Psilocybin Mushrooms Could Provide the Next Tool in Fighting Depression

[Carmen Elsa Irarragorri Wyland]

Psilocybin Mushrooms Could Provide the Next Tool in Fighting Depression

The long-term antidepressant effect of psilocybin is being medically acknowledged throughout the world, as more scientific studies are published by renowned institutions that highly approve the medical use of psychedelic mushrooms in treating depression and other psychological disorders, without the discomforting side effects that occur in the case of conventional pharmaceutical medication.

Eugenia Bone, food author, is known to have experience with psilocybin and she agreed with the magic mushroom’s ability to treat depression and several more psychological disorders. Besides the therapeutic value, many have claimed a long-term boost in mental health after a significant personal experience to reflect upon for days to come. However, major psychedelic effects can be avoided with microdosing, yet still benefit the mental improvement.

Microdosing is a technique where one is administered low (sub-therapeutic) doses of a drug, so that the whole-body effects do not manifest themselves.

The Royal Society Interface makes room for the publishing of a new study that offers a clear insight into the activity of the neural networks while under the effect of psilocybin. Participants in the study were 15 mentally and physically healthy volunteers, with no record for past mental issues.

After the intravenous administration of psilocybin, the subjects displayed a strong inter-regional connection between various areas in the brain that don’t usually communicate with each other, now exchanging massive neural impulses.

The highest activity is recorded at the cortex level, the part associated with consciousness. This bridging behavior is also responsible for a sensory phenomenon called synesthesia – seeing sounds or hearing colours, often experienced among magic mushrooms users.

A psychedelic mushroom trip is most likely to help anyone fight detrimental thought patterns specific to depression: mental rut, replaying negative personal events, and self inducing of bad scenarios that are unlikely to happen.

In her review, Bone cited studies in which psilocybin ailed the symptoms in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), cluster headaches, and removed the conditioned fear reflex in mice, which has implications for post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias.

According to another study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry on psilocybin and memory, the following was concluded:

“Evidence that psilocybin enhances autobiographical recollection implies that it may be useful in psychotherapy either as a tool to facilitate the recall of salient memories or to reverse negative cognitive biases.”

Prior studies found that depression leads to a more vivid recall of negative memories than in the case of neutral or positive memories. This study comes with a solution to reverse the effect, stimulating the memory in favor of the good events, thus improving an individual’s opinion on himself.

The cure for broken spirits might be hiding in a mind-altering fungus.

With each study carried, researchers are in a constant process of learning about the full potential of psilocybin mushrooms that will eventually help cure a wider range of mental illnesses, although unfortunately they are still classified as an illegal Schedule I drug.

On this delicate matter, Eugenia Bone ended her editorial encouraging a milder and more flexible legislation to facilitate the use of Psilocybe for research purposes. “Rescheduling psilocybin won’t make it legal; it will make it easier for research to be conducted, leading to more scientists exploring its potential, while reducing investor concern and allowing for compassionate use provisions.”

As science develops with each successful or failed experiment, so should our understanding of the ways of nature, for it has put at our disposal all the tools for our spiritual and mental healing.

Mankind is currently at the point of struggling to overcome age-old misconceptions and engaged in a quest to embrace tolerance in all decent aspects. Why not revise the way we treat and look upon the gifts of nature?

[Mystic Wolf]

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