I Take Recreational Drugs
Psilocybin (pronounced SILL-oh-SY-bin), also known as the psychoactive ingredient in 'magic mushrooms,' has been found in a rigorous clinical study to have a long-term positive psychological and behavioral effect on people who take them.
Illegal practically everywhere, scientists said in a new report released today that most subjects who took the psychedelic fungus were still behaving and feeling better as a result 14 months after ingestion. About 2 out of three also noted that the drug caused one of the five most spiritual experiences of their life.
Published on Tuesday, July 1st by the Journal of Psychopharmacology, the study specifically showed that after 14 months since 'dosing,' 61% noted at least a 'moderate' increase in what they classified as 'positive behaviors'-- being more tolerant, compassionate, and sensitive.
64% of patients felt at least a 'moderate increase' in well being and life satisfaction. Namely, they listed increased feelings of self-confidence, optimism, flexibility and creativity. Other results indicated lasting gains in traits like being more sensitive, tolerant, loving and compassionate. While the extended study did not ask for independent evaluations of behavior, the earlier study noted that the participant's social circle corroborated their self-reported changes in behavior.
Magic mushrooms have been traditionally used in religious ceremonies, but are banned in most countries due to fears of recreational abuse. The study took 36 subjects, men and women, and had them either take mushrooms, or the control drug Ritalin (which is known to not cause any positive emotional effects) during two 8 hour stints two months aprt. Earlier results released in 2006 showed positive benefit two months after the test; this study followed up an additional year later.
As would be expected, scientists do not advise people to take psilocybin or other psychedelics on their own. Even in the laboratory, 1 out of 3 people felt terrified under the drug. These feelings could lead to irrational and potentially dangerous behaviors outside of a controlled environment. However, the researchers found this side effect was easily controlled.
Further research could lead to relaxed drug control laws allowing psilocybin to be used to help patients deal with extreme emotional distress-- such as addiction or grief. However, given the tepid response to medical marijuana despite a number of positive clinical trial results (E.g., Sativex for the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis), this is an unlikely outcome.
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Timothy Leary, the "father of psychedelics," conducts his famous interview defending himself against Art Linkletter, who claims his daughter died as a result of LSD (and by extension Leary)...
Previous Studies:
In the United States, an FDA-approved study supported by Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) began in 2001 to study the effects of psilocybin on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In 2006, the MAPS study found psilocybin effective in relieving obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms, in some cases for more than a few days.
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More about Psilocybin:
Psilocybin is absorbed through the lining of the mouth and stomach. Effects begin 10–40 minutes after ingestion of psilocybin-containing mushrooms, and last from 2–6 hours depending on dose, species, and individual metabolism. A typical recreational dosage is from 10–50 mg psilocybin.
The effects of psilocybin are highly variable, and dependent on the current mood and overall sense of well-being by the individual. Initially the subject may begin to feel somewhat disorientated, lethargic, and euphoric or sometimes depressed. At low doses, hallucinatory effects may occur, including enhancement of colors and the animation of geometric shapes. Closed-eye visuals may occur, where the affected individual may see multi-coloured geometric shapes and vivid imaginative sequences. At higher doses, hallucinatory effects increase and experiences tend to be less social and more introspective. Open-eye visuals are more common, and may be very detailed although rarely confused with reality.
Users having a pleasant experience may feel ecstatic, including a deep sense of connection to others, confusion, hilarity, and a general feeling of connection to nature and the universe. Difficult experiences or bad trips may occur in some individuals, often when consumed during emotional turmoil, in a non-supportive or inadequate environment, by an inexperienced person, or in an unexpectedly high dose. Latent psychological issues may be triggered by the strong emotional components of the experience.
Some of these individuals report that they have experienced a 'spiritual' episode. For example, in the Marsh Chapel Experiment, which was run by a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School under the supervision of Tim Leary, almost all of the graduate degree divinit student volunteers who received psilocybin reported profound religious experiences.
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Legality:
Psilocybin and its derivative psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Schedule I drugs are illicit drugs that are claimed to have no known therapeutic benefit. Parties to the treaty are required to restrict use of the drug to medical and scientific research under strictly controlled conditions. Civilian possession and use of psilocybin and psilocin is prohibited under almost all circumstances, and often carries severe legal penalties.
Further Study Details:
Here are some snippets directly from the study:
When administered under supportive conditions, psilocybin occasioned experiences similar to spontaneously occurring mystical experiences that, over a year later, were considered by volunteers to be among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives and to have produced positive changes in attitudes, mood, altruism, behaviour and life satisfaction. In addition to possible therapeutic applications, the ability to prospectively produce mystical-type experiences should permit rigorous scientific investigations about their causes and consequences, and may provide novel information about the biological bases of moral and religious behaviour.
Participants were recruited through flyers announcing a study of states of consciousness brought about by a naturally occurring psychoactive substance used sacramentally in some cultures. The 36 study participants were medically and psychiatrically healthy and without histories of hallucinogen use. Sixteen participants were males. Participants had an average age of 46 years (range 24-64); 97% were college graduates and 56% had post-graduate degrees. All were employed full- or part-time. Fifty-three per cent indicated affiliation with a religious or spiritual community, such as a church, synagogue or meditation group. All volunteers indicated at least intermittent participation in religious or spiritual activities, such as religious services, prayer, meditation or study groups.
A limit to the generality of the study is that all of the participants reported at least intermittent participation in religious or spiritual activities before the study. It is plausible that such interests increased the likelihood that the psilocybin experience would be interpreted as having substantial spiritual significance and personal meaning. A systematic replication of the study comparing groups having different levels of spiritual/religious dispositions or interests could be informative.
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Credits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin
