There are two videos in this section. The first one is 31 minutes long from Bioneers. It provides an entertaining introduction to the psychedelic renaissance featuring Michael Pollan, the author of several books, including How to Change Your Mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DrM90dg5t4&ab_channel=Bioneers

The second video is 54 minutes long and is a comprehensive introduction to psychedelics from NOVA. It provides great footage of the history and use in indigenous cultures, information about brain anatomy and several examples of how psilocybin has produced positive effects in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD); depression and anxiety in terminally ill cancer patients; and PTSD.

https://www.pbs.org/video/can-psychedelics-cure-lxqulz/

The latest study about how psilocybin affects the brain are described in this NPR episode from 7.18.2024.

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/07/18/g-s1-11501/psilocybin-psychedelic-drug-brain-plasticity-depression-addiction

The study may be read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07624-5.

Watch this 1 hour 25 minute video to hear Josh Woolley, MD, PhD discuss the current challenges and future prospects of psilocybin. He is a psychiatrist from the University of California and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in San Francisco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5N-A6pkyxs&ab_channel=UniversityofCaliforniaTelevision%28UCTV%29https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5N-A6pkyxs&ab_channel=UniversityofCaliforniaTelevision%28UCTV%29

There are two videos in this section that summarize using psilocybin for depression.

The first video is less than 14 minutes and features Dr Rosalind Watts. She completed her clinical psychology training at University College London. After six years of practicing psychotherapy in the NHS, she joined a clinical trial at Imperial College, investigating psilocybin (magic mushrooms) as a treatment for depression. The first study was 7 years ago. It explores patients’ positive experiences of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Dr. Watts has gone on to create the ACER Model of Integration Communities, which I plan to join and use during Integration Sessions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kfGaVAXeMY&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

https://acerintegration.com/

The second video is 1 hour and 20 minutes long. Watch it to learn more about how psilocybin can help with depression. It’s not only informative but also historial and contains personal stories of those who suffered from depression over a period of 2 years. They were participants of the first psilocybin clinical trial at Imperial College in London.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SbQeZEubv8&ab_channel=BestDocumentary

To read a 2024 systematic review on the effects of psilocybin on depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, review this article. I copied the Abstract below:

Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of psilocybin in adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: A systematic search (up to September 14, 2023) was conducted for RCTs that examined the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of psilocybin in physically healthy adult patients with MDD. Three independent researchers extracted data from publications where the primary outcome was a change in depressive symptoms, and key secondary outcomes were changes in anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation, discontinuation rates for any reason, and adverse drug reactions (ADRs).

Results: Five RCTs with 472 adult patients with MDD on psilocybin (n = 274) and controls (n = 198) were included. Two of the five RCTs (40%) reported mixed results, while the other three (60%) found that psilocybin had a beneficial effect on MDD treatment. Four RCTs (80%) assessing the anxiolytic effects of psilocybin for treating MDD found that psilocybin was significantly more effective than the control group in improving anxiety symptoms. Psilocybin was more effective than the control group in improving suicidal ideation in one out of five RCTs. Discontinuation rates were similar for any reason between the psilocybin group (2–13%) and the control group (4–21%) (P > 0.05). Four RCTs (80%) reported ADRs in detail. The most common ADR in both groups was headache.

Conclusion: Psilocybin was effective in improving depressive symptoms in over half of the included studies and reduced anxiety symptoms in patients with MDD. The long-term efficacy and safety of psilocybin for MDD treatment needs to be further investigated in large RCTs.

The five RCTs studied for depression used either 25mg or 30mg of psilocybin in either a single dose or 2 doses 3 weeks apart. The length of time that the effects were measured ranged from 3 weeks to 8 weeks.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1416420/full

There are two videos in this section.

The first one is a 17 minute video from TedXMarin. Anthony P. Bossis, MD, PhD, discusses the use of psilocybin for end of life anxiety. He is a respected and well-known FDA-approved researcher at NYU.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U561dQIe6c4&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

In the second video, Anderson Cooper introduced psychedelic assisted therapy on CBS in 2020. Watch the full episode here:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/psychedelic-drugs-lsd-active-agent-in-magic-mushrooms-to-treat-addiction-depression-anxiety-60-minutes-2020-08-16

If the above link doesn’t open easily, go to this link and scroll down to WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE.

https://psychedelicalpha.com/news/cbs-60-minutes-brings-psychedelic-medicine-to-the-masses

Watch this 1 hour 15 minute video from Aaron Eisen of the Portland Psychedelic Society recorded in 2020.

It covers microdosing of the most readily available psychedelics. While this video only uses information from peer-reviewed sources, there are no double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized trials about microdosing. What that means is that there is no real scientific proof that microdosing has positive effects. However, many people microdose and their anecdotal reports are mostly positive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBJWRxIisto&t=1626s&ab_channel=PortlandPsychedelicSociety

There are two videos in this section.

Watch this 8 minute video for a brief presentation by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk about what trauma does to your brain and body. He is the renown author of The Body Keep the Score published in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKa7V_mV8l8&ab_channel=TheWell

This 11 minute video from TedX Academy features Daisy Peyton’s personal account of PTSD. Her easy to understand explanation of the neurobiology of PTSD. She is in the PhD program at UCSF studying Neuroscience and Psychology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BThqIwhqxA&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

With the situation being uncertain ftr the new drug application for MDMA, it’s reasonable to consider using psilocybin. There are studies that support this consideration. In 2013, a team from the University of South Florida showed that psilocybin led to fear extinction. The researchers found that conditioning of fear extinction may be mediated by actions of low dose psilocybin at sites other than hippocampus such as the amygdala, which is known to mediate the perception of fear. At the low doses of psilocybin that enhanced fear extinction, neurogenesis was not decreased, but rather tended toward an increase. However, the “low doses” used were not published. (1)

