Vets Get Ecstasy to Treat Their PTSD

[wordspeak2]

They don't necessarily make you a better person; it depends how you use them. But if you take them seriously they can open you up to new universes in the most profoundly positive way.

And iamwhoiam- I respect your opinion. I've done quite a bit of meditation and a little yoga, though I haven't gone as far with it as is necessary to get profound benefit, I suppose. Others I know have, though. I do think meditation is very powerful. However, until you've had a high-level mushroom trip with closed eye visuals... you really have absolutely no idea. I just mean that at face value, no disrespect. You just have no idea; you couldn't possibly. To say it blows meditation out of the water is an understatement. Terence McKenna wrote well of his experience traveling through India meeting gurus, but not being satisfied spiritually, opting for psychedelics instead. And DMT is truly an entirely different universe, or dimension, or whatever it may be. It's short and very intense like ketamine, but I think the comparisons really end there. Ketamine doesn't touch it with a ten-foot pole in significance, mystery, and vastness, according to pretty much anyone who's delved in. With DMT there's this profoundly real and visceral sense of the reality that *anything is possible.* We have access to the entire universe and all of history, and there are no limits. This is some real or living entities or collection of entities. Something alive. Something trying to communicate with us. Something wholly indescribable within the existing paradigm of our language. I wouldn't go comparing hypoxia to DMT. Really now...

Yes, drugs are used to control and enslave us- *certain drugs*: namely, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, cocaine, heroin, pharmaceuticals. These are control drugs, robot drugs of capitalism. They fit paradigmatically within the capitalist "ego-dominator cultural cultural style." They're inherently patriarchal. Cannabis and the psychedelics are exactly the opposite; they're anti-patriarchal, liberatory. How we've been tricked is by society linking all "drugs" together, when in fact there are two polar opposite sides of the coin.

Btw, Smiths, when you say you smoked DMT in a pipe- did you freebase it, or just smoke it in a regular pipe? There's a gigantic word of difference; it can't be exaggerated how big the difference is. It doesn't sound like you broke through. I'm sure you didn't actually; you would know if you did. The way to break through is to freebase it. You take two to three absolutely giant hits- as big hits as you can- and hold them as long as you can... really hold them, and then let go. It's like being shot out of a cannon into another dimension. It's so intense and so bizarre it challenges your concept of reality, even for someone who's psychedelically experienced.

Thanks for all the links, everybody.

[Iamwhomiam]

I think too many have read in too much into my statement: "I have no experience with these drugs, so my knowledge comes as heresay or through anecdotal personal reports such as this posted by American Dream in March of last year, relating John Lilly's experiences on K." (Please be aware there may be triggers within the thread linked to above.)

I was speaking specifically about ketamine, mdma or ecstasy and dmt.

[Penguin]

The "Drug War" is one of the, if not the greatest, tool of oppression of the fascists. The criminalization of magical plants is so absurd one doesn't even know what to say about it. Furthermore, drug prohibition has created a vast criminal underworld from which intelligence agencies and organized crime profit enormously.

The most mindnumbing part of that is that the US was succesful in exporting the Prohibition worldwide very early on, through United Nations and laws all across the world mandating implementation of similar laws in every member country. Thanks a bunch.

In better news, "hope for change":

http://www.themedguru.com/20100906/news ... 40158.html

As per a research report by US researchers on Monday, a compound known as psilocybin, found naturally in “magic mushrooms,” possesses the ability to relieve anxiety and depression [a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity] in terminally ill cancer [abnormal cells that divide without control, which can invade nearby tissues or spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. ] patients by improving mood.

The study researchers noted that psilocybin produces hallucinogenic effects when its modest dose is administered to sick patients and allows them to spend rest of their remaining days with peace.

Commenting on the study results, the lead study researcher, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles Medical Center and the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Charles Grob said in a press statement, “We were pleased with the results."

The new study is published in the 'Archives of General Psychiatry.'

http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/conten ... y.2010.116

Older - http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/ab ... 66/12/1920

Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD
R. Andrew Sewell, MD, John H. Halpern, MD and Harrison G. Pope, Jr, MD

From the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory (J.H.H., H.G.P.) and Clinical Research Laboratory (R.A.S.), Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. R. Andrew Sewell, Oaks Building, ADARC, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478; e-mail: asewell{at}mclean.harvard.edu.

The authors interviewed 53 cluster headache patients who had used psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to treat their condition. Twenty-two of 26 psilocybin users reported that psilocybin aborted attacks; 25 of 48 psilocybin users and 7 of 8 LSD users reported cluster period termination; 18 of 19 psilocybin users and 4 of 5 LSD users reported remission period extension. Research on the effects of psilocybin and LSD on cluster headache may be warranted.

(sorry if these were already mentioned above, I just skimmed quickly and may have missed parts of the thread)

I would also like to mention and recommend one of my favourite plants, and also mostly still legal to grow and own, salvia divinorum. Theres one large bush right next to me Salvia is usually rather gentle on people, albeit a little frightening - that said, everyone I have seen acquainted with her have had only positive things to say about what they experienced. That includes several people who have not tried any other entheogens in their lives. Still I consider it equal to DMT in respect of its otherworldly feeling and instant transformation of perceived self and time - and with great potential for healing. Also very little risk when using just the regular leaves of the plant - extracts are a different matter.

