Psychedelics News December 2018

Psilocybin in the Treatment of Mood and Substance Use Disorders

Source: Youtube (Portland Psychedelic Society) | By: Albert Garcia-Romeu | Published: 14 Dec 2018

A short history and reflection of the field of psychedelics (psilocybin specifically) until the end of 2018. As Albert Garcia-Romeu has been involved with the research at Johns Hopkins, it’s a very intimate and well-thought overview.

“Psilocybin in the Treatment of Mood and Substance Use Disorders Research on classic hallucinogens as an aid in the treatment of mood and substance use disorders has generated renewed interest over the past decade. Recent pilot studies have shown safety and feasibility of psilocybin, a naturally occurring serotonin 2A receptor agonist, as a therapeutic tool in the treatment of depression, end-of-life anxiety, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders. Moreover, data suggest a notable effect of psychedelics in occasioning profound and lasting changes in mood, behaviors, and attitudes consistent with enhanced health and well-being in diverse populations.

Despite these compelling findings, the psychological mechanisms of action of psychedelic-facilitated treatments remain poorly understood. Preliminary evidence indicates that acute mystical-type drug effects, and sometimes intensity, are significantly associated with therapeutic outcomes in psilocybin-facilitated treatments, consistent with earlier researchers’ assertions that the subjective effects of psychedelics play a pivotal role in mediating persisting beneficial effects. Psychological insight, personality change, increased motivation, and enhanced self-efficacy are among the factors hypothesized to contribute to observed benefits of psychedelic-facilitated treatments.

Furthermore, psychedelics’ effects on functional connectivity within the default mode network, and actions on serotonergic and glutamatergic systems have been implicated as potential neurobiological mechanisms of therapeutic outcomes via neuroplastic brain changes, improved mood, and decreased anxiety and craving. However, the manner in which time-limited drug effects may provoke enduring changes in personal attitudes and behaviors, and appropriate methods for minimizing risks while maximizing therapeutic benefits require further elucidation.

This discussion will focus on contemporary clinical research with psilocybin, and present key methodological issues in working with psychedelics, as well as highlighting important clinical paradigms and considerations in studying psychedelics as a therapeutic tool.”

Some things of note:

• 20-40% of people in the high-dose (20-30mg at 70kg) have a challenging experience, how and why is still unclear
  • but there are no long-term adverse effects (e.g. psychiatric problems) with the right integration afterward
• having a high-support environment can have even more positive effects than only the dose
• a major benefit of psychedelics is that you don’t have long-term medication (and side-effects associated with them)
• the mystical/peak experience seems to mediate the positive life changes
• “I like to think of this like an inverse PTSD-like effect” (one single event that leads to positive instead of negative effects)
• the evidence base needs to be built up further (100+ people per study/topic), only then policy may be directly impacted
  • behind the scenes the FDA has been supportive
• one future study planned is to compare psilocybin (synthetic) and magic mushrooms (to see if experienced users can tell the difference)

What One Man Learned When He Treated His Autism Symptoms With Shrooms

Source: Vice | By: Jesse Noakes | Published: 20 Dec 2018

A vivid and personal description of how Alex (26) used psychedelics to ‘treat’ his autism. By using psychedelics (psilocybin) he was able to experience less anxiety and communicate better.

“A few weeks later, back in Amsterdam, he tripled the dose to 45 g, which would blow the roof off for most people. Alyx felt like it “it installed the ability to feel emotion.” A couple of hours in, he was listening to a movie soundtrack when the emotion in the music suddenly became available to him, like a switch had been hit. Looking at Claire, he could read the feelings in her face like he’d never been able to before.”

Even after the trip, the positive effects persisted. It isn’t that a trip (MDMA or psilocybin) cures autism, but it might give some a better perspective on the world.

Episode 422: Psychedelic drugs and the future of psychiatry

Source: CBC (Day 6/The Big Trip) | By: Brent Bambury / Annie Bender (CBC Radio) | Published: 28 Dec 2018

A full hour of radio that explores the research on psychedelics. It starts with the story of a soldier that was helped with MDMA-assisted therapy, as he copes with his PTSD. For him personally, it allowed him to talk about the trauma without the adrenaline (physical symptoms) that he would normally have. Here they are talking about the work done by MAPS.

The second part of the episode focusses on the other psychedelics, mainly psilocybin. One of the companies mentioned is Wavepaths (who will focus on commercialization). Another is Compass Pathways, who wants to commercialize and move the field forward.

In the third part, they look at how psychedelics work on our minds.