Higher Signal - Psychedelics

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Summary:

1. Psilocybin has the potential to cause a paradigm shift in consciousness, necessary for addressing the global crises faced by humanity.
2. The importance of respecting and preserving both indigenous knowledge and the continuity of psilocybin mushroom use is emphasized.
3. The wide distribution of psilocybin mushrooms across many cultures historically is noted, suggesting a global indigenous interaction.
4. A personal anecdote is shared regarding the impact of a confiscated book on psilocybin mushrooms, which solidified Paul Stamets' interest in the subject.
5. Stamets discusses the discovery and naming of new psilocybin mushroom species, including one named after him.
6. The mycelial network of mushrooms is compared to the design of the internet and the neural networks in the brain, implying a universal pattern of connectivity.
7. Stamets describes the harvesting and identifying characteristics of various psilocybin mushrooms, highlighting their ecological significance.
8. He mentions the rise of interest in psychedelic therapy, with many countries and states advancing towards legal research and decriminalization.
9. Meta studies and clinical trials indicate that psilocybin can reduce crime, violence, anxiety, depression, substance addiction, and increase nature connectedness.
10. Stamets explains the concept of 'microdosing' and presents findings suggesting benefits in mood, anxiety, depression reduction, and cognitive performance.
11. A hypothesis is presented suggesting niacin acts as a catalyst for the potential neurogenerative benefits of psilocybin mushrooms when combined with lion's mane mushroom and niacin in what's known as the "Stamets Stack".
12. Stamets concludes that psilocybin is a significant and promising substance, potentially enhancing mental health and contributing to individual and societal well-being.

Here are a few memorable quotes:
- "Psilocybin teaches you that we are all one."
- "I believe in the goodness of people. We are all one people."
- "Matter begets life, becomes single cells. Single cells become strings. Strings fork, strings interlace."
- "We are all embedded into this microverse of interconnectivity."
- "Nature is calling up to us. It is time for us to take psilocybin and move it forward through science in the medical community."

Core Takeaway:
The core problem described is the need for a paradigm shift in consciousness to address global crises and enhance mental health. Without understanding or solving this problem, humanity faces continued environmental degradation, social disruption, and individual suffering due to mental illness and addiction.

To address this problem, three key new ideas presented are:
- The introduction of psilocybin mushrooms as a tool for mental health treatment, offering potential solutions for addiction, violence, and personal wellness.
- The use of mycology and ethnobotanical research to validate indigenous knowledge and bridge the gap between traditional practices and modern science.
- The development of protocols for microdosing, which may offer cognitive and mental health benefits without the intensity of a full psychedelic experience.

Tags here: Paul Stamets, psilocybin mushrooms, consciousness, mental health, microdosing, psychedelic therapy, mycology

Paul Stamets, psilocybin mushrooms, consciousness, mental health, microdosing, psychedelic therapy, mycology

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Summary:
1. Psychedelics may facilitate brain plasticity, a key mechanism for their therapeutic effects, by binding directly to TrkB receptors rather than through the serotonin 2A receptors, as previously thought.
2. The study reviewed here was published in Nature Neuroscience and claims that psychedelic drugs like psilocybin can bind to and activate the BDNF receptor TrkB, which is crucial for neuroplasticity—a process that allows the brain to change and adapt.
3. Brain plasticity is essential for learning and adaptation throughout life, and while it decreases in adulthood, certain drugs can enhance it, potentially alleviating conditions like depression.
4. The study presents evidence that psychedelics promote the structural and functional plasticity of neurons, causing increased formation of dendritic spines and supporting neuron survival, pointing to possible non-psychedelic therapeutic uses in the future.
5. Controversies exist in the scientific community regarding the mechanisms of psychedelics, with some research pointing towards intracellular serotonin 2A receptors while others, like the study discussed, propose direct action on TrkB receptors.
6. The study's detailed experiments indicate that the effects of psychedelics on plasticity do not solely depend on serotonin 2A receptor activation, and they might promote a juvenile-like state of increased plasticity beneficial for psychiatric therapies.
7. While the clinical significance for humans is yet to be understood fully, the study paves the way for new pharmaceutical developments that might separate the therapeutic effects of psychedelics from their hallucinogenic properties.

Key Questions and Answers:

- What might be a key mechanism for the therapeutic effects of psychedelics, according to recent studies?
Psychedelics could promote therapeutic effects by facilitating brain plasticity through direct binding to TrkB receptors.

- How can psychedelics potentially influence neuroplasticity?
Psychedelics may increase the expression of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) in the brain, which acts on TrkB receptors to initiate signaling cascades leading to neuroplastic changes.

- What could be an alternative to the serotonin 2A receptor hypothesis in explaining psychedelics' role in promoting plasticity?
Instead of acting through serotonin 2A receptors, psychedelics might directly bind to and activate TrkB receptors, which could facilitate brain plasticity.

- What is the significance of psychedelic drugs binding to TrkB receptors rather than serotonin 2A receptors?
If psychedelics promote plasticity through TrkB receptors, it could lead to the creation of drugs that enhance neuroplasticity without psychedelic effects, offering new treatment modalities for psychiatric disorders.

- What changes do psychedelics induce in the brain's neural structures that are important for communication between neurons?
Psychedelics may lead to increased spinogenesis and dendritogenesis, which are crucial for forming the neurostructures allowing neurons to communicate effectively.

- How do psychedelics facilitate activity-dependent modification of neural networks?
By enhancing plasticity, psychedelics could enable neural networks to rewire, promoting juvenile-like states of plasticity which might be beneficial in therapeutic contexts.

Core Takeaway:
The core problem described is understanding how psychedelics promote brain plasticity. Without grasping this mechanism, the development of new, potentially non-psychedelic treatments for psychiatric conditions could be stalled. The study provides insight into a novel mechanism—direct binding of psychedelics to TrkB receptors—which could be leveraged to enhance brain plasticity without the characteristic psychedelic experiences. The top three key ideas to address this problem are:
1. Acknowledging that psychedelics may work through TrkB receptors, expanding the potential for treatments that utilize neuroplasticity without inducing psychedelic effects.
2. Conducting further research on the clinical significance and application of this mechanism in human psychiatric therapy.
3. Considering the combination of psychedelic application with therapeutic contexts, potentially enabling beneficial rewiring of neural circuits affected by psychiatric disorders.

Tags here: psychedelics, brain plasticity, TrkB receptors, serotonin 2A receptors, BDNF, neuroplasticity, psychiatric disorders

psychedelics, brain plasticity, TrkB receptors, serotonin 2A receptors, BDNF, neuroplasticity, psychiatric disorders

Legal psychedelic therapy is mostly available in research contexts. Switzerland is an exception to this rule: In addition to research projects, the country grants individual treatment permissions for psychedelic therapy. Psychiatrist and psychotherapist Peter Gasser has extensive experience with these forms of therapy: At the turn of the 90s, he had special permission from the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health to research LSD and MDMA. After 2007, he has conducted two studies for LSD-assisted therapy in patients with anxieties due to life-threatening diseases. Since 2014, he has held individual permissions by the Swiss Health Administration for therapy with mind altering substances, which currently also includes psilocybin.

In Nov 2021, Dr. Gasser lectured in a webinar organized by the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research. Drawing from his own clinical experience and from research projects around the world, Gasser discussed the framework he uses and the conclusions that can currently be made regarding psychedelic therapy.

Born in 1960, psychiatrist and psychotherapist Peter Gasser runs a private practice in Solothurn, Switzerland. He is a husband and a father of three. He was trained in psychodynamic methods as well as in therapy with mind altering drugs, i.e. psycholytic or psychedelic therapy. He has been a member of the Swiss Medical Society for Psycholytic Therapy since 1992 and its president since 1996.

• • • • •

The Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research is a multidisciplinary association founded in December 2016 with the goals of promoting scientific research related to psychedelics and the availability of accessible information based on such research.

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TERENCE MCKENNA
A Crisis in Consciousness 1995

Ethnobotanist, Psychonaut, and Author
November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000

Join Lynn Marie Morski, a physician, attorney, and president of the Psychedelic Medicine Association. We'll explore the historical roots of psilocybin, its emerging clinical applications, safety considerations, and the role of health care professionals in educating patients.

Lynn Marie Morski is a physician, attorney, and president, Psychedelic Medicine Association.

She discusses the KevinMD article, "The importance of physician education regarding psilocybin therapy."