Fear conditioning (FC) and fear extinction models in animals can be used to study the biological underpinnings of fear-related disorders, such as PTSD. Pavlov (1849–1936) first “described extinction as a phenomenon whereby repeated non-reinforced presentation of a conditioned stimulus led to the reduction in the magnitude of the conditioned response(s).” (2) In the case of fear extinction, the conditioned stimulus is typically a previously neutral stimulus that, through conditioning, has come to be associated with an aversive outcome, such that its occurrence alone is capable of eliciting some form(s) of a fear/anxiety/defensive conditioned response. (3)

What is fear extinction? Watch this 5 minute video that explains fear conditioning and fear extinction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdulAtk9ES0

In a more recent animal study, A single dose of psilocybin (2.5 mg/kg) facilitated rapid and sustained fear extinction. The researchers believed “this effect might be partially mediated by the promotion of hippocampal neuroplasticity.” (4)

1) Catlow BJ, et al. Effects of psilocybin on hippocampal neurogenesis and extinction of trace fear conditioning. Exp Brain Res 2013; 228: 481–491.

2) Pavlov IP. Conditioned reflexes. London: Oxford UP; 1927.

3)Singewald N, Holmes A. Rodent models of impaired fear extinction. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2019 Jan;236(1):21-32.

4) Du Y, et al. Psilocybin facilitates fear extinction in mice by promoting hippocampal neuroplasticity. Chin Med J (Engl). 2023 Dec 20;136(24):2983-2992.

There are two videos in this section.

The first video is an introduction to trauma and the treatment for trauma. presentation by Rachel Yehuda, PhD, the Director of the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy for Trauma Research at Mt. Sinai in New York. It’s presented by Big Think and was filmed in late 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3TvqMwgEco&ab_channel=BigThink

The second video, also with Dr. Yehuda, was produced by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology in 2021. She reviews the history of MDMA up to the creation of MAPS and the FDA breakthrough therapy designation for MDMA. She also highlights some of the findings of the clinical trials with MDMA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpAKaqilo6Q&ab_channel=EuropeanCollegeofNeuropsychopharmacology

Yes, it’s Rick Perry on this video. He is the conservative Republican who was the previous Governor of Texas. He spoke at the Psychedelic Science Conference in Denver in 2023 about PTSD. He is an advocate for the thoughtful, ethical, and well-regulated acceptance of MDMA for the treatment for PTSD. He is also an advocate for Ibogaine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSybEJI-vPo&ab_channel=ReasonTV

There are two videos in this section.

The first video is 2 minutes and 20 seconds and is a simple explanation about neuroplasticity. It is presented by a pleasant MD from the Perth Brain Center in Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EQ3kAPzVVI&ab_channel=TheBrainCentre

If you are more curious about plasticity, watch this 2 hour video interview with Dr. Gul Dolan about her work on critical periods and metaplasticity.

Her basic question during her education was, “What is the mind?” She approached that question through a combination of neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, religion and art.

While this is a long video, it details findings that will help you to understand how scientists think that psychedelics work. She explains critical periods in a way that is easy to understand. Creation of a new critical period is how many scientists believe that MDMA provides a ‘window of opportunity’ for therapy.

Be advised, the interview rambles a bit between autism, critical periods, stroke treatment and psychedelics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt9_E4ZR5S0&ab_channel=TimFerriss

In 2007, Ede Frecska wrote:

"The most common medical side effect of classic psychedelics (LSD, DMT, psilocybin) is an elevation in blood pressure and heart rate. While this effect can be safe for most people to tolerate, it is dangerous for others whose bodies cannot safely handle high blood pressure.

As a result, psychedelics are contraindicated if someone is pregnant, or has a history of epilepsy/other seizure disorder, or severe cardiovascular disease including uncontrolled blood pressure, heart failure, coronary artery disease or previous heart attack or stroke.

Because psychedelics work by activating serotonin receptors in the brain, they can lead to a life threatening condition called Serotonin Syndrome if used in conjunction with other medications or substances that also increase serotonin levels in the brain.

As a result, they are contraindicated in people using medications like Selective Serotonin Receptor Inhibitors (SSRI ) or MonoAmine Oxidizer Inhibitors (MAO-I) antidepressants who are not able to be weaned off of these medications before treatment.

Originally, hallucinogens carried the misnomer of “psychotogenic” (psychosis generating) agents, but the hallucinogenic effect is distinct from psychosis on several accounts; essentially, the two experiences are fundamentally different. Reality control is well maintained after minimal experience with hallucinogens, and the psychedelic effect is actively sought by users. Psychosis is neither voluntary nor desired. It is a disordered mental state over which the subject has no control. Hallucinogenic agents, when taken in appropriate settings in a responsible manner, induce a coherent mental state with feeling of increased internal order and personal growth.

Sporadic anecdotal observations noticed a relationship between the onset of schizophrenia and the hallucinogen use in a vulnerable population. However, when schizophrenic symptoms did persist beyond 24 hours, it appeared that the particular syndrome was a hallucinogen-precipitated event in schizophrenia-prone individuals (e.g., those with relatives with psychiatric problems), rather than a specific and genuine hallucinogen-induced persistent psychosis.

Similarly, psychedelics are contraindicated in people who’ve previously experienced any adverse effect from these substance such as prolonged psychosis or suicidal ideation."

Frecska, Ede. (2007). Therapeutic guidelines: dangers and contraindications in therapeutic applications of hallucinogens. 10.13140/RG.2.1.2364.8888.

Despite its promising therapeutic signal across mental health outcomes, less attention is paid on its potential to provide therapeutic benefits in clients on psychiatric medications, clients with bipolar disorder and across complex medical situations within rehabilitation medicine.

Watch this 11 minute video for a detailed comparison between psychedelics and antidepressants. It also explains why you should consult with your psychiatrist if you are taking antidepressants and would like to explore psychedelics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=497SZVKHnU4&ab_channel=ThePsychedelicScientist

Here are the studies that he talked about in the video:

SSRI/SNRIs appear to weaken psilocybin drug effects relative to a non-serotonergic antidepressant. This dampening effect may last as long as 3 months following antidepressant discontinuation.

