The Fellowship of the River: A Conversation about Ayahuasca Healing with Joe Tafur, MD
What happens when a medical doctor from the United States spends years in the Amazon jungle studying shamanic healing with the Shipibo tribe? To find out, you’ll have to read The Fellowship of the River, a new book by Dr. Joe Tafur that takes readers on a...
Recap of Psychedelic Science 2017: Interview with Joe Mattia and Lana Baumgartner
Last week saw the end of Psychedelic Science 2017, a six-day global conference hosted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) that featured some of the brightest minds in today’s psychedelic movement. In attendance at this historic event...
How to Find Psychedelic Treatment for your Psychological Disorder
Mental health disorders are the elephant in the room of modern day society. An estimated 8.3 million Americans suffer from chronic stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and related psychological conditions, and those numbers are on the rise. In addition to that, nearly...
Underground Ayahuasca: Discussing Pitfalls and Therapeutic Potential with Dr. Rachel Harris
Both underground ayahuasca use and legitimate ayahuasca research face many challenges in North America today, and not just because of the brew’s illegality. Would-be psychonauts who choose to take ayahuasca in the US face the challenges of finding a legitimate source...
Psychedelic vs Psycholytic Therapy: What’s the Difference?
As psychedelic therapy continues to make news as the next breakthrough treatment for ailments like PTSD, anxiety, depression and addiction, many people may wonder how psychedelic therapy actually work and what it entails. The answer is: it depends! The Western use of...
Are Psychedelics Medicine? Understanding the Safety & Therapeutic Value of Psychedelics
For anyone skeptical of the mental health benefits of psychedelics, hearing them referred to as “medicine” is sure to cause eye-rolling. Since the late 1960’s, psychedelics have been portrayed as dangerous, frivolous, and inherently anti-establishment. Any...
Listening to Ayahuasca: Interview with Dr. Rachel Harris
What happens when an agnostic research scientist and psychotherapist hears a voice from a plant spirit? In the case of Dr. Rachel Harris, it lead to a puzzling but beautiful personal relationship with the ayahuasca vine and a decade of work investigating the lasting...
The Scientific Evidence for Using Ketamine to Treat Acute and Chronic Depression
One of the biggest downfalls in the conventional treatment of depression is the amount of time it takes for the drugs to take effect. Conventional antidepressants like SSRIs largely target the serotonin system—which has long been thought to be the hormone responsible...
Why Decriminalization Is the Harm Reduction Tactic We Need to Treat Society’s Drug Problem
In 1977, Kenya imposed a nationwide hunting ban in response to illegal poaching that was depleting the country’s elephant populations. Zimbabwe was facing a similar problem, but instead of a ban, they did nothing. The next decade showed a contradictory lesson in...
How to Stay Safe During a Kambo Ceremony If You Have Bulimia
My friend wanted to take kambo because she heard it could reduce her frequent migraines. She had the number of a practitioner, had researched the medicine, and was ready to try it. Just one thing was giving her pause; she was a recovering bulimic. She hadn’t binged...
