-up sense information (“the Anarchic Brain”).

 

MDMA Clinics to Open This Year

Rick Doblin on The Frontiers of Culture and The Future Of The Psychedelic Renaissance

Finally this year (2019) thanks to Rick’s work, the first legally sanctioned MDMA clinics will open in America to treat people with treatment-resistant PTSD. 

Mindfulness for Kids

Mindfulness reduced a measure of depression in children.

Children in this age-range have traditionally shown less responsiveness to traditional treatments such as medication and talk therapy compared to adults, and therefore we wanted to evaluate the potential of mindfulness meditation intervention in reducing neurological symptoms of anxiety in this age range and serving as a protective factor against later development of disorders.

If you have kids, I would recommend Annaka Harris' Mindfulness for Children.

Mindfulness for Smoking Cessation

Mindfulness seems to beat the "gold standard" practices for smoking cessation.

Jud Brewer's "Craving to Quit" app also beat the National Cancer Institute's app.

Jud's apps come highly recommended.

Psilocybin for End of Life Anxiety to be Tested in Australia

Psychedelic mental health treatment expected to be approved in Australia within five years

Speculative, click bait title, but first steps nonetheless.

Meditation Slows Aging of Telomeres

Multiple studies show meditation (such as loving kindness practice or mindfulness) seems to help prevent the shortening of telomeres that occur with aging.

Emotional Self Awareness Protective against Depression

A Rochester study shows that teenagers who can describe their emotions in precise and nuanced ways—saying ‘I feel ashamed’ instead of simply saying ‘I feel bad’— are better protected against depression than their peers who can’t.

Something therapy and noting practice can help with.

 

Octopuses on Ecstasy

On Ecstasy, Octopuses Reached Out for a Hug

The generally asocial animals became more social.

AOC Pushes For Shrooms

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.

Mushrooms Could Replace Antidepressants

Magic mushrooms could replace antidepressants within five years, says new psychedelic research centre

participants describe a cathartic emotional “release” with psilocybin therapy – the polar opposite of antidepressants, which patients complain leave their emotions, whether positive or negative, “blunted”.

“I would imagine if you had some bookmakers doing the odds, there would be strong odds on that [psychedelic therapy] will be licensed sometime in the next five to 10 years – maybe sooner,” Professor Carhart-Harris says.

the evidence to date suggests it is the combination of therapy and psychedelic experience that offers the best option of a lasting alternative to chronic antidepressants.

Brief Meditation Similar to Vacation

Study: 15-minutes of meditation associated with similar effects as a day of vacation

On days the participants meditated, they reported lower levels of negative emotions such as irritation and higher levels of positive emotions such as gratefulness. They also scored higher on several facets of mindfulness.

We found that just 15-minutes of meditation was associated with similar effects as a day of vacation on aspects of mindfulness.

Oakland Decriminalizes Mushrooms

Oakland becomes 2nd US city to legalize magic mushrooms

Meditation App Improves Attention and Memory

Algorithm that Tailors Digital Meditation Program Improves Attention and Memory

A very simple breath meditation app was tested.  It asks whether your mindfulness was continuous for the practice period.  If yes, it will extend your meditation next time, if no if will decrease it.

Meditation Aids Relationships

Your meditation practice may reduce negative emotions in the people you interact with.

“The primary result from this study is that during periods when someone meditated, their study partner (someone they interacted with regularly) reported lower negative emotions”

More on Griffiths' Psilocybin and Meditation Study

More on Griffiths et al. 2017

Study found large increases in altruism, positive behavior change, and spirituality in the psilocybin groups that are unlikely to be by chance.

Also did not find the long term change in openness that previous studies found.  And no change in day to day spiritual practice.

 

25% Report Negative Meditation Experiences

25% of those who meditate report negative experiences.

This should not be particularly surprising as one begins to pay more attention to experience and begins to stop repressing and ignoring psychological material.  It offers the opportunity to work through this material and be healed at a deeper level.

40hz Pulsed Light Entrainment useful for Alzheimer's

A couple of studies in Alzheimer's disease mice "strengthened synaptic function, preserved neurons, and improved learning and memory".

“We think this approach could delay or ameliorate neurodegeneration”

TMS for Depression

In despair from major depression, I turned to a last resort: Magnets.

The sensation over time was like climbing up a staircase out of the hole, back into my daily life. I began working and parenting again and ultimately feeling brighter, more hopeful, and more resilient than I had in as long as I could remember.

Mindfulness Helps with Stress and Procrastination

Breath meditation helped graduate students with stress and anxiety.

Students who tested as more mindful had less problems with procrastination.

Effects of Psilocybin plus Meditation

A single large dose of psilocybin was given to 38 participants during a 5 day mindfulness retreat (abstract).

Drug-specific modulations in self-referential brain areas were found post-intervention.