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Cannabis is not the ‘gateway’ psychedelic. It is also disrespectful to call it weed. The right cannabis in the right context is one of the most powerful psychedelic medicines on the planet. This podcast covers everything you might want to know about how to cultivate it, how to utilize it for maximum benefit, what to stack it with (and what NOT to stack it with) and how to connect with the spirit of the plant. Cannabis is legal in 19 states and readily available nationwide, so it’s high time to cultivate a beautiful relationship with her beyond the ‘anxiety’, ‘munchies’, or ‘sleepiness’, that are side effects of what she is really trying to do. Ryan Sprague is a master cultivator and experientialist with this plant, and this conversation was as potent as some of his strains.

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Time Stamps:
00:00- intro
1:48- Why Do Some People Get Anxiety & Paranoia?
9:55- Cannabis As Medicine & End Of Life
11:45- Edibles And Initiations
22:44- Potential Negative Consequences & Bad Advice
27:14- Cannabis Might Have The Highest Unrealized Potential
30:36- Pairing Cannabis With Other Psychedelics
42:20- Troubleshooting Guide For Challenging Experiences
57:14- Using Drugs To Numb
1:00:28- Next Level Cannabis Cultivation Methods
1:10:50- How To Connect With Ryan

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About the Podcast
Founder of Onnit and modern philosopher Aubrey Marcus asks the important questions: How do we find our purpose, wake up to who we truly are, have a few more laughs, and human being a little better?
The Aubrey Marcus Podcast brings in world-class guests from the fields of athletics, health, business, fitness, science, relationship and spirituality, and asks them to open up about the failures and successes that define their wisdom and character.
Follow me on social to keep up with the latest, and meet many of the incredible guests we’ve been honored to have on the show.

Michael Pollan's new book "How To Change Your Mind" surveys the highly controversial terrain of the renaissance of both the science and popular usage of psychedelic substances. As one of our most brilliant and clear-eyed explorers of such topics as plant intelligence and how we feed ourselves, Michael will share his luminous insights from what began as investigative reportage and became a very personal interior journey into the mystery of consciousness and the nature of spirituality.

Read an excerpt from Michael Pollan's book, How To Change Your Mind, at https://bioneers.org/how-to-change-your-mind-ze0z1805/

This keynote talk was delivered at the 2018 National Bioneers Conference.

Introduction by Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers Co-Founder and CEO.

Bio: Michael Pollan, a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine since 1987, Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and Director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism, is one of the nation's most influential writers and scientific and environmental investigative journalists. His many award-winning, best-selling books include: The Botany of Desire; The Omnivore's Dilemma; In Defense of Food; and, most recently, How to Change Your Mind.

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In part B, the pair discuss different psychedelic dosing, including “micro-dosing” and the neuroscientific effects of each. They also go on to discuss how psychedelic benefits could occur so quickly, the importance of the hallucinogenic experience, what occurs in psychedelic associated therapy and efficacy comparisons between psychedelics and the standard of care.

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00:00 Psilocybin Dosages
05:27 Time frame of psychedelics treatment
10:55 Dissociation and Neural Plasticity
16:53 Self realization aided by psychedelics
20:47 Comparing therapy with and without psilocybin treatment
26:36 Indigenous rituals inspire modern psychedelic treatment
29:34 Experiential component to therapy

Mushrooms are chemical factories, and psilocybin mushrooms are particularly good at creating compounds that can interact with our brains and alter perception. But are their other compounds that can cause different effects? Psilocybin gets all the headlines, but there is also psilocin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin and aeruginascin that might all play a role in the mushroom experience through the entourage effect. Andrew Gallimore, a neurobiologist, pharmacologist, chemist and writer joins us on The Mushroom Show to break it all down. We also chat about Cordyceps fungus and whether or not it could cause a zombie outbreak like The Last Of Us, and the new psilocybin regulations in Alberta Canada.

#themushroomshow

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:38 The Last Of Us IS REAL?!?
3:27 Alberta 'Shroom Regulation
8:38 Do Different Mushrooms Have Different Effects?
13:45 Building Alien Worlds (Andrew Gallimore)
48:45 Outro

Links:
New Alberta Regs: https://www.alberta.ca/psychedelic-drug-treatment-service-provider-licensing.aspx
Alkaloid Concentration Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36430546/

Andrew Gallimore:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alieninsect
Substack: https://alieninsect.substack.com/
Different Mushrooms Different Effects: https://alieninsect.substack.com/p/do-different-psilocybe-mushrooms
Website: https://www.buildingalienworlds.com/
Masterclass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-KztRvRyl0&list=PLbqdD4EM-aEfmLvbWu8GQDhUII236MZf-