Misc. news stories

The ability to control our dreams is a skill that more of us are seeking to acquire for sheer pleasure. But if taken seriously, scientists believe it could unlock new secrets of the mind

Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy appears to increase both cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder, according to new research published inTranslational Psychiatry. But the findings suggest that psychedelic-induced increases in neural flexibility do not always result in cognitive improvements.

Psychedelics have come a long way since their hallucinogenic hippy heyday. Research shows that they could alleviate PTSD, depression and addiction. So will we all soon be treated with magic mushrooms and MDMA?

Imagine having chronic pain so severe you can’t risk expending the energy it would take to get a glass of water – or what it’s like to hold your baby as they have their 100th potentially fatal seizure of the week….You know this medicine exists but you’re prevented from accessing it because – behind the scenes – the avenues to do so have not been set up.

Detroit has joined the growing number of cities and states that have decriminalized entheogenic plants and fungi, more colloquially known as “magic mushrooms” and psychedelics.

Image from Magic mushrooms (Wiki Commons)

Scientists have begun to examine whether the psychedelic drug psilocybin… can help people who feel insecure in their attachments to others. Their preliminary research, published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, suggests that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy might help to reduce attachment anxiety.

Research from Johns Hopkins and NYU suggests that psychedelic drugs can significantly reduce pain and distress for those with terminal illnesses. As the British government faces calls to reschedule these substances, Kevin E G Perry talks to some of those who’ve already chosen to take the trip

The proliferation of ketamine clinics around the country could offer a model for other psychedelic therapy clinics in the future. Here’s what it’s like on the inside.

A longitudinal study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry investigated the effects of medicinal cannabis among clinically depressed and/or anxious patients.

People who have tried a psychedelic drug at least once in their lifetime have lower odds of heart disease and diabetes, according to new research published in Scientific Reports.

States are generally following the same model for marijuana legalization. They don’t have to.

Seattle is now the largest city in the United States to decriminalize psychedelic plants and fungi.

Previous studies have also found that LSD, another psychedelic drug, can enhance the emotional responses triggered by music, so the team wanted to find out if psilocybin had a similar effect.

The use of psychedelic drugs is associated with lower levels of complex posttraumatic stress symptoms and internalized shame in adults who suffered maltreatment in childhood, according to new research published in the journal Chronic Stress.

LSD and psilocybin increasingly show promise as mental health treatments. Now universities and companies are exploring their use in pain management

Activists in Italy say they’ve gathered enough signatures to qualify a ballot measure that would decriminalize personal cultivation and use of not only marijuana but also psilocybin mushrooms and certain other psychoactive plants for personal use.