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New York bill would create a psychedelics research institute to study psilocybin treatment for substance use disorder and depression.

New York Bill Would Create State-Sponsored Psychedelics Research Institute

A new bill proposed in New York would create a psychedelic research institute to study the effect of psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ibogaine on conditions including addictive disorders, depression, PTSD, and end-of-life anxiety. The bill is sponsored by Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D), who believes that “psychedelics provide a host of benefits without the same risk of overdose or dependency that other medications may provide”. The legislature suggests that “psilocybin is a breakthrough therapy for severe depression and nicotine addiction” and may also provide treatment for methamphetamine or opioid addiction.

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Mike Tyson claims psilocybin mushrooms saved him from suicide

Mike Tyson says psychedelics saved his life, now he hopes they can change the world

After battling internal struggles that led him to the brink of suicide, Mike Tyson says he feels better than ever since using psilocybin for mental and spiritual exploration. Tyson is partnering with Wesana Health to bring awareness to the benefits of psilocybin, as he believes that it is an “amazing medicine” that should be accessible to the world because it could create “a more empathetic and just society”. Former NHL player Daniel Carcillo also participated in psilocybin treatment and claims that he is 100% cured of traumatic brain injury and related symptoms such as slurred speech, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

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After suffering from depression for 22 years, actress Kristen Bell found relief and self-love from a single dose of psilocybin

Kristen Bell on Mushrooms: ‘I Really Wanted to Try Some Psilocybin’

After suffering from depression for 22 years, actress Kristen Bell found relief and self-love from a single dose of psilocybin. Kristen Bell became extremely interested in psychedelics and their power to change your mindset after reading How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan. Bell has suffered from waves of depression for 22 years and has tried everything from antidepressants and therapy to meditation. Bell took one dose of psilocybin, and stated that “the places you can go in your brain are much deeper and more healing than anything else”. Bell explains that the out of body experience she had while taking mushrooms gave her a sense of self love. “I had separated this body that had done so much good in my life, that has taken me through happiness and pain and workouts and laziness that I just, like, couldn’t stop touching my legs, going, ‘You’re so strong. You’re so elegant’ .”

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Can psychedelics bring out trauma from the unconscious mind?

What psychedelics taught me about healing trauma

The psychedelic treatment revolution is shifting the model of psychiatry away from daily medication for mental health treatment, according to psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock. Heacock believes that mental health issues like depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD “are more often than not tied to a deep, and largely untouchable, river of trauma that lies beneath our reach in the unconscious mind”. Psilocybin therapy is proving to be an effective treatment option because it brings deeply repressed trauma to the surface so that patients can “begin to rework and reframe their experience without fear”.

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Psilocybin-assisted therapy 4 times more effective than antidepressants

Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy produces large, rapid, and sustained antidepressant effects

A clinical trial showed psilocybin-assisted therapy was 4 times more effective at treating major depressive disorder than antidepressant drugs. 27 participants with a long-term history of depression received 11 hours of therapy in addition to two full-day psilocybin-assisted therapy sessions, two weeks apart. Patients received the doses of psilocybin while lying on a couch with eyeshades and listening to music through headphones, and clinical monitors provided guidance and support throughout the experience. Four weeks after the treatment, 71% of participants saw at least a 50% reduction in depression scores, and 54% of participants were in remission from depression.

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Microdosing improves mental health, creativity, focus, and sociability

Microdosing Psychedelics Is Trendy, But Does It Work? Here’s What Science Says

In a study published in Psychopharmacology, 44% of survey respondents reported that microdosing psychedelics significantly improved their mental health, with 50% reporting that they were able to stop taking antidepressants completely. In a separate study, microdosers were significantly less likely to report a history of substance use or anxiety disorders, with an average dose of 0.3 grams of psilocybin or 13 micrograms of LSD taken every three days. In the 2019 Global Drug Survey, microdosers often reported “enhanced mood, creativity, focus, and sociability”, with the most common reported challenge of microdosing being “none”.

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How one dose of psilocybin healed decades of depression

‘They broke my mental shackles’: could magic mushrooms be the answer to depression?

A 56-year-old web developer named Michael was at one of the lowest points in his life after losing his mom to cancer and his friend to suicide. He had battled depression for over 30 years and was still in search of relief after trying several antidepressants and therapies.

He decided to participate in a psilocybin medical trial at Imperial College London, where he went on a five-hour psychedelic journey that turned his life around. The psilocybin-assisted therapy allowed him to relive childhood memories and confront his griefs.

“I became a different person,” Michael said. “I couldn’t wait to get dressed, get into the outside world, see people. I was supremely confident – more like I was when I was younger, before the depression started and got to its worst.”

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Helping 92% of cancer patients

Cancer patients in drug therapy experience

If cancer patients have the right to end their suffering through assisted suicide, shouldn’t they have the right to end their suffering through psilocybin therapy?

In a Johns Hopkins study, 92% of cancer patients saw significant reductions in depression and anxiety 5 weeks after a single high dose of psilocybin. After 6 months, 78% still had significant reductions in symptoms.

Many of the 51 participants described a sense of infinite love, peace, and oneness, and several were able to come to conquer their fear of death.

“It was so powerful and so profound that it just took my breath away… I feel like it changed my life”, said one participant, Anthony Head.