Gukasyan N, Griffiths RR, Yaden DB, Antoine DG 2nd, Nayak SM. Attenuation of psilocybin mushroom effects during and after SSRI/SNRI antidepressant use. J Psychopharmacol. 2023 Jul;37(7):707-716.

Escitalopram did not alter HTR2A or SCL6A4 gene expression before psilocybin administration, QTc intervals, or circulating BDNF levels before or after psilocybin administration. Further studies are needed with a longer antidepressant pretreatment time and patients with psychiatric disorders to further define interactions between antidepressants and psilocybin.

Becker AM, et al. Acute Effects of Psilocybin After Escitalopram or Placebo Pretreatment in a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study in Healthy Subjects. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2022 Apr;111(4):886-895.

"There's a huge deficit in the scientific literature (about the use of psychedelics in clients using psychiatric medications)," said lead author Aryan Sarparast, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry in the OHSU School of Medicine. "There's a major incongruence between the public enthusiasm and exuberance with psychedelic substances for mental health issues -- and what happens when they combine with the existing mental health treatments that we have now."

The researchers decided to conduct the evidence review because they wanted to learn more about interactions between widely prescribed medications such as antidepressants and psychedelics, including MDMA and psilocybin.

They found a total of 40 studies dating back to 1958, including 26 from randomized controlled studies, 11 case reports and three epidemiologic studies.

Researchers found only one study that examined how psilocybin interacts with antidepressant medications. Further, the lead author, Dr. Sarparast noted that all of the clinical trials were conducted with healthy volunteers who were administered a psychiatric medication and a psychedelic at the same time -- a clear sign of the need for further research on the clinical outcomes of combining pharmaceutical medications with psilocybin.

Sarparast said he is concerned that the lack of evidence will lead many providers to direct patients to taper off existing medications before being offered clinical psilocybin therapy.

Patients with mental health conditions may well benefit from psilocybin therapy, but Sarparast said he worries about the implications of stopping existing psychiatric treatment in order to receive psilocybin services. This may force vulnerable people into choosing between their existing medical treatment or psilocybin services.

"That's a very, very tough place to be," Sarparast said.

There's a considerable amount of important data not captured in a literature review related to real-world use, noted co-author Christopher Stauffer, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry in the OHSU School of Medicine and a physician-scientist at the VA Portland Health Care System.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220318131632.htmI

In a study in 2023, it was found that psilocybin may have potential for treating depressive symptoms, and consequently may be safe for use in Bipolar Disorder (BD). An international web-based survey was used to explore experiences of psilocybin use in people with a self-reported diagnosis of BD.

A total of 541 people completed the survey (46.4% female, mean 34.1 years old). One-third (32.2%; n = 174) of respondents described new/increasing symptoms after psilocybin trips, prominently manic symptoms, difficulties sleeping and anxiety.

No differences in rates of adverse events overall were observed between individuals with BD I compared to BD II. Use of emergency medical services was rare (n = 18; 3.3%), and respondents (even those who experienced adverse effects) indicated that psilocybin use was more helpful than harmful. Quantitative findings elaborated on perceived benefits, as well as the potential for psilocybin trips to contain both positively and negatively received elements.

The subjective benefits of psilocybin use for mental health symptoms reported by survey participants encourage further investigation of psilocybin-based treatments for BD. Clinical trials should incorporate careful monitoring of symptoms, as data suggest that BD symptoms may emerge or intensify following psilocybin use.

Morton E, Sakai K, Ashtari A, Pleet M, Michalak EE, Woolley J. Risks and benefits of psilocybin use in people with bipolar disorder: An international web-based survey on experiences of 'magic mushroom' consumption. J Psychopharmacol. 2023 Jan;37(1):49-60.

American Psychological Association Position (APA): There is currently inadequate scientific evidence for endorsing the use of psychedelics to treat any psychiatric disorder except within the context of approved investigational studies. APA supports continued research and therapeutic discovery into psychedelic agents with the same scientific integrity and regulatory standards applied to other promising therapies in medicine. Clinical treatments should be determined by scientific evidence in accordance with applicable regulatory standards and not by ballot initiatives or popular opinion.

Position Statement on the Use of Psychedelic and Empathogenic Agents for Mental Health Conditions Approved by the Board of Trustees, July 2022.

Regarding the use of psilocybin in patients in rehabilitation due to spinal cord injuries: "Persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) have a high prevalence of treatment-resistant mental health comorbidities that compound the extent of their physical disability.

Reports from online discussion forums suggest that those living with SCI are using psychedelics, though the motivation for their use is unknown. These anecdotal reports describe a consistent phenomenon of neuromuscular and autonomic hypersensitivity to classical serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Persons describe intense muscle spasms, sweating, and tremors, with an eventual return to baseline and no reports of worsening of their baseline neurological deficits. The discomfort experienced interferes with the subjective beneficial effects self-reported. This phenomenon has not been described previously in the academic literature.

We aim to provide a descriptive review and explanatory theoretical framework hypothesizing this phenomenon as a peripherally dominant serotonin syndrome-like clinical picture-that should be considered as such when persons with SCI are exposed to classical psychedelics."

Abrams SK, et al. Persons With Spinal Cord Injury Report Peripherally Dominant Serotonin-Like Syndrome After Use of Serotonergic Psychedelics. Neurotrauma Rep. 2023 Aug 22;4(1):543-550.

Read this anecdotal report about Jim Harris, reported on Aspen Public Radio on May 28, 2024: https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/arts-culture/2024-05-28/after-a-life-altering-injury-psychedelics-helped-jim-harris-heal?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=After%20a%20life-altering%20injury%2C%20psychedelics%20helped%20Jim%20Harris%20heal&utm_campaign=Transmitter%2004-12-24

IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT USING PSILOCYBIN, PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER AND A PSYCHEDELIC FACILITATOR.

Watch this 1 hour 2 minute video from Abigail Calder, M.Sc. from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

She spoke at the 2023 ALPS conference (Awareness Lectures on Psychedelic Science) about the significant negative effects of particular psychedelics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8psZeg_uuA&ab_channel=ALPSAwarenessLecturesonPsychedelicSciencehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8psZeg_uuA&ab_channel=ALPSAwarenessLecturesonPsychedelicScience

There are two videos in this section.

Watch the first 7 minute video from MycoMeditations to see the archaeological evidence of use of mushrooms in ancient times at multiple locations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFTLMvu19Xs&t=13s&ab_channel=MycoMeditations

Watch this 58 minute video that details the use of psychedelic substances by Indigenous Peoples. It was published by the Portland Psychedelic Society (2021).

The presenter talks fast but the video has interesting information about the ancient use and colonization.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Cgxg0QWpU&ab_channel=PortlandPsychedelicSociety

There are two videos in this section.

The first one is very short video and introduces the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN may be the site of action for psilocybin, LSD and DMT. The video discusses the claustrum, which is heavily occupied with 5HT2A receptors.

https://www.google.com/search?q=animation+how+psychedelics+work&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS884US885&oq=animation+how+psychedelics+work&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRifBdIBCjQ5NDI0ajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:87e7ed87,vid:pKR-jvGlkNg,st:0

The second video has an entertaining introduction into the history of psychedelics and also includes helpful information about the DMN.

Dr Stephen Bright is a clinically-trained psychologist. He is a Senior Lecturer of Addiction at Edith Cowan University in Perth and a founding board member of PRISM, an Australian not-for-profit set up to advance the cause of psychedelic research.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt35di1e6d4&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

This 55 minute video talks about link between psychedelics and brain health, and what it might mean for Alzheimer's research.

It features Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY3hYPsadP8&ab_channel=PositiveAgingCommunity

Study about Cognitive Flexibility and Psilocybin

Psilocybin therapy was shown to increase cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with Major Depressive Disorder age 24-59. Cognitive flexibility is broadly defined as the ability to adaptively switch between different cognitive operations in response to changing environmental demands.

Although it is unclear what the enduring effects of psychedelic therapy are on cognitive flexibility in humans, the acute effects of 5-HT2A receptor modulation on cognitive flexibility are mixed. Blockade of 5-HT2A receptors has been found to both impair and enhance cognitive flexibility in animal models. In contrast, activation of 5-HT2A receptors with psychedelic drugs has been found to acutely impair cognitive flexibility in humans.

A moderately high dose (20 mg/70 kg) and a high (30 mg/70 kg) dose of psilocybin were orally consumed at the first and second sessions, respectively. Neural flexibility was measured with the Penn Conditional Exclusion Test (PCET). Errors on the PCET generally decreased from baseline to 1 week post-psilocybin therapy with this effect sustained 4 weeks post-treatment, which indicated an increase in cognitive flexibility.

Doss MK, et al. (2021). Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder. Transl Psychiatry 11(1):574.

Ongoing Clinical Trial

The researchers at Johns Hopkins are currently recruiting participants for a pilot study which will examine whether the hallucinogenic drug, psilocybin, given under supportive conditions, is safe and effective for depression in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This study will also assess whether psilocybin may improve quality of life in those individuals.

Participants will complete an 8-week course of study treatment including two psilocybin sessions (15 mg/70 kg in week 4) and (15 or 25 mg/70 kg in week 6), with follow-up assessments up to 6 months after the final psilocybin session. The study will assess changes in depressed mood at 1 week after the second psilocybin session compared to pre-treatment, and quality of life in participants from pre- to post-treatment.

Here is the link to the trial:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?locStr=Baltimore,%20MD&country=United%20States&state=Maryland&city=Baltimore&cond=psilocybin%20for%20alzheimer%27s%20disease

Watch the 25 minute long TDR Psychedelic Exclusive video, with the former NHLer and advisor of Wake Network, Riley Cote, and Nick Murray, Wake Network’s CEO.

They talk about the ESPN Documentary that was released last year called “Peace of Mind.” It features retired NHL and NFL players, along with professional boxers; all of whom have experienced TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) during their playing careers.

Cote outlines how the documentary has drawn awareness to many alumni athletes, from professional sports leagues that include the NHL, NFL, NBA, and UFC. Since the release of the documentary, the demand for people wanting to attend the Wake psilocybin retreat in Jamaica has exploded.

Wake Network is a private psychedelic company that focuses primarily on retreats, along with company partnerships that have an existing clinical footprint in the USA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsnkNFTZ2po&ab_channel=TheDalesReport

And here is what is available for free online: ‘Peace of Mind’ from ESPN (30 minutes). You have to have a subscription to ESPN to watch it.

https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/3ddd04cc-82b9-4f84-a32e-8c61d59373c2/peace-of-mind

You can read about it here for FREE:

https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/36226140/magic-mushrooms-psychedelics-pain-hope-science-collide

This section is "under construction."

Each of us will go through periods of sadness in our life. Unfortunately, happiness does not last forever.

Sadness is a universal emotion that we all will eventually go through. It can be triggered by the death of loved one or a beloved pet or because of losing your job or not getting promoted.

No one will escape sadness; however, grief and sorrow are not necessarily interchangeable terms. According to Ph.D. scholar Robin Dee (a psychologist with more than 30 years of experience) said that sadness is “an emotion we sometimes think about negatively and it actually is not, it’s a very adaptive feeling.” He also said that “Being sad allows us to deal with painful experiences and loss. It can be cathartic and relieve tension. It also aids in empathy for ourselves and what we’re going through, but it’s also an emotion that can help us access other people’s pain and suffering.”

What is Grief?

