Philosophy
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
A quack doctor selling remedies from his caravan
A quack doctor selling remedies from his caravan; satirizing, by Tom Merry, 1889
Credit: Wellcome Collection
THE WELLCOME COLLECTION HOLDS A WONDERFUL TROVE OF IMAGES FOR ARTISTS AND CREATORS TO USE AS AN INSPIRATIONAL RESOURCE. THE WELLCOME TEAM ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DIGITISING A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THEIR HOLDINGS AND MAKING THE CONTENT FREELY AVAILABLE UNDER CC-BY LICENSE STANDARDS.
Bruce Conner, 'Fame, October 18', 1989
Credit: Wellcome Collection
Gramin Arts Yam Darbar Litho Print Oleograph Vintage Collection
by GRAMIN ARTS
183 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE, United Kingdom
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Humphry Osmond, The Man Who Coined “Psychedelic”
Humphry Osmond, The Man Who Coined “Psychedelic”
Work with psychedelics[edit]
See also: Psychedelic drug
After the war, Osmond joined the psychiatric unit at St George's Hospital, London where he rose to become senior registrar. His time at the hospital was to prove pivotal in three respects, firstly it was where he met his wife Amy "Jane" Roffey who was working there as a nurse, secondly he met Dr John Smythies who was to become one of his major collaborators, and thirdly he first encountered the drugs that would become associated with his name (and his with theirs): LSD and mescaline. While researching the drugs at St George's, Osmond noticed that they produced similar effects to schizophrenia and he became convinced that the disease was caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. These ideas were not well received amongst the psychiatric community in London at the time.[2][3][4] In 1951, Osmond and Smythies moved to Saskatchewan, Canada to join the staff of the Weyburn Mental Hospital in the southeastern city of Weyburn, Saskatchewan.
At Weyburn, Osmond recruited a group of research psychologists to turn the hospital into a design-research laboratory. There, he conducted a wide variety of patient studies and observations using hallucinogenic drugs, collaborating with Abram Hoffer and others. In 1952, Osmond related the similarity of mescaline to adrenaline molecules, in a theory which implied that schizophrenia might be a form of self-intoxication caused by one's own body. He collected the biographies of recovered schizophrenics, and he held that psychiatrists can only understand the schizophrenic by understanding the rational way the mind makes sense of distorted perceptions. He pursued this idea with passion, exploring all avenues to gain insight into the shattered perceptions of schizophrenia, holding that the illness arises primarily from distortions of perception. Yet during the same period, Osmond became aware of the potential of psychedelics to foster mind-expanding and mystical experiences.
In 1953, English-born Aldous Huxley was long-since a renowned poet and playwright who, in his twenties, had gone on to achieve success and acclaim as a novelist and widely published essayist. He had lived in the U.S. for well over a decade and gained some experience screenwriting for Hollywood films. Huxley had initiated a correspondence with Osmond. In one letter, Huxley lamented that contemporary education seemed typically to have the unintended consequence of constricting the minds of the educated—close the minds of students, that is, to inspiration and to many things other than material success and consumerism. In their exchange of letters, Huxley asked Osmond if he would be kind enough to supply a dose of mescaline.[5]
In May of that year, Osmond traveled to the Los Angeles area for a conference and, while there, provided Huxley with the requested dose of mescaline and supervised the ensuing experience in the author's home neighborhood.[6] As a result of his experience, Huxley produced an enthusiastic book called The Doors of Perception, describing the look of the Hollywood Hills and his responses to artwork while under the influence. Osmond's name appears in four footnotes in the early pages of the book (in references to articles Osmond had written regarding medicinal use of hallucinogenic drugs).
Osmond was respected and trusted enough that in 1955 he was approached by Christopher Mayhew (later, Baron Mayhew), an English politician, and guided Mayhew through a mescaline trip that was filmed for broadcast by the BBC.[7]
Osmond and Abram Hoffer were taught a way to "maximize the LSD experience" by the influential layman Al Hubbard, who came to Weyburn. Thereafter they adopted some of Hubbard's methods.[8]
Humphry Osmond first proposed the term "psychedelic" at a meeting of the New York Academy of Sciences in 1956.[9] He said the word meant "mind manifesting" (from "mind", ψυχή (psyche), and "manifest", δήλος (delos)) and called it "clear, euphonious and uncontaminated by other associations." Huxley had sent Osmond a rhyme containing his own suggested invented word: "To make this trivial world sublime, take half a gram of phanerothyme" (θυμός (thymos) meaning 'spiritedness' in Ancient Greek.) Osmond countered with "To fathom Hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic"[10][11] (Alternative version: To fall in Hell or soar angelic / You'll need a pinch of psychedelic.).[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphry_Osmond
BMJ. 2004 Mar 20; 328(7441): 713.
