Breaking Down the Brew: Examining the Plants Commonly Used In Ayahuasca
Do you know what ingredients are in ayahuasca? If you understand the basics of this brew, then you probably answered, “An MAOI-containing plant and DMT-containing plant.” But while these are the two ingredients common to all ayahuasca brews, most ayahuasca also...
How Will We Train the Next Generation of Psychedelic Researchers and Therapists?
In MAPS’ proposal to the FDA for their MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research, director Rick Doblin wrote of their ongoing studies to treat PTSD: “At present, there are no parallels to [this research] because there are no psychoanalytic agents that therapists administer...
A Dosing Guide for Using Ketamine for Psychedelic Therapy
John Lilly started experimenting with ketamine in the early 70’s, just a few years after it was synthesized for use as an anesthetic. But Lilly—a neuroscientist perhaps most famous for inventing the isolation tank and researching sensory deprivation—wasn’t interested...
How Ketamine’s Neurological Functions Make It a Promising Psychedelic for Psychotherapy
When ketamine was first synthesized in 1962 by chemist Calvin Stevens, psychotherapy was far from his mind. Rather, Stevens was on a quest to create a medicine that met the standards for an ideal anesthetic—one that had a quick onset, reliable effects, minimal...
Are You Overdosing on Cannabis? Preventing Negative Side Effects From Marijuana
You can’t overdose on cannabis. That’s what everyone told me when I was hesitant to try cannabis for insomnia related to my anxiety. Other solutions weren’t relieving my anxiety, and when I took commercially available sleep aids, I often had restless, interrupted...
An LGBTQ Guide to Ayahuasca Tourism In South America
Sometimes, being bisexual is exhausting. Almost everything—from taking a girlfriend to meet my parents to finding a church that accepts me —is more complicated for me. When I travel, I need to be aware of LGBTQ laws and sometimes even change my presentation based on...
The Future of Permanent Psychedelic Sanctuaries Beyond Festivals
If you are going through a challenging psychedelic experience or have recently experienced one, you may not feel comfortable in a traditional hospital or clinical setting. You may also be hesitant to seek treatment at a drug treatment center where the focus may be on...
The Dangers of Over-Popularizing Ayahuasca: False Expectations and Bad Reputations
I first read about ayahuasca on erowid.org in 2002. Even though this medicine was gaining popularity at the time, none of my friends—experienced psychonauts—had used it or even heard about it. Now, when ayahuasca comes up in conversation, even those who aren’t part of...
Ancient Wisdom, Mental Health, and The War on Drugs: Interview with Duncan Trussell
The war on drugs has been violent and repressive, and its casualties are not just limited to those who use or sell psychedelics. In rejecting all psychedelics as harmful and all native traditions that use them for healing as primitive, we have not only lost...
Psychedelic Comedy and Radical Honesty: Interview with Comedian and Podcaster Duncan Trussell
Psychedelic Science 2017 is fast approaching, and in addition to lectures and workshops from some of the world’s leading experts on psychedelic research and therapy, this conference will break new ground by hosting the world’s first Psychedelic Comedy Banquet,...
