5-MeO-DMT Research

November 27, 2021 Lynne Nardizzi

This research reviews the available literature about 5-MeO-DMT and informs subsequent clinical development.

Psilocybin-assisted Therapy

November 26, 2021 Lynne Nardizzi

From Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Newsletter Fall 2021:

Last year, Dr. Frederick Barrett published a study that showed psilocybin reduced neural activity in the claustrum during the period of drug action.

The claustrum, once thought to be the seat of consciousness, is a thin sheet of gray matter in the brain that reaches out to every other region in the brain.

The results showed that both the default mode network and areas of the brain believed to be responsible for setting attention and switching tasks may be disrupted during the effects of psilocybin, and alterations in the claustrum may account for these changes.

More Research Coming!

November 6, 2021 Lynne Nardizzi

Well this is exciting: The DEA has proposed massively increasing the production of research-grade cannabis and psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA next year.

Interview with Rick Doblin

November 4, 2021 Lynne Nardizzi

Keep reading for an interview with pioneering psychedelic activist Rick Doblin about the promise of MDMA therapy for PTSD, working with Republicans, and his hope for a drug-assisted global spiritual awakening.

Podcast on Psychedelics

October 22, 2021 Lynne Nardizzi

Podcast on psychedelics: the science, research, and medical implications with Dr. Fred Barrett.

Dr. Frederick Barrett is a cognitive neuroscientist with training in behavioral pharmacology. He has been conducting psychedelic research at Johns Hopkins University since 2013. He has explored the effects of psilocybin on the brain, the effects of LSD on the brain’s response to music, and is currently leading a number of ongoing studies aimed at better understanding the psychological, biological, and neural mechanisms underlying the therapeutic efficacy of psychedelic drugs.

Psychedelics: Highs and Lows

October 16, 2021 Lynne Nardizzi

There needs to be a bigger conversation on this:

Psychedelics are rapidly achieving the status of breakthrough therapies based on their potential for human development (Nutt, Erritzoe, & Carhart-Harris, 2020; Schenberg, 2018). At the same time, psychedelics may facilitate experiences of distressing or troubling revelations with unexpected or negative consequences to mental health.

MDMA Therapy Revolution

October 13, 2021 Lynne Nardizzi

MAPS Founder and Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D., sits down with Aubrey Marcus to explain MAPS' multiple research, policy, and education priorities in the context of our larger, long-term goal of mass mental health.

"I hope in the big picture, by 2050, we'll have enough people with an understanding of how to use psychedelics for personal, emotional, and spiritual growth that we'll have a more spiritualized humanity to turn us more towards saving the planet from mass weapons, climate change, and prejudice," explains Doblin.

BBC Future profile on Psychedelics

October 10, 2021 Lynne Nardizzi

BBC Future profiles MAPS Founder Rick Doblin, Ph.D., in an extensive article exploring the international impact of psychedelics on science, drug policy, culture, and medicine.

By highlighting the rapid increase in psychedelic research over the past ten years, Ed Prideaux of BBC explains how clinical trial results, favorable media coverage, and the potential development of new mental health treatments are steadily moving the public perception of psychedelics toward mainstream acceptance.

"Now the efforts of Doblin and others are finally paying off,” writes Prideaux. "Promising clinical trials suggest that psychedelics may prove game-changing treatments for depression, PTSD and addiction."