Last Week in Psychedelic Sundays

"Western Science is approaching a paradigm shift of unprecedented proportions, one that will change our concepts of reality and of human nature, bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and modern science, and reconcile the differences between Eastern spirituality and Western pragmatism."
Stanislav Grof in ‘Beyond the Brain’

In this post, I will share with you some of what I found on my neverending journey through the psychedelic digital jungle of interesting articles, podcast, and studies that I have found sailing the digital seas.

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The world’s first magic mushroom research center is launching in Jamaica

Ronan Levy, co-founder of Field Trip Ventures, has identified two potential business targets: First, the research could establish methods to quantify magic mushrooms’ psychedelic properties, so that people have clearer expectations of their effects. Second, it could identify patentable intellectual property; the company will maintain the rights to all discoveries made at the center. Levy did not respond to questions about how much the company is investing. “There is no specified limit to the amount of funds we will invest in our Jamaican operations provided they continue to generate a positive return on investment,” he said.

Fantastic Fungi Offers a Gateway Into the World of Magic Mushrooms

"The most important part is to reconnect with friends in the community and build community to build this movement," Schwartzberg says. "I kind of see this as we’re replaying a little bit of the late ’60s here, where we’re having a shift of consciousness happening and, at the same time, there’s a lot of oppression in the government. Maybe this is like the Woodstock event for our time."

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A single dose of 5-MeO-DMT produces rapid and persistent improvements in life satisfaction and psychopathological symptoms

A single inhalation of the psychedelic drug 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is associated with sustained improvements in satisfaction with life, mindfulness, and a reduction of psychopathological symptoms, according to preliminary research published in Psychopharmacology.

Drugs and Creativity

“When people took psychedelic substances, they saw the world differently, and they wanted to communicate what they saw,” Krippner tells DOPE. “They could [relay what they saw] in a story, but since the effects were so visual, it was probably easier to draw, paint, sculpt or dance what they saw.”

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Getting Arrested and Released for Ayahuasca in Israel

In 2014, I was asked to bring my work to Israel. I saw the potential of conducting ceremonies for Jews and Arabs, so I invited my Peruvian teacher to visit Israel. A week before he was to arrive in January 2015, eight people were arrested by the Israeli police. Six were released after a week in jail. I and another women spent more then two weeks in jail and then were under house arrest for a month. We were charged with importing illegal drugs, organizing ceremonies, and conspiracy. We faced a long trial and five to ten years in prison. I realized right from the beginning that I would need International help because lawyers in Israel did not know anything about ayahuasca.

BOOK REVIEW - THE PSYCHEDELIC EXPLORER'S GUIDE

Over the years, I learned a lot about psychedelics and often come noticed myself thinking to myself, "Oh, I've learned that already" while reading a book or watching a documentary. However, when I read James Fadiman's The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys back in 2012 I found it to be the first work in quite a while that had so many new things to teach me. This book covers many aspects concerning psychedelic use that I was previously unaware of, such as the concept of sub-perceptual dosing and the importance of listening to non-vocal music such as Classical during the beginning of a psychedelic experience.

The mad scientist behind America’s mind-control quest with LSD

Gottlieb and many around him truly believed that LSD held the secret to controlling minds. “CIA employees were given LSD and then induced to violate oaths and promises,” Kinzer writes. “In one [mock interrogation], a military officer swore never to reveal a secret, revealed it under the influence of LSD, and afterward forgot the entire episode . . . Gottlieb came to believe that [LSD] could be the key to mind control. He was the first acid visionary.”