Philosophers and mystics have long contemplated the disconcerting notion that the fixed self is an illusion. Neuroscientists now think they can prove it or, at least, help us glimpse this truth with some help from psilocybin, the psychoactive property in magic mushrooms.
How Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick The Habit : Short Wave
Magic mushrooms — they're not just for getting weird with your friends. Researchers are increasingly looking at psychedelics to treat conditions such as depression and addiction.
A single high dose of psilocybin alters brain function up to one month later
New research provides evidence that the active ingredient in so-called magic mushrooms can affect brain processes related to emotional functioning long
Researchers are giving religious leaders psychedelic drugs in the interest of science
Despite the fact that psychedelic drugs have been used for millennia as medicine in ritualistic ceremonies, there remain many questions in the scientific community about the relationship between their spiritual qualities and healing potential. Researchers at Johns Hopkins and New York Universities are giving psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, to ordained ministers in the hopes that they can help provide some answers.
Psychedelic mushrooms reduce authoritarianism and boost nature relatedness, experimental study suggests
Psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, could make people feel more connected to nature and less likely to endorse authoritarian views,
Mushrooms evolved psychedelics twice, baffling scientists
Researchers found that magic mushrooms and fiber caps independently evolved different biochemical pathways to create psilocybin. This convergence shows nature’s ingenuity, but the reason why remains unknown—possibly predator deterrence. Beyond evolutionary mystery, the discovery provides new enzyme tools for biotech, with promising applications for producing psilocybin-based medicines.
Magic Mushroom Drug Lifts Depression in Human Trial
Psilocybin shows higher remission rate than SSRI drugs in a U.K. study
The Push to Legalize Magic Mushrooms for Depression and PTSD
Activists, entrepreneurs, and doctors in the US and Canada are working to decriminalize psilocybin psychotherapy and calling for a psychedelic revolution.
From treating PTSD to quitting tobacco: researchers say public investment into psychedelic drugs essential | CBC News
Magic mushrooms to treat depression, ecstasy to cure PTSD and LSD to combat alcoholism; just some of the drug-affliction pairings that have been tested in recent years.
The fungal mind: on the evidence for mushroom intelligence | Psyche Ideas
The evidence for fungal intelligence is in: they can operate as individuals, make decisions, learn, and have short-term memory
A Dose of a Hallucinogen From a ‘Magic Mushroom,’ and Then Lasting Peace (Published 2016)
Two studies used psilocybin to see if the drug could reduce depression and anxiety in cancer patients. The results were striking.
What Are Psychedelic Entities?
The beings people often meet while using psychedelics resist tidy explanations.
Acid test: how psychedelic virtual reality can help end society's mass bad trip
Cyberdelic VR is being used to treat trauma and even simulate near-death experiences
Can Psychedelics Make Us More Moral?
With a renaissance going on in psychedelic research, is making us better people included?
A revolution in our sense of self | Nick Chater
Psychologists have tried to plumb the depths of human motivation to make sense of our behaviour. But our inner mental world is a fiction, sustained by constant improvisation
Brain scans reveal how LSD affects consciousness
Drug researcher David Nutt discusses brain-imaging studies with hallucinogens.
Scientists push to renew psychedelic drug research for psychiatry
Back in the 50's there were legitimate medical experiments with LSD but psychedelic drugs in the labs were side-swiped by their use on the street. And as a growing counter-culture dropped acid, governments picked up restrictions making research almost impossible. Until now.