I first happened to get some salvia around a decade ago, in the form of extract. I had been suffering from panic attacks at the time after some difficult experiences in life. Decided to smoke the small amount of extract, and when it started it catapulted me right back into the midst of what had started me having panic attacks. I started shaking and sweating profusely for a few minutes, the sweat drenched my clothes. Then suddenly, it felt like something snapped, and I completely relaxed. Feeling great. After that I have never had a panic attack again. I profusely thanked the mental grapevine, or providence, or happenstance, as you like - for providing me with the aid. It was to be more than ten years before I would receive a cutting, being then able to grow my own plants - how I got it was no less than a case of magical coincidence connecting me with a person with an already rooted cutting to provide me ...

`Few have heard of it.
Fewer know what it looks like.
Fewer still have ever met the sagely ally,
yet the alliance forms invisible links
wherever it goes...'

— Dale Pendell, Pharmako/Poeia

http://www.iamshaman.com/cultivation.htm
http://www.erowid.org/plants/salvia/

http://www.sagewisdom.org/usersguide.html

Perhaps a friend gave you a Salvia divinorum cutting, or maybe you bought dried leaves, an extract, or a living plant. If so, you need to read this guide. It was written to teach you how to work with this herb in a way that is personally rewarding, and how to do so as safely as possible. It will also teach you how to grow and care for your own Salvia divinorum plants.

Salvia divinorum is an extraordinary visionary herb. It is not a recreational drug. It produces a profoundly introspective state of awareness that is useful for meditation, contemplation, and self-reflection. Its effects are unique and cannot be compared with the effects of other drugs. The effects of Salvia do not appeal to many people (young or old). The people who are most drawn to it are both mature and philosophically minded. Beware of inaccurate information. There are many unethical vendors who try to lure naive customers by portraying the effects of Salvia as more appealing than they are. The news media often sensationalizes stories about Salvia, exaggerating its effects, risks, and popularity. Much of what has appeared in the popular press is inaccurate and misleading. Salvia is not "legal pot." It is not "legal acid." It is not a substitute for any other drug. Before trying Salvia, it is important that you know about its effects, appropriate uses, and the potential risks associated with irresponsible use.

[Joe Hillshoist]

Sally is lovey.

[jam.fuse]

In any case, ketamine is some hardcore shit; so, use with caution.

[Pele'sDaughter]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/no ... gin-stroke

'Godfather of ecstasy' Alexander Shulgin suffers stroke

• California's psychedelic drug pioneer, 85, has speech therapy
• Family and friends appeal for help with Medicare treatment

Alexander Shulgin, the "godfather of ecstasy" who became famous for discovering and experimenting with a host of psychoactive compounds, has suffered a stroke.

His wife, Ann Shulgin, confirmed today that the 85-year-old was in hospital in San Francisco. "Sasha had a mild stroke over [last] weekend and is still in the hospital, where they are treating him. He will be undergoing speech therapy for a while," she said.

Shulgin, a pharmacologist and psychedelic drug pioneer, has been demonised by anti-drug campaigners but also hailed as a counter-culture hero by many more. His work has covered the synthesis of hundreds of psychoactive compounds and his research was published in the 1990s in two books, TiHkal and PiHKAL, which he wrote with his wife.

Shulgin was born in Berkeley, California, in 1925. From the 1960s onwards he synthesised and then sampled hundreds of variations of phenethylamines, drugs related to mescaline, a psychoactive chemical found in cacti, and tryptamines, substances related to the active compounds in hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Friends of the scientist have now launched an appeal for donations to help with his treatment. "We need funds for a lot of things including attempts at archiving his work, and that is something we have been asking for money for. But right now it's simply donations for Sasha's health that we need," said Ann, adding that she expected him to survive and that he was not paralysed.

She said: "The Medicare system in the US pays 80% of certain things but what is left over is considerable, and we are not wealthy. We need around-the-clock care for him right now, and for the next few months, and that can mount up rather fast."

A documentary, entitled Dirty Pictures, which explores Shulgin's lifetime quest to unlock the human mind through psychedelics, is touring film festivals worldwide at the moment.

The compound most associated with Shulgin, MDMA, or ecstasy, was invented by the German drug firm Merck in 1912, and re-synthesised by Shulgin in 1976 for use in psychotherapy settings. Its potential for recreational use was appreciated and the drug soon escaped the clinical confines to become the one of the world's most popular synthetic psychedelics, fuelling the 1980s acid house dance-drug craze. Its influence is still felt in music, art, and design today.

Ann Shulgin is adamant that her husband's extraordinary drug consumption over many decades did not cause his illness. "Considering the hundreds of thousands of people who have experimented with psychoactive drugs and visionary plants, many of them using them as spiritual tools, there is no medical evidence whatsoever that that would be the case. It's simply not true," she said.