Reduced antero-posterior DMN connectivity was linked to drug-induced ego dissolution.

Extent of altered self-experience and connectivity predicted lasting positive changes.

Plant-based Psychedelic Decriminalization Proposed in Oakland

Lawmakers Schedule Psychedelic Decriminalization Hearing In Oakland

Just days after the approval of the nation's first successful measure to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in Denver, a major city in California is moving to consider a measure that goes even further by calling for an end to arrests and prosecutions of people for possessing additional psychedelic drugs such as mescaline cacti, ayahuasca and ibogaine.

Psychedelics reduce Alcoholism

Psychedelics' Role in Beating Alcoholism Illustrated in LSD, Psilocybin Study of self selected and self reported data from 343 individuals.

The survey results showed a dramatic change in the number of alcoholic drinks people consumed before taking a “moderate or high dose” of either LSD or psilocybin and the number of drinks they were consuming a year later. After their drug experience, 83 percent of the participants no longer met the criteria for having alcohol use disorder. In turn, 28 percent of the participants reported that their psychedelic experience was the reason they decided to change their lifestyle.

Phase 2 trials indicate MDMA safe and effective

Results from Phase 2 clinical trials indicate MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD is safe and effective.

The researchers pooled data from six Phase 2 clinical trials that were carried out from 2004 to 2017 to examine the outcomes of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.

The researchers found that the treatment appeared to be both safe and effective. After two experimental sessions, approximately 50% of participants who received active doses of MDMA no longer met PTSD diagnostic criteria, compared to 23% of participants who received placebo.

Denver Decriminalizes Mushrooms

Initial polls showed the measure failing, but the final unofficial results have the measure passing.  This would make personal use of psilocybin mushrooms the city's "lowest law-enforcement priority".

MDMA for PTSD may have additional benefits

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD may have benefits beyond reductions in clinical symptoms.

Qualitative research on one year followups shows that the therapy "led to improvement in their self-awareness and social functioning".

Psychedelic Research Centre opens in London

The world’s first academic establishment dedicated to exploring the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs has opened at Imperial College London.

Psilocin Promotes Neurogenesis

Psilocin Promotes Structural and Functional Neuroplasticity

Psilocin makes neurons grow faster and produce more connections.

Effectiveness of Meditation Retreats

On the effectiveness of traditional meditation retreats, a meta-analysis of 20 studies:

"suggested large effects on measures of anxiety, depression, stress, and moderate effects on measures of emotional regulation and quality of life. As to potential mechanisms of actions, results showed large effects on measures of  mindfulness and compassion, and moderate effects on measures of acceptance."

Oneness beats Religion

"a study published Thursday in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality challenges the idea that being religious is the most consistent way to feel satisfied with life. The researchers behind the study argue that a better predictor of life satisfaction is a sense of oneness with the world — a mindset that people of all creeds can adopt."

Neurotic People Have Noisier Minds

Neurotic People Have Noisier Minds, not as good at the “form of mindfulness task that requires intention, attention and awareness concerning a simple activity”.

Jeffrey Martin Interview and Finders Course book

One of the better and more broad ranging interviews with Jeffrey Martin, a podcast on Skeptiko.  Towards the end, the interview gets into the sketchier speculations Skeptiko is known for, but overall a decent talk.

Also, Jeffrey Martin's book on the Finders Course is now available.

Light and Sound Machines for Alzheimer's (Mice)

Mice exhibiting Alzheimer's-like symptoms were exposed to 40hz (gamma) flickering light and sound experienced improvements in brain function and reduction of Alzheimer's related proteins.

Advanced meditators have shown high levels of gamma waves.

Psilocybin effects on Empathy, Creativity, Well-being

Sub-Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Empathy, Creative Thinking, and Subjective Well-Being

Results indicated that psilocybin enhanced divergent thinking and emotional empathy the morning after use. Enhancements in convergent thinking, valence-specific emotional empathy, and well-being persisted seven days after use. Sub-acute changes in empathy correlated with changes in well-being.

Professor takes 73 LSD Trips

Meet the professor who self-administered 73 high-dose LSD sessions.

A little bit woo.

Inside the Push to Legalize Magic Mushrooms for Depression and PTSD

Wired: Inside the Push to Legalize Magic Mushrooms for Depression and PTSD.

Microdosing

Does microdosing improve your mood and performance? Here’s what the research says

 Self reported information of 98 users:

1. A general positive boost on microdosing days, but limited residual effects of each dose.

2. Some indications of improvements in mental health

3. Shifts in attention

4. Increases in neuroticism and some challenging experiences

5. Changes do not entirely match people’s expectations

Psilocybin Improves Depression

Psilocybin combined with psychological support might correct pessimism biases in depression

Two doses of psilocybin reduced pessimistic biases.

Movements to Decriminalize Mushrooms

Denver and Oregon are considering ballot measures to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms.