Psychedelics and Mental Health- What Research is Saying

The word psychedelic comes from the Ancient Greek word psychē. Psychē means: mind-manifesting. Psychedelics are a subset of hallucinogenic drugs (drugs as described by the government, because most psychedelics are plants) whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness via serotonin 2A receptor agonism.

Look and look closely because truths can be found in the lies. For many years, we have been told that prohibition of psychedelics is necessary for the safety of society, however, the truth is, the government has prohibited psychedelics so that our minds remain under their control.

More truth, the human body produces serotonin and psychedelics help humans produce/release more of it. Psychedelics interact with the human body by way of serotonin, by binding and activating serotonin receptors. Serotonin is responsible for mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes.

The government would rather prescribe lab made chemical infused pills to interact with serotonin in unnatural ways, than allow natural form plant psychedelics. Another truth, through research, psychedelics are proving to be mental health medicine. This piece is focused on a list of psychedelic research/ studies and their findings.

Psychedelic Research for Depression

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers conducted a small study on psilocybin for depression and reported that 2 doses of psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), given with supportive psychotherapy, resulted in rapid and large reductions in depressive symptoms, with most participants showing improvement and half of study participants achieving remission through the 4- week follow-up.

Psychedelic Research for Anxiety

In 7 psychedelic studies related to anxiety, with 130 participants, that the NCBI reviewed and analyzed focused on a patient with depression, two with anxiety, and two with both, it was found that psychedelics (LSD, Ayahuasca, and Psilocybin)  appear to be effective in significantly reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety and are well-tolerated.

Psychedelic Research for Mood Disorders

In 19 studies focused on psychedelics for mood disorder, involving 423 participants, 79% showed clinician-judged improvement after treatment with LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT. The NCBI says that based on evidence: “psychedelics should be re-examined in modern clinical trials for their use in unipolar mood disorders and other non-psychotic mental health conditions”.

Psychedelic Research for PTSD

In six randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials at five study sites, studies on MDMA for PTSD were conducted between 2004 and 2017. The studies showed that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy was effective in a large sample of adults with PTSD. Because of these studies, expansion into phase 3 trials was granted and led to FDA allowing Breakthrough Therapy designation for this treatment.

Psychedelic Research for Substance Abuse/Addiction

In a pilot study focused on psychedelics for substance abuse treatment, the NCBI reports that 2-3 moderate to high doses of psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation, resulted in much higher 6-month smoking abstinence rates than are typically observed with other medications or CBT alone.

In Closing

Like cannabis, the human body and psychedelics interact in powerful ways that all result in healing if consumed properly. Psychedelic research, like cannabis research, is proving more and more that plants are the more powerful medicine.