Grief is a normal part of our human experience here on earth. It is the name of the process your heart goes through when it has been broken.

Broken hearts grieve.
We experience grief.

Grief cannot be escaped in this life.

Grief is natural but it is unique to you.

No one else knows how you feel.

Grief hurts.
Grief is not intellectual.
Grief is the price of your love.

What is Sorrow?

Sorrow is an emotion, sentiment, or feelings that are more intense than sadness. Sorrow is associated with deep stress due to the loss of someone or something.

Grief and sorrow go together, but there is a slight difference in the two.  Grief is the name of the process that your heart goes through when you have experienced a loss.  Sorrow is the emotion that your heart is feeling. (Adapted from https://www.healingstartswiththeheart.com/are-grief-and-sorrow-the-same-thing/)

Elisabeth Kubler Ross described the Stages of Grief in 1969 in her book, On Death and Dying. David Kessler and Kubler Ross refined the stages grief in 2014 in their book, On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss. Frances Weller’s book published in 2015, The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grieving. He “reveals the new vitality we encounter when we welcome, rather than fear, the pain of loss.” This section will briefly review the similarities and differences between these three books, but I would recommend reading all three!

More to come…

Watch this 46 minute video discussion from End Well with Grief therapist, Claire Bidwell Smith, palliative care physician and oncologist Dingle Spence, MD, psychiatrist and teacher Neil Hanon, MD and bereaved parent Allyson Rockwell about psychedelic-assisted grief therapy and how patients and clinicians might benefit from these new modalities of care.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ3WM12H2Fs&ab_channel=EndWell

In his book, Spare, Prince Harry describes using psychedelics to help him cope with the death of his mother, Princess Diana. This is a reprint of the article in the New York Times on 1/10/2023. Updated 6/20/2023.

“In the book, he described trying both traditional and unconventional ways to cope with his pain and that using psychedelics was particularly helpful. After one therapist suggested that he suffered from PTSD, Harry started to use mushrooms and ayahuasca “therapeutically, medicinally.” (He had previously experimented with psychedelics recreationally.) “They didn’t simply allow me to escape reality for a while, they let me redefine reality,” he wrote.

Psychedelic therapy has experienced a groundswell of enthusiasm over the past decade as research mounts showing the mind-altering drugs can be useful for treating depression and other mental health disorders. (The therapy is still illegal in most places and is primarily done in underground sessions, abroad or through clinical trials.) However, there is scant evidence about whether psilocybin — the psychoactive ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms — and ayahuasca might be helpful for processing grief and trauma specifically.

Dr. Joshua Woolley, director of the Translational Psychedelic Research Program at the University of California, San Francisco, is optimistic about the drugs’ potential. “Can psychedelics help with the experience of grief? I would say probably yes,” he said.

But other experts are less bullish on the idea of using them for trauma. “The actual evidence is really lacking,” said Dr. Shaili Jain, a PTSD specialist at Stanford University and author of “The Unspeakable Mind.” “It’s very early, and we still don’t know the long-term side effects. We are not there yet.”

Grief is not a mental illness; it is a normal human experience that comes after the loss of a loved one. Sadness, anger and disbelief that the person is dead — something that Harry described in his book — are all typical responses to the profound pain of death and can last for months or years. However, if the grief has not improved at all after a year and is affecting a person’s ability to function, a diagnosis of prolonged grief, sometimes called complicated grief, might be warranted.

Grief vs Prolonged Grief

“What we see with prolonged grief is that the grief becomes very entrenched, that things look the same for this person today as they did the day after” the death, said Mary-Frances O’Connor, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona and author of “The Grieving Brain.” “For a person who’s adapting more typically, a year after a loss, they’re still going to have sadness. They’re still going to miss the person who’s gone. But you can see this trajectory of change where they have started to restore a life that feels meaningful to them.”

People with prolonged grief may feel that life has lost its meaning or that a part of themselves has also died; they might have intense emotional pain or feel complete psychological numbness. Harry does not say in his book whether he was ever diagnosed with prolonged grief, but he does describe some of these emotions, and symptoms of PTSD and prolonged grief often overlap. About 10 percent of people mourning a loved one will develop prolonged grief, and the risk is higher if the death happened suddenly or traumatically.

Treatment for prolonged grief often involves cognitive behavioral therapy to help people start to move on and engage in meaningful activities again while they continue to cope with the grief. “It’s not about taking grief away,” Dr. O’Connor said. “It’s about learning how to live with the fact that you are a person who has waves of grief now.”

Using Psychedelics for Grief

Scientists think that psychedelics work in two ways: through their chemical effects on the brain and the subjective experiences a person has while on the drugs. For many people, psychedelics act like “a very intense, fast psychotherapy,” Dr. Woolley said.

Psychedelics “have this potential to induce these transpersonal states of consciousness where people might feel like they are connected” to the deceased relative or friend, added Greg Fonzo, co-director of the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy at Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin. “That might allow people to move past some of the stuckness that occurs when they’re in this phase of grief.”

In the brain, scientists think that psychedelics induce a “plastic state,” helping to rapidly form new connections between cells. Those new connections may be behind the insights and reprocessing that people can experience when they use the drugs in a therapeutic setting.

There are very few published studies focusing on psychedelics’ effect on people experiencing prolonged grief. In one of the few relevant trials, Dr. Woolley looked at whether psilocybin, combined with group therapy, could help older, long-term AIDS survivors process their depression and survivor’s guilt surrounding their diagnosis, as well as the loss of friends and family to AIDS.

The 2020 study, which included just 18 men, assessed the participants’ levels of demoralization — a therapeutic term for an existential sense of hopelessness and loss of meaning in life. Most of the participants had experienced profound grief and trauma because of the AIDS epidemic; on average, the participants had lost 17 loved ones to the disease.

