To Trip or Not to Trip?

March 27, 2023 Lynne Nardizzi

Inside the scientific debate that’s shaping the future of psychedelic therapy: To trip or not to trip?

Can the magic be removed from the mushroom — and should it?

Global Survey 2020 Results: Self-Treatment of LSD and Psilocybin

March 19, 2023 Lynne Nardizzi

The Global Drug Survey 2020 is a large online survey on drug use collected between November 2019 and February 2020.

Positive changes were observed across all 17 outcome items, with the strongest benefits on items related to insight and mood. Negative effects were reported by 22.5% of respondents.

High intensity of psychedelic experience, seeking advice before treatment, treating with psilocybin mushrooms and treating post-traumatic stress disorder were associated with higher scores on the self-treatment outcome scale after averaging values across all 17 items.

Younger age, high intensity of experience and treating with LSD were associated with increased number of negative outcomes.

Psychedelics And Paralysis

November 20, 2022 Lynne Nardizzi

Incredible story of Jim Harris, who become paralyzed from the chest down. The mountain athlete found an unlikely ally in recovery: psychedelics.

Psilocybin and Antidepressants

November 18, 2022 Lynne Nardizzi

New research suggests that antidepressants can diminish the effects of psilocybin.

Recent Research on Psilocybin Gives Mixed Results

November 17, 2022 Lynne Nardizzi

Compass Pathways published the long awaited results of its phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of depression with psilocybin–assisted psychotherapy in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Psilocybin showed rapid antidepressant effects for most patients, but only 1 in 5 participants showed significant improvement at 12 weeks.

Psychedelics and the Brain

October 20, 2022 Lynne Nardizzi

The psychedelic drugs LSD and psilocybin activate serotonin receptors on brain cells in a way that reduces the energy needed for the brain to switch between different activity states, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

Microdosing- Panacea or Placebo?

August 31, 2022 Lynne Nardizzi

Is it all hype or is there genuine hope for therapeutic application of microdosing?

There’s certainly plenty of ‘conflicting’ information or results available from studies of different methodologies. Here, we begin with an overview of what microdosing is, who does it, and for what purposes. We then review available evidence and summarize benefits and risks of microdosing. Finally, we get more practical and discuss microdosing regimens, measurement of accurate dosing, and ‘set and setting’ consideration to microdosing.

from Ben Malcolm, Spirit Pharmacist

Psilocybin for Alcohol Addiction

August 30, 2022 Lynne Nardizzi

New research reveals that the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, in combination with talk therapy, could be a promising treatment for people with alcohol addiction.

In a study published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, scientists found that patients taking this drug, called psilocybin, had an 83 percent decline in heavy drinking, while those who took a placebo experienced a 51 percent decline.