PMCID: PMC381240
Humphry Osmond
Janice Hopkins Tanne
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Short abstract
Psychiatrist who investigated LSD, “turned on” Aldous Huxley, and coined the word “psychedelic”
Humphry Osmond was at the cutting edge of psychiatric research in the 1950s. He believed that hallucinogenic drugs might be useful in treating mental illness and he studied the effects of LSD on people with alcohol dependency. His investigations led to his association with the novelist Aldous Huxley and to involvement with the CIA and MI6, which were interested in LSD as a possible “truth drug” to make enemy agents reveal secrets.
Was Osmond ahead of his time? His work was cut short by the 1960s drugs backlash, and only now is his work with hallucinogens being looked at with new interest.
Humphry Osmond was born in Surrey in 1917 and graduated from Guy's Hospital Medical School. During the second world war he served in the navy as a ship's psychiatrist. After the war, at St George's Hospital, he and Dr John Smythies learnt of the chemist Albert Hofmann's work with the hallucinogenic drug LSD-25 in Switzerland. They thought schizophrenia might be caused by metabolic aberrations producing symptoms similar to those from drugs such as LSD and mescaline.
“Osmond was interested in a metabolic redefinition of schizophrenia as something like diabetes,” said a former colleague, California psychiatrist Dr Tod Hiro Mikuriya.
LSD-25 had been synthesized by Hofmann in 1938; he discovered its hallucinogenic properties in 1943. One day when he worked with the chemical he felt restless and dizzy and went home. Over the next few hours he experienced fantastic, vivid images with intense colours. He thought he had probably absorbed a small amount of the chemical.
During the 1940s and 1950s both scientists and government intelligence agencies were interested in using hallucinogenic drugs such as mescaline and LSD as a “truth drug”.
Osmond, the scientist, thought the hallucinogens might help treat mental illness. He later wrote, “Schizophrenics are lonely because they cannot let their fellows know what is happening to them and so lose the thread of social support. LSD-25, used as a psychotomimetic, allows us to study these problems of communication from the inside and learn how to devise better methods of helping the sick.” Some psychiatrists thought they should take LSD to understand what their patients were experiencing.experien
The psychiatric establishment was not interested in drugs. In 1951 Osmond moved to Canada, to a bleak institution called the Weyburn Mental Hospital in Saskatchewan, where he had good research funding from the Canadian government and the Rockefeller Foundation and worked with a biochemist colleague, Dr Abram Hoffer. The hospital had many alcoholic patients who had not responded to all previous treatments. Osmond thought that hallucinogenic drugs produced symptoms similar to delirium tremens. Producing a terrifying artificial delirium might frighten an alcoholic into change. Between 1954 and 1960, Osmond and Hoffer treated about 2000 alcoholics under carefully controlled conditions.
They were astonished by what they found. In an interview with the psychiatrist Dr John Halpern, associate director of the substance abuse research programme at Harvard's McClean Hospital, Dr Hoffer recalled, “Many of them didn't have a terrible experience. In fact, they had a rather interesting experience.” Osmond and Hoffer reported that 40% to 45% of the alcoholics who were treated with LSD had not returned to drinking after a year.
Osmond sought a name for the effect that LSD has on the mind, consulting the novelist Aldous Huxley who was interested in these drugs. Osmond and Huxley had become friends and Osmond gave him mescaline in 1953. Huxley suggested “phanerothyme,” from the Greek words for “to show” and “spirit,” and sent a rhyme: “To make this mundane world sublime, Take half a gram of phanerothyme.” Instead, Osmond chose “psychedelic,” from the Greek words psyche (for mind or soul) and deloun (for show), and suggested, “To fathom Hell or soar angelic/Just take a pinch of psychedelic.” He announced it at the New York Academy of Sciences meeting in 1957.
But the climate was changing in the cultural and political turmoil of the Swinging Sixties. The use of marijuana and other recreational drugs among young people was thought to be a cause of social unrest, environmental protests, women's lib, civil rights marches, and protests against the Vietnam war. “The money dried up,” said Dr Halpern, and new laws restricted researchers' ability to study the drugs. “Osmond was at the cutting edge of psychiatric research at the time. It was a tragedy his work was shut down because of the culture,” said Dr Charles Grob, professor of psychiatry at the University of California School of Medicine-Los Angeles (UCLA).
Osmond moved to head the Bureau of Research in Neurology and Psychiatry at the New Jersey Psychiatric Institute in Princeton. His colleague Dr Mikuriya, later in charge of marijuana research at the National Institute of Mental Health, was puzzled that Osmond and his colleagues had psychedelic drugs available in their offices when local police had undercover agents searching for drug users. He found the answer 20 years later when the book Acid Dreams revealed Osmond's CIA and MI6 connections.
Osmond later moved to the University of Alabama, where he was professor of psychology until his retirement in 1992. He leaves a wife, three children, and five grandchildren.
Humphry Fortescue Osmond, psychiatrist and researcher, former professor of psychology University of Alabama, United States (b Surrey, United Kingdom, 1917; q Guy's Hospital Medical School 1942), died from a cardiac arrhythmia on 6 February 2004.
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Humphry Osmond
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Humphry Osmond
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Hell Garden
Atlas Obscura
@atlasobscura
·
They’re meant to warn sinners of the unspeakable horrors awaiting their souls in Naraka, Buddhist Hell.
Hell Garden
Gruesome statues of people reborn in Buddhist hell stand among the ruins of an 11th-century sanctuary.
The garden may be small, but the horrific artwork it contains is more than enough to sear its message into the minds of anyone brave enough to stroll through this gory corner of a religious complex. There, strange statues show—with shockingly gruesome detail—the many ways to torture a human soul.
The statues all stand within the Hell Garden at Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai, a fairly modern Buddhist temple situated within a much older complex. They’re meant to warn sinners of the unspeakable horrors awaiting their souls in Naraka, Buddhist Hell.
The strange, twisted statues are all subjected to a whole assortment of gory, graphic injuries and abnormalities.
LINK https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wat-sa-kamphaeng-yai-hell-garden?utm_medium=atlas-page&utm_source=twitter
Monday, October 21, 2019
Beware of Mr. Baker
Beware of Mr. Baker - Snagfilms
Ginger Baker is well-known for his smashing work in Cream and Blind Faith.
But the world's greatest (and most volatile) drummer didn't really hit his stride until 1972, when he journeyed to Nigeria and discovered the sounds of Fela Kuti's Afrobeat. Following various periods of drug-induced self-destruction and countless groundbreaking musical works, this flame-haired musical madman eventually settled in South Africa—where he currently resides with his much-younger bride and 39 polo ponies.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW, Jay Bulger's entertaining and acclaimed documentary also features rock superstars Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Johnny Rotten, Lars Ulrich, Carlos Santana, Stewart Copeland and many more.
You've been warned: BEWARE OF MR. BAKER!
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Category: Film + Animation
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Ukraine's 'Museum of Corruption' |
Go Inside Ukraine's 'Museum of Corruption'
| The New York Times
Ukraine's Museum of Corruption
July 26, 2016 | PRI's The World
BY JULIA BARTON AND MISHA FRIEDMAN
Mezhgorye club house
The the main clubhouse inside Mezhgorye, the residence of Ukraine's ousted president Victor Yanukovych. Image by Misha Friedman. Ukraine, 2016.
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On February 23, 2014, stunned Ukrainians came en masse to the former nature preserve north of Kiev to see what their just-departed president had built with their tax dollars.
What they found surprised even the most cynical: A private zoo. A restaurant on a replica of a Spanish galleon. A main house built to resemble an oversized Finnish hunting lodge, with a three-story-tall main room. Acres of manicured gardens with statuary. A glass-walled bath-house overlooking a private fountain.
The spark for the Euromaidan protests that ousted Viktor Yanukovych was his refusal to sign a long-planned agreement to bring the country closer to the European Union. But his administration’s corruption was a close second, and investigations into his lavish estate had fueled resentment for years.
The residence, called Mezhyhirya, was opened to the public soon after Yanukovych fled to Russia, and it’s been open for tours ever since. But hopes that it would become a state-run “Museum of Corruption” have faded as bill after bill to prosecute the former president and seize his assets has stalled in Ukraine’s parliament.
The grounds, which he’d privatized, are now back under state control, says Denys Bigus, an investigative journalist who helped create YanukovychLeaks, a site that has compiled the documents the former president left behind.
But Bigus says the buildings still belong to Tantalit, the real estate holding company that owns several properties on behalf of the ex-president and his extended family.
Meanwhile a group of “volunteers”—protesters from Euromaidan—took over Mezhyhirya and haven't left since. They man its gates, charging admission to the grounds ($3) and for private tours ($8).
They even have people manned at outdoor bathrooms to collect $0.20 for use. The money, along with profit from the sales of Yanukovych and Putin-mocking souvenirs, goes to pay groundskeepers and to provide security against looting.
