Psilocybin (from magic mushrooms) plus meditation and spiritual training leads to lasting changes in positive traits

By Emma Young “Conferences on psychedelics are popping up everywhere, like mushrooms!” said Jakobien van der Weijden, of the Psychedelic Society of the Netherlands, when I met her in Amsterdam last week. Indeed, research into the use of psychedelic (mind-altering) drugs as tools in the treatment of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life angst, is on the increase. Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, may help to alleviate symptoms of depression by altering brain activity in key areas involved in emotional processing, for example. Now a study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, led by Roland Griffiths at Johns Hopkins University, has found that for mentally and physically healthy volunteers, two doses of psilocybin in conjunction with a programme of meditation and other “spiritual” practices was enough to bring about lasting, positive changes to traits including altruism, gratitude, forgiveness and feeling close to others. The researchers recruited 75 healthy adults, with an average age of 42, from the general population, and allocated them at random to one of three groups. The first group enrolled in “standard-level” support for spiritual practice, which consisted of a meditation book plus five hours meditation and spiritual training with an experienced “guide”. These participants then took two very low doses of psilocybin (just 1mg per 70kg – intended to act as a placebo), spaced one month apart...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: biological Brain Mental health Personality Source Type: blogs