After one psychedelic therapy session, nearly 90 percent of the men experienced a reduction in demoralization, and many saw a decrease in symptoms of PTSD and complicated grief. In a follow-up paper describing the men’s subjective experiences, the researchers wrote that psilocybin was “a catalyst for reconstructing their identities from rigidly centered on their past traumas to more flexible and growth-oriented life narratives.”

“The people in our study often talked about feeling stuck and detached from people around them and not able to move forward,” Dr. Woolley said. The psilocybin “did seem to help them move forward, to become unstuck and start being more engaged in life.”

Another study published in 2020 by researchers in Spain found that 39 bereaved adults who took part in ayahuasca ceremonies at a retreat center in Peru reported a decrease in the severity of their grief, and those benefits lasted for at least a year. The researchers wrote that people using ayahuasca to process their grief “described emotional confrontations with the reality of the death, the reviewing of biographical memories, and a re-encounter with the deceased.”

While these results are promising, both studies were small and neither included a control arm to compare the effects of the psychedelics against a placebo or another medication. The majority of participants in the ayahuasca study also reported that they expected to benefit from the experience, which may have had an impact on the results.

There is stronger evidence that psilocybin can be useful in treating depression, including in trials comparing the drugs’ efficacy to standard antidepressant medications. Similarly, M.D.M.A, which is sometimes classified as a psychedelic, has been shown to be effective at treating PTSD. Some researchers think that because prolonged grief has many similarities with depression and PTSD, psychedelics could be useful for treating it too.

Dr. O’Connor said that given how scientists think psychedelics work in the brain to treat depression, it’s conceivable that the drugs could also be helpful for people with prolonged grief. However, she cautioned against using the drugs to cope with grief that had not been diagnosed as prolonged or complicated.

“I would not say that it is appropriate to intervene with something as mind-altering, as dramatic, as psychedelic therapy if a person is, in fact, healing in the way that we would expect them to,” Dr. O’Connor said. “Meaning, I would worry that you could do more harm than good and that it just may not be necessary.”

The experts also emphasized that experimenting with the drugs recreationally is not the same as using them in a controlled therapeutic environment. After trying psychedelics in both settings, Prince Harry echoed this sentiment. In an interview with 60 Minutes, he said that he “would never recommend people to do this recreationally,” but that in the right setting the drugs worked “as a medicine” to help him process his grief and trauma.

REFERENCES:

Anderson BT, et al. (2020). Psilocybin-assisted group therapy for demoralized older long-term AIDS survivor men: An open-label safety and feasibility pilot study. EClinicalMedicine. 27:100538.

González D, et al. (2020). Therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in grief: a prospective, observational study. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 237(4):1171-1182.

Learn about the End Well: https://www.endwellproject.org/

We believe all people should experience the end of life in a way that matches their values and goals. End Well is a dynamic gathering of individuals committed to generating human-centered, interdisciplinary innovation for the end of life experience.

The retreat in Jamaica link is: https://www.jamaicagriefretreats.org/

This 18 minute video describes the multiple facets of OCD. It all comes down to anxiety and patterns to avoid anxiety. Psilocybin can treat anxiety via the effects on 5-HT2A receptors and the Default Mode Network.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epDVMBNXsXY&ab_channel=JohnGlanvill-ComplexAnxietySpecialist

Research about psilocybin for OCD

Despite decades of research, first-line pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders and stress-related disorders still relies on modulation of monoaminergic systems, which on a conceptual level has advanced very little since the first development of monoamine oxidase inhibitors in the 1950s. Early case reports from the late 1980s to 2000 suggested improvement in OCD symptoms after use of psilocybin and LSD but details of these reports are not easily found.

One modified double-blind trial of nine patients found reductions in OCD symptoms following four sessions of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in which varying doses of psilocybin were given across a 4-week period. Low (100 microg/kg), medium (200 microg/kg), and high (300 microg/kg) doses were assigned in that order, and a very low dose (25 microg/kg) was inserted randomly and in double-blind fashion at any time after the first dose. Testing days were separated by at least 1 week. Each session was conducted over an 8-hour period in a controlled environment in an outpatient clinic; subjects were then transferred to a psychiatric inpatient unit for overnight observation and testing. Psilocybin was safely used in subjects with OCD and was associated with acute reductions in core OCD symptoms in several subjects.

Moreno FA , et al. (2006). Safety, tolerability, and efficacy of psilocybin in 9 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Clin Psychiatry 67 : 1735 – 1740.

Two additional case reports in 2014 and 2021 were published without specific details.

A case report of a patient with refractory OCD treated with psilocybin and followed prospectively for a year, with marked symptomatic improvement. Improvement in OCD symptoms (YBOCS declined from 24 to 0–2) was accompanied by broader changes in his relationship to his emotions, social and work function, and quality of life.

A clinical trial is currently still underway at Yale University comparing Psilocybin (0.25mg/kg) to Niacin (250mg).

Details from one patient in the trial were published - his name is Daniel. At one point during the dosing session, Daniel stated aloud, “This is giving me my life back.” Later on, as the effects wore wearing off, Daniel described the psychedelic experience he'd just been through as “the most intense cascade of emotions he had ever felt.”

Starting with the first integration at 48 hours and onward, Daniel reported a new “space” separating him from his OCD symptoms and a changed relationship with them. Overall, Daniel's reported increased cognitive and emotional flexibility seemed to pervade his everyday life one-month post-dosing. He described a more flexible approach to living, in which he attuned to his body more and adjusted accordingly.

At 12 weeks post-dose, Daniel reported that OCD was no longer a significant part of his life, despite having a persistent “imprint” of obsessions and compulsions in his mind. He felt that if he didn't continue to work at managing this imprint, he could “slip back,” but even if that happened, he now had the “tools” to manage it. Referring to his OCD, he said, “Even if this were to come back, I'm on it.”

Kelmendi B, et al. (2022). Single-dose psilocybin for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: A case report. Heliyon Dec 6;8(12):e12135.

In an online survey of 174 patients with OCD, it was found that psilocybin and LSD reduce symptoms and anxiety.