How it covers all that is not exactly clear, since the volunteer group doesn’t pay taxes or make its books public. Although some art is missing from the walls and certain tchotchkes (like a famous golden loaf of bread) have gone missing, overall the estate looks spotless and well-maintained.
Its murky status, however, makes for an odd visitor experience.
We gather for a tour at the entrance to the “physical health complex” (noted by its unfortunate Cyrillic acronym, ФОК). Although a sign on the door insists all tours will be conducted in Ukrainian, our guide Petro Oliynyk has decided to accommodate some Russian-speaking visitors. He comes from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, and he has basically been ensconced here since Yanukovych fled.
Oliynyk has a Ukrainian emblem hanging from his neck and an even larger one embroidered in gold on the red flag draped around his shoulders. It’s a color combo favored by the Ukrainian Liberation Army; their black-and-red flag also flies above the ФОК. Many Ukrainians see the red-and-black flag as a symbol of fighting the Soviets—but it’s also controversial, thanks to the Liberation Army’s World War II-era violence against Russians, Poles and Jews.
But Olynik doesn’t want to talk about the past, or how the Ukrainian Insurgent Army has come to run this place, if indeed it does. Mainly Olynik wants to talk about Ukraine’s current president, Petro Poroshenko.
“Poroshenko sold Crimea to Putin, and handed him part of [Eastern Ukraine] so he could loot and destroy it,” Oliynyk says at the start of our tour, which pretty much turns into an hour-long harangue against Ukraine’s leaders. Though there are occasional breaks to point out hand-carved flooring or a suit of armor, a salt-rock sauna or room-sized closet.
By midway through the tour, few in the group are listening to Oliynyk anymore, mesmerized instead by massive chandeliers and a limited-edition replica of the white piano that John Lennon gave Yoko Ono. Steinway & Sons made only 100 of them, and they’re worth about $90,000 each.
Oliynyk does say he’d like to see all of Mezhyriya nationalized, including the extensive spa and pseudo-hunting lodge. But it’s not clear how an eccentric—not to mention politically-minded—guide such as himself could remain under a more professional administration.
For his part, journalist Denys Bigus thinks the Ukrainian state, with its more serious troubles, doesn’t really want to take on the burden of running this place—as a Museum of Corruption, or anything else.
“You can’t turn it in anything,” he says. “It’s not comfortable for anything except [the] living of some dictator,” he laughs.
In the meantime, Oliynyk will keep giving tours to the curious, weaving between overstuffed furniture and planters lined with crocodile hide, opening door after door with his enormous set of keys. He’s added a few touches, moving a statue here, adding caged birds to fill the cavernous main hall with sound.
“It’s an example of how people have self-organized with no single leader or boss,” he concludes as we leave. “People can live like this in this country. We don’t need a government.”
The "Goth Chicken"
Cemani Rooster
By Kangwira - my farm, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31158986
Ayam Cemani is a rare breed of chicken from Indonesia.
This "Goth Chicken" is all dark — even its bones and internal organs
Ayam Cemani Silkie Kadaknath Java Chicken Indonesia PNG
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Ayam Cemani is an uncommon and relatively modern breed of chicken from Indonesia. They have a dominant gene that causes hyperpigmentation (fibromelanosis), making the chicken entirely black, including feathers, beak, and internal organs.
Ayam Cemani Silkie Kadaknath Java Chicken Indonesia PNG
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Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Welcome to the Victoria Bug Zoo
The VICTORIA BUG ZOO is located in downtown Victoria, BC.
A visit to this must-see mini zoo introduces visitors to the amazing world of insects, arachnids, and their many-legged relatives.
Specializing in GIANT TROPICAL BUGS, the Bug Zoo shines a light on some of the most under appreciated animals in the world.
Tours ALWAYS in progress.
Visit our website for more information:
Man charged after scorpions, spiders and more seized from B.C. home
One of the vinegaroons being housed at the Victoria Bug Zoo after a raid in a Surrey home. (Photo: Screengrab from Victoria Bug Zoo Facebook video)
Link:
https://www.facebook.com/victoriabugzoo/videos/764729370646411/?t=0
VIDEO: Man charged after scorpions, spiders and more seized from B.C. home
Victoria Bug Zoo to begin adopting out some of the critters Sept. 4
AMY REID
Sep. 3, 2019
B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service says a man is facing charges under the Wildlife Act following the seizure of hundreds, if not thousands, of exotic animals from a rental home in Surrey Aug. 8.
Maple Ridge veterinarian Dr. Adrian Walton told the Now-Leader he was called to the home by Surrey’s bylaw department after someone saw a “bunch of reptiles out on a deck.”
Walton said after arriving at the home, he quickly realized there was a lot more to the story.
“While we were doing the investigation, you took one quick look in the window and you were seeing this entire room of deli cups full of bugs, basically. Mostly spiders, but you could see some scorpions,” said Walton, who is head veterinarian at Dewdney Animal Hospital, which has experience caring for exotic creatures, albeit not this many.
Walton estimated there were thousands of creatures in the Surrey home.
Because of the condition of the animals, Walton said B.C. Conservation Officer Service got a warrant that was executed around 11 p.m. that evening.
Many animals were in “poor condition,” he said, adding that some containers housing them didn’t have air holes.
“From the bugs perspective, most of the animals were tarantulas and scorpions and these are venomous. Under Surrey bylaws, they’re not legal, so Surrey can’t adopt them out. You’re stuck in a situation of what do you do with these animals? Many were not identifiable, because they were babies. Some animals in there that were highly venomous, that no group is going to adopt out due to liability issues, my understanding is that the decision were made that those animals were not adoptable so they were destroyed.”
While the Maple Ridge clinic cared for many of the animals and insects, many have since been transported to the Victoria Bug Zoo. Others were taken to the Surrey Animal Resource Centre.
Walton said it was “pretty obvious” this was a wholesale situation and that the animals were either arriving or being prepared for shipment.
“This is a situation we deal with in the pet trade – the international and even national transport of animals. What we know from various studies is the mortality rate is approximately 70 per cent,” he told the Now-Leader. “We have serious concerns about the ethics of that. So to see such a large volume of animals, many of which were not in the best of condition, it’s very upsetting to someone who actually sees these animals as incredibly unique creatures. I’m supportive of the people, the local breeders, who raise these animals because they have a love…. You shouldn’t be buying online, you shouldn’t be buying from pet stores, you should be finding local qualified breeders and getting your exotic pets that way. “
As passionate as he is, Walton laughed as he said walking into a home with thousands of spiders at 11 o’clock at night “isn’t exactly my idea of fun.”
“I just went to pick up a couple of turtles, and was hoping to be home for dinner,” he chuckled. “All the weird stuff, somehow Dewdney gets involved.”
In an emailed statement, B.C.’s conservation service said a man who is known to them is facing “multiple charges” under the Wildlife Act in connection to case.
The statement noted was in “unlawful possession of live Schedule A wildlife, namely various turtle species” and that a search warrant was executed. The statement adds that the City of Surrey seized hundreds of spiders, scorpions and centipedes, seeing as they were illegal to possess under the municipal bylaw.
While officials wouldn’t pinpoint an exact address of the home, they told the Now-Leader it was in north-east Surrey.
“It is unlawful to possess live wildlife without a permit,” the statement from the conservation service notes, “and hobbyists should check all federal, provincial and municipal regulations prior to purchasing or housing any reptile or amphibian species to ensure they are in compliance with all applicable legislation.”
In a Facebook post, the Victoria Bug Zoo wrote that it plans to begin adopting out the vinegaroons in its care on Sept. 4, for a fee of $40.
“We will adopt out a maximum of two to each person – however, this species is solitary and each should be kept alone in its own enclosure,” reads a post from Victoria Bug Zoo. “Some may be pregnant, we respectfully ask that any vinegaroons that lay eggs be temporarily returned to the zoo so we can care for the babies.”
“To everyone who has already expressed Interest in adopting one of our little friends here, thank you so much for your kindness, and thank you to Dewdney Animal Hospital Ltd. and Adrian for helping us get the word out!”
An earlier Victoria Bug Zoo post noted they had about 15 vinegaroons in their care, which were all in “extremely rough shape when they arrived.”
“It is incredibly sad when animals must pay the price for the poor decisions of humans,” that post reads. “There are, unfortunately, unscrupulous people in the exotic pet trade, and this is why it is important to know who you are supporting when you make a purchase. Research your provider, always choose captive bred where possible, and don’t buy from people who sell illegal or unhealthy animals.”
In a Facebook video, a staff member at Victoria Bug Zoo explains vinegaroons are arachnids, “fairly closely related to spiders and scorpions.”
Link: https://www.campbellrivermirror.com/news/man-charged-after-scorpions-spiders-and-more-seized-from-surrey-home/
Sunday, July 14, 2019
The Top 10 Psilocybin Research Papers of the Last 20 Years
The Top 10 Psilocybin Research Papers of the Last 20 Years
A 2006 paper by Dr. Roland R. Giffiths and his team holds the #1 spot
JULY 08, 2019 - BARB BAUER
The increasing interest in studying the beneficial effects of psychedelic drugs presents an appropriate moment to take a look back at some of the most highly-cited psilocybin research papers of the last 20 years.
To aid in compiling and organizing the resulting data, searching Google Scholar was done using the free program Publish or Perish.
The search was set up to cover the years 1999 to 2019 to find studies with “psilocybin” in the title of the paper. The results are shown below with a brief summary.
The number of citations and year of publication for each is listed in Table 1.
It is important to note that a high citation count for a paper does not necessarily mean it is a high-quality study. A quick internet search reveals there are several ways to artificially inflate the citation count of scientific papers. Conversely, there are likely current ground-breaking papers on psilocybin that did not make the top 10 list because they are new and do not have enough citations yet. This top 10 list is meant to be a retrospective for general reference. The resulting list shown in Table 1 does contain several distinguished and respected psychedelic researchers, which adds validity to their citation counts.
1. Griffiths RR, Richards WA, McCann U, Jesse R. Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance.
This double-blind study tested the short and long-term psychological effects of high doses of psilocybin (30 mg/70 kg) on volunteers compared to the comparison compound methylphenidate hydrochloride. The volunteers were all hallucinogen näive and participated in regular religious or spiritual activities. Psilocybin produced a variety of acute perceptual changes and subjective experiences as well as decreased anxiety and increased measures of mystical experience. The data showed the psilocybin-occasioned mystical experiences were similar to spontaneously occurring mystical experiences. The data from the 2-month follow-up showed the effects of psilocybin had persisted with the volunteers saying it had substantial personal meaning and spiritual significance for them. Also, the volunteers attributed the positive changes in their behavior and attitude since the study to their psilocybin experience.
2. Carhart-Harris RL, Erritzoe D, Williams T, et al. Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin.
These researchers used a brain imaging technique called fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to examine how the human brain transitions from the normal waking state to the psychedelic state under the influence of psilocybin. The results indicated that the subjective effects of psilocybin (and other psychedelic drugs) are due to decreased activity and connectivity in key connector hubs in the brain which allows it to enter “a state of unconstrained cognition.”
3. Griffiths R, Richards W, Johnson M, McCann U, Jesse R. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later.
This study is the 14-month follow up to the Griffiths et al. study that is #1 on the list. The researchers report that at 14 months post-study, 58% of the volunteers said their psilocybin-occasioned experience as among the five most personally meaningful in their lives. Sixty-seven percent reported is as one of their top five most spiritually significant experiences. Also, increased life-satisfaction was reported by 64% of the volunteers, and 58% met the criteria for having had a “complete” mystical experience. Overall, having a mystical experience during the original study was determined to be central to the high ratings of personal meaning and spiritual experience at the follow-up.
4. Grob CS, Danforth AL, Chopra GS, et al. Pilot study of psilocybin treatment for anxiety in patients with advanced-stage cancer.
In this double-blind and placebo-controlled study examined, researchers examined the effect of a moderate dose (0.2 mg/kg) of psilocybin on feelings of anxiety in twelve adult patients with advanced-stage cancer. The results showed a significant reduction in anxiety at one and three months after treatment. Mood improvement of the patients reached a significant level after six months. As a pilot study, this work determined it is safe and feasible to administer moderate doses of psilocybin to advanced-stage cancer patients with anxiety, and some of the data showed improvements in mood and anxiety over time.
5. MacLean KA, Johnson MW, Griffiths RR. Mystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness.
This 2011 paper reports on the effects of psilocybin on five aspects of personality; neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness on healthy volunteers. The data showed that in addition to the volunteers reporting hallucinogen-induced increases in aesthetic appreciation, imagination, and creativity, there were significant increases in openness following a high-dose ( 30 mg/kg to 70 mg/kg) psilocybin session. In addition, openness remained significantly higher than the baseline more than a year later if the volunteer had a mystical experience during their psilocybin session.
6. Griffiths RR, Johnson MW, Richards WA, Richards BD, McCann U, Jesse R. Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects.
Eighteen hallucinogen-näive adults were chosen for this double-blind study to evaluate the effect of several doses of psilocybin administered under supportive conditions. The results of the study showed that when used under supportive conditions, psilocybin (20, 30, and 70 mg/kg) occasioned mystical-type experiences that had long-lasting positive effects on mood, attitude, and behavior. Interestingly, the lowest dose showed the most significant effects.