Among classic psychedelics users, 92% of participants used psilocybin mushrooms, 77% used LSD, 29% used DMT, 11% used mescaline and 9% used ayahuasca. The mean(SD) dose of psilocybin was 20.30 (16.74)mg, ranging from 1 to 88 and the mean(SD) dose of LSD was 131.56 (69.85)μg, ranging from 10 to 250.

When participants were asked whether they had taken the substance again, 23% (n = 21) answered ‘no’. Among the 77% who took it again, 47% (n = 42) reported an intake frequency of at most 3 times a year, 14% (n = 13) reported once a month and 16% (n = 14) at least once a week. The magnitude of OCD improvement was positively associated with both the intensity and the pleasantness of the experience. None of the factors included in the analysis significantly predicted the pleasantness of the acute effects.

The researchers we explored the substance dose used by participants who declared taking the substance at least once a week. Among them, 57% (n = 8) used microdosing with doses lower than 10 µg for LSD and 4 mg for psilocybin, 21% (n = 3) did not provide any information and the remaining 21% (n = 3) reported using regular doses (250 µg for LSD and above 35 mg for psilocybin).

The researchers explored the substance dose used by participants who declared taking the substance at least once a week. Among them, 57% (n = 8) used microdosing with doses lower than 10 µg for LSD and 4 mg for psilocybin, 21% (n = 3) did not provide any information and the remaining 21% (n = 3) reported using regular doses (250 µg for LSD and above 35 mg for psilocybin).

Buot A, et al. (2023). Improvement in OCD symptoms associated with serotonergic psychedelics: a retrospective online survey. Sci Rep 13, 13378 (2023).

Watch this 4 minute video from NBC about a woman who smoked a pack a day for 40 years. She stopped smoking after one psilocybin session at Johns Hopkins University.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usDWmqn-JCs&ab_channel=NBCNews

Study about psilocybin and smoking:

A recent pilot study in 15 people found that two to three moderate to high doses (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation, resulted in substantially higher 6-month smoking abstinence rates than are typically observed with other medications or CBT alone.

All 15 participants completed a 12-month follow-up, and 12 (80%) returned for a long-term (≥16 months) follow-up, with a mean interval of 30 months (range = 16 – 57 months) between target-quit date (i.e., first psilocybin session) and long-term follow-up.

At 12-month follow-up, 10 participants (67%) were confirmed as smoking abstinent. At this follow-up, 13 participants (86.7%) rated their psilocybin experiences among the 5 most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives.

At 16-month follow-up, nine participants (60%) were confirmed as smoking abstinent. These results suggest that in the context of a structured treatment program, psilocybin holds considerable promise in promoting long-term smoking abstinence.

Johnson MW, Garcia-Romeu A, Griffiths RR. (2017). Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 43(1):55-60.

There are two videos in this section.

The first video is 3 minutes long and succinctly describes what happens in the brain with moderate to heavy drinking. It was produced by the Ventura Recovery Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXbttnDkp7E&ab_channel=VenturaRecoveryCenter

This 20 minute video from Awakn Life Sciences, a Toronto-based company who focus on the use of psychedelics to treat addiction. It features Dr. David Nutt, a well-respected English neuropsychopharmacologist specializing in the research of drugs that affect the brain.

https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/videos/treating-addiction-with-psychedelics-an-interview-with-professor-david-nutt-and-anthony-tennyson-350924

Studies on psIlocybin:

In this double-blind randomized clinical trial with 93 participants with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) were given 2 administrations of high-dose psilocybin (25mg/70kg) vs 50mg diphenhydramine (Benadryl) plus 12 weeks of manualized psychotherapy; the percentage of heavy drinking days during 32 weeks of follow-up was significantly lower in the psilocybin group than in the diphenhydramine group.

Bogenschutz MP, et al. (2022). Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry 79(10):953–962.

Eleven adult patients completed task-based blood oxygen dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) approximately 3 days before and 2 days after receiving 25 mg of psilocybin (n = 5) or 50 mg of diphenhydramine (n = 6). Unique to negative cues, psilocybin increased supramarginal gyrus activity; unique to positive cues, psilocybin increased right hippocampus activity and decreased left hippocampus activity. Greater PFC and caudate engagement and concomitant insula, motor, and cerebellar disengagement suggests enhanced goal-directed action, improved emotional regulation, and diminished craving.

Pagni BA, et al. (2024). Psilocybin-induced changes in neural reactivity to alcohol and emotional cues in patients with alcohol use disorder: an fMRI pilot study. Sci Rep 14, 3159.

“In total, at least 10 studies with over 400 participants have focussed on evaluating the impact of psychedelics on symptoms of anxiety or ‘existential dread’ in response to a cancer diagnosis.”

https://post.parliament.uk/psychedelic-assisted-therapy-to-treat-anxiety-disorders/

“One study examined anxiety in 12 patients with life-threatening diseases. It was found that after two doses of LSD, self-reported anxiety symptoms were reduced after 2 and 12 months when compared with a control group receiving a placebo.

Treatment included drug-free psychotherapy sessions supplemented by two LSD-assisted psychotherapy sessions 2 to 3 weeks apart.

The participants received either 200 micrograms of LSD (n = 8) or 20 micro grams of LSD with an open-label crossover to 200 micrograms of LSD after the initial blinded treatment was unmasked (n = 4).”

Gasser P, et al. (2014). Safety and efficacy of LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life threatening disease. J Nerv Ment Dis 202:513-20.

In one study, “36 healthy volunteers received a high dose (30 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin with no sustained deleterious physiological or psychological effects. The investigators corroborated previous findings that psilocybin could reliably catalyze mystical experiences leading to significant and lasting improvements in quality of life.”