7. Carhart-Harris RL, Bolstridge M, Rucker J, et al. Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study.
Twelve patients with moderate to severe, unipolar, treatment-resistant depression were given two oral doses of psilocybin (10mg and 25 mg) seven days apart along with psychological support. Compared to the baseline data, the patient’s depressive symptoms were “markedly reduced” one week and three months after treatment. They also experienced significant and sustained improvements in their feelings of anxiety and lack of pleasure in their lives (anhedonia). This study provided preliminary evidence to support the safety and efficacy of using psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.
8. Moreno FA, Wiegand CB, Taitano EK, Delgado PL. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy of psilocybin in 9 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
This double-blind study tested the effects of four low (100 µg/kg) medium (200 µg/kg), or high (300 µg/kg) oral doses of psilocybin on relieving the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in nine patients. Data were gathered at baseline and at 4, 8, and 24 hours post ingestion. The researchers inserted a very low dose (VLD) (25 µg/kg) of psilocybin randomly throughout the study anytime after the first dose. The researchers hypothesized that there would be negligible at the VLD and used it as a placebo. The results showed that “Marked decreases in OCD symptoms of variable degrees were observed in all subjects during one or more of the testing sessions.” Interestingly, strong responses were even seen at the VLD.
9. Bogenschutz MP, Forcehimes AA, Pommy JA, Wilcox CE, Barbosa PCR, Strassman RJ. Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: a proof-of-concept study.
This 2015 study tested the effects of one or two oral doses of psilocybin on ten volunteers with alcohol dependence. The volunteers were dosed with psilocybin at 0.3 mg/kg and given motivational and supportive therapy both before and after administration. Four weeks later, the volunteers were given a second dose of 0.4 mg/kg unless they did not want to an increase, had adverse effects from the first dose, or had a complete mystical experience from the first dose. The results showed that the intensity of the first psilocybin session strongly predicted changes in drinking behavior over the next four weeks. The intensity of the first session also predicted decreases in alcohol cravings and increases in abstinence self-efficacy. Those volunteers who had a second dose of 0.4 mg/kg experienced similar results.
10. Johnson MW, Garcia-Romeu A, Cosimano MP, Griffiths RR. Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction.
In 2014, this pilot study tested moderate (20 mg/ 70 kg) and high (30 mg/ 70 kg) oral doses of psilocybin on 15 smokers in conjunction with a 15-week smoking cessation treatment protocol. The study gathered data at several points, including biomarker assessments for smoking and self-reporting by the participants. At the 6-month follow-up after the study, 80% of the participants were still abstinent from smoking. This exceeds the <35% rate typically seen using behavioral and/or pharmacological therapies.
Table 1: The top 10 psilocybin research papers from 1999 to 2019 with “psilocybin” in the title based on citation counts in Google Scholar.
NUMBER OF CITATIONS YEAR OF PUBLICATION
REFERENCE
783 2006 Griffiths RR, Richards WA, McCann U, Jesse R.
Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance.
Psychopharmacology. 2006;187(3):268-283. doi:10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5
477 2012 Carhart-Harris RL, Erritzoe D, Williams T, et al. Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin. PNAS. 2012;109(6):2138-2143. doi:10.1073/pnas.1119598109
454 2008 Griffiths R, Richards W, Johnson M, McCann U, Jesse R. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later. J Psychopharmacol. 2008;22(6):621-632. doi:10.1177/0269881108094300
442 2011 Grob CS, Danforth AL, Chopra GS, et al. Pilot study of psilocybin treatment for anxiety in patients with advanced-stage cancer. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2011;68(1):71-78. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.116
350 2011 MacLean KA, Johnson MW, Griffiths RR. Mystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness. J Psychopharmacol. 2011;25(11):1453-1461. doi:10.1177/0269881111420188
321 2011 Griffiths RR, Johnson MW, Richards WA, Richards BD, McCann U, Jesse R. Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology. 2011;218(4):649-665. doi:10.1007/s00213-011-2358-5
278 2016 Carhart-Harris RL, Bolstridge M, Rucker J, et al. Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2016;3(7):619-627. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30065-7
248 2006
Moreno FA, Wiegand CB, Taitano EK, Delgado PL. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy of psilocybin in 9 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2006;67(11):1735-1740. http://www.maps.org/research-archive/w3pb/2006/2006_Moreno_22868_1.pdf.