Griffiths R, et al. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 187 (3) 268- 283

“Another trial in 12 patients with advanced-stage cancer and anxiety used psilocybin-assisted therapy (0.2 mg/kg) vs a placebo of niacin (250 mg). All patients received both medicines. The participants had significantly reduced scores of measures of anxiety 1 and 3 months after their second dose.”

Grob CS, et al. (2011). Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer. Arch Gen Psychiatry 68(1):71–78.doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.116

“These positive findings were repeated in another trial using a single-dose of psilocybin (0.3mg/kg) in 29 individuals with cancer-related anxiety in conjunction with psychotherapy. The effects were sustained when participants were followed up after 7 weeks. After 6.5 months, 60-80% of patients had clinically significant reductions in depression or anxiety, demonstrating the long-lasting nature of PAP.”

Ross S, et al. (2016). Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial. J Psychopharmacol 30(12):1165-1180.

“A large trial compared a very low dose of psilocybin with a high dose on anxiety and depression in 51 patients with life-threatening cancer diagnoses. This randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial investigated the effects of a very low (placebo-like) dose (1 or 3 mg/70 kg) vs. a high dose (22 or 30 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin administered in counterbalanced sequence with 5 weeks between sessions and a 6-month follow-up.

The study reported significant reductions in anxiety symptoms both immediately after psilocybin-assisted therapy and six months later, demonstrating the effectiveness of this treatment approach in this patient population.”

Griffiths RR, et al. (2016). Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. Journal of Psychopharmacology 30(12):1181-1197.

“To explore the underlying mechanism, researchers subsequently surveyed over 3,000 individuals who had used psychedelics and people who had had near death experiences.

They found similar responses between these groups, indicating psychedelic experiences may fundamentally change one’s attitudes towards death and dying.

However, the methods used in this survey means that is difficult to account for any elements of bias, such as some types of people being more likely to choose to participate. This is a common issue across research relying on survey data.”

Sweeney MM, et al. (2022). Comparison of psychedelic and near-death or other non-ordinary experiences in changing attitudes about death and dying. PLoS One 17(8):e0271926.

LInk to this site for multiple videos about this topic. There is also a research article linked below.

https://www.autisticpsychedelic.com/video

Before you watch or read any research about autism, I’d recommend watching the Blog on Metaplasticity. Dr. Gul Dolan talks about what is known about the genetic markers of autism and about critical periods. It’s a long video and they ramble a bit, but there is good information there.

Autism: “Recent clinical and preclinical evidence points towards empathogenic and prosocial effects elicited by psychedelic compounds, notably the serotonin 5-HT2A agonists like LSD, psilocybin, DMT. These findings suggest a therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds for some of the behavioural traits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by atypical social behavior.”

This 2021 article “reviews evidence that suggests that psychedelics may potentially ameliorate some of the behavioural atypicalities of ASD, including reduced social behavior, anxiety and depression. The article also discusses clinical studies from the 1960s and 70s that assessed the use of psychedelics in the treatment of children with ASD.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8846292/

Ego dissolution is a complex concept to understand but it sounds scary. Medium to large doses are usually required to experience this and it may be necessary for new perspectives to emerge.

It seems scary because how do you know what your consciousness would feel like without your sense of who you are – who do you become without you?

Psychedelic drugs, holotropic breathwork and deep meditation are reported to help people focus on something besides themselves. One becomes less of themselves and more like a being in attunement with nature and the universe. Once you enter an altered state of consciousness, what’s left in your mind can be wonderful or terrifying, depending on many factors.

There are two videos in this section.

The first one is 4 minute video from the Mind Foundation for an explanation of ego dissolution.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3998298733555801

The second video is 4 minutes long and is produced by Sam Harris, PhD describing his experience after taking 5 grams of psilocybin. He is a neuroscientist, philosopher, New York Times best-selling author, host of Making Sense, and creator of Waking Up.

It’s beautiful, it’s mesmerizing, it’s a little bit unsettling. I hope you like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHmg-mYHgLE&ab_channel=SamHarris

The long explanation of his journey can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKGddvmU0fA&ab_channel=SamHarris

There are several studies about psilocybin and mindfulness summarized below. Further on there are two videos in this section.

First Study:

The shared mechanisms between mindfulness training and psychedelic intervention have led to scientists theorizing, and recently demonstrating, positive synergistic effects when both are used in combination. Research findings suggest that these two approaches can complement each other, enhancing the positive effects of both interventions.

Holas P, Kamińska J. Mindfulness meditation and psychedelics: potential synergies and commonalities. Pharmacol Rep. 2023 Dec;75(6):1398-1409. doi: 10.1007/s43440-023-00551-8. Epub 2023 Nov 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10661803/

Second Study:

Ten healthy and psychedelic-naïve volunteers underwent PET neuroimaging of 5-HT2A receptors at baseline and one week after a single oral dose of psilocybin (0.2–0.3 mg/kg). Personality (NEO PI-R) and mindfulness (MAAS) questionnaires were completed at baseline and at three-months follow-up.

It was found that there were statistically significant increases in personality openness and as a new finding - the discovery that mindfulness improved.

Madsen MK, et al. (2020). A single psilocybin dose is associated with long-term increased mindfulness, preceded by a proportional change in neocortical 5-HT2A receptor binding, Europ Neuropsychophar 33:71-80.

Watch this 12 minute video about one young lady’s 6 week transformation after she began her practice of meditation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi9Xvh-Dva4&ab_channel=BBCNews

In this 20 minute video, Dr. David Vago provides a scientific explanation about how mindfulness affects the brain. He is the research director at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a research associate in the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nP5oedmzkM&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

His study stated that they provided some of the participants in mindfulness-based contemplative training. A link to his study: https://cih.ucsd.edu/mbpti/blog/mbsr-fibromyalgia-preliminary-study

A link to a FREE contemplative mindfulness course from Dr. Andrew Weil: https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/online_courses/contemplative_care.html

Another website that provides assistance with meditation that has very favorable reviews (but isn’t free):

https://www.wakingup.com/makingsense