242 2015 Bogenschutz MP, Forcehimes AA, Pommy JA, Wilcox CE, Barbosa PCR, Strassman RJ. Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: a proof-of-concept study. Journal of psychopharmacology. 2015;29(3):289-299. doi:10.1177/0269881114565144
232 2014 Johnson MW, Garcia-Romeu A, Cosimano MP, Griffiths RR. Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction. J Psychopharmacol. 2014;28(11):983-992. doi:10.1177/0269881114548296
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Magic mushrooms should be decriminalised
Research into their therapeutic uses should not be bogged down in legal difficulties
\
Magic mushrooms should be decriminalised
Research into their therapeutic uses should not be bogged down in legal
Magic mushrooms should be decriminalised
Research into their therapeutic uses should not be bogged down in legal difficulties
difficulties
It was like when you defrag the hard drive on your computer. I experienced blocks going into place, things being rearranged in my mind. I visualised, as it was all put in order, a beautiful experience with these gold blocks going into black drawers that would illuminate and I thought: ‘My brain is being defragged! How brilliant is that!’” said Patient 11 in a small trial carried out at Imperial College, London, into the effects of psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, on people with depression resistant to available treatments. Six months on, the experience had left its mark. “My mind works differently. I ruminate much less, and my thoughts feel ordered, contextualised.”
The rehabilitation of psychedelic drugs, banned in most countries, is under way (see article). Oakland, California, in effect decriminalised psychoactive plants and fungi this week; a Republican state senator wants to do the same in Iowa; Denver decriminalised magic mushrooms last month; and campaigns in California and Oregon demand ballots to decriminalise psychoactive plants and legalise the therapeutic use of psilocybin, respectively.
VANCOUVER ABORIGINAL FRIENDSHIP CENTRE
VANCOUVER ABORIGINAL FRIENDSHIP CENTRE SOCIETY
The Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society (VAFCS) was registered in 1963 under the British Columbia Act as a non profit organization.
The Centre has been providing quality programs and services to the community for over 50 years. Since incorporation the centre has moved a few times; it was previously located on West Broadway, Vine Street and due to growth, and to better serve Our People the centre is now located at 1607 East Hastings Street.
Link: http://www.vafcs.org/
Saturday, July 13, 2019
In Ancient China, Pet Crickets Spent the Winter in Opulent Gourds
Spherical cricket container, date unknown, artist unknown.
In Ancient China, Pet Crickets Spent the Winter in Opulent Gourds
More than functional, these fleshy fruits developed into a striking art form.
BY CLAIRE VOON
JUNE 05, 2019
Link:
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Tibet House US Retweeted
Robert A.F. Thurman @BobThurman Jun 9Is Reality Made of Bliss? Exploring Yoga & Buddhism with Robert A.F. Thurman via Menla Retreat's Annual Buddha and the Yogis program https://youtu.be/c3W5OngrV38
The fierce Siddha Lakshmi, a wrathful manifestation of the Hindu goddess Durga, was the protecting and guiding goddess of the Malla kings, who ruled Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley from the thirteenth through eighteenth century and their descendants. Here she is shown at the center of the composition standing on the hands of her consort, the great god Shiva, with her various forms occupying the registers above and below. Her name opens with the Sanskrit term “siddha” which indicates that she has mastered the art of accomplishment, and as such she is appealed to by followers for the successful completion of projects.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
William Cullen Bryant
William Cullen Bryant
| |
|---|---|
Cabinet card of Bryant, c. 1876
| |
| Born | November 3, 1794 Cummington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1878 (aged 83) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Poet, journalist, and editor |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable works | "Thanatopsis" |
| Signature |  |
 Literature portal | |
William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post.
Contents
Youth and education[edit]
Bryant was born on November 3, 1794,[1] in a log cabin near Cummington, Massachusetts; the home of his birth is today marked with a plaque.[2] He was the second son of Peter Bryant (b. Aug. 12, 1767, d. Mar. 20, 1820), a doctor and later a state legislator, and Sarah Snell (b. Dec. 4, 1768, d. May 6, 1847). The genealogy of his mother traces back to passengers on the Mayflower: John Alden(b. 1599, d. 1687), his wife Priscilla Mullins and her parents William and Alice Mullins. The story of the romance between John and Priscilla is the subject of a famous narrative poem by Longfellow "The Courtship of Miles Standish".
He was also a nephew of Charity Bryant, a Vermont seamstress who is the subject of Rachel Hope Cleves's 2014 book Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America.[3] William Cullen Bryant described their relationship: "If I were permitted to draw the veil of private life, I would briefly give you the singular, and to me interesting, story of two maiden ladies who dwell in this valley. I would tell you how, in their youthful days, they took each other as companions for life, and how this union, no less sacred to them than the tie of marriage, has subsisted, in uninterrupted harmony, for more than forty
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