***** DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. I AM A WELL READ, CURIOUS PERSON WHO IS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE FOUND THINGS THAT WORK FOR ME AND BENEFIT MY OVERALL HEALTH. I BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR OWN HEALTH. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ARE USELESS, BUT I DO BELIEVE AMERICANS HAVE BECOME TOO DEPENDENT ON THEM. EVERYBODY NEEDS HELP AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN THEIR LIVES, HOWEVER. SO, IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, OR ANY OTHER MENTAL ISSUE, PLEASE GO TALK TO SOMEBODY. THERE’S NO SHAME IN DOING WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU!!! *****
Psychedelics. When you hear that word, what are your initial thoughts? Hippies at Woodstock? A Grateful Dead show? The MK-Ultra Program? A breakthrough in mental health medicine? If that last one is not what you were thinking at all, it’s time for you to shift your mindset. A revolution in mental health treatment is in its beginning stages as you’re reading this. You will not read or hear about it in the mainstream media. Why? The most likely answer to that question is because psychedelic therapy has such a high success rate.
The mainstream media is in cahoots (such a great word) with the pharmaceutical industry. It’s painfully obvious. So, you’ll only see advertisements and segments on SSRIs (anti-depressants), benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety), and other “band-aid” remedies. These ads will of course be sandwiched in between stories of mass shootings, politicians’ sexual deviant behavior, and Jonny Depp and Amber Heard’s tumultuous relationship. You know… REAL news that matters! If you cannot pick up on my sarcasm by reading this, I am making a point that the majority of what the mainstream media feeds you is garbage for your mind, body, and soul. None of it serves you. And to top it off, a lot of that mainstream garbage is sponsored by pharmaceutical industries.
Back to the success rate of psychedelics. Have you ever heard of PTSD? The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs defines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as “the development of characteristic and persistent symptoms along with difficulty functioning after exposure to a life-threatening experience or to an event that either involves a threat to life or serious injury1. Have you ever heard of MDMA? MDMA is a drug that can make people feel euphoric and empathetic. Molly is the street name for powder or crystal MDMA, often sold in capsules. Ecstasy is the street name for the pill form of MDMA2. Now that you have a little background on PTSD & MDMA, let’s look at how the two have complimented each other throughout this country’s brief history.
In the 60s & 70s, MDMA was being used legally in psychological clinics across the USA. Thousands of patients were treated, and it was being studied in clinical settings for everything from addiction, to relationship therapy, to anxiety3. Think about that for a moment. One compound was being used for three different ailments. This is exactly why big pharma isn’t interested in MDMA. I can’t blame them, either. As a business, their main objective is to maximize profit. In order to do that, they want to sell as many products (they call them medications) as possible. Why sell one compound that can alleviate issues associated with many ailments, when you can sell one compound for each ailment? I’m not one to knock making money and embracing capitalism but be up front with me. Big pharma is out for big pharma, not the well-being of you and society.
In 1985, the DEA invoked emergency powers and scheduled MDMA as a Schedule I drug, the most illegal. This meant that the drug had “no medical value,” and was extremely dangerous4. Thanks Nancy Reagan! How ridiculous. At the height of the Cold War, one of the government’s primary objectives was to ban a substance that made people happy and caused them to embrace love. But alas, the universe corrected itself with an attempt at balance the following year. In 1986 (the year of my birth – shout out to the 80s babies out there), a pioneer by the name of Rick Doblin, Ph. D. founded MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies). Check out the video below featuring Rick talking about the future of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
***** LISTEN TO MAPS FOUNDER RICK DOBLIN DISCUSS MDMA AND HOW IT CURED TWO OF HIS PATIENTS OF PTSD BY WATCHING THIS TED TALK *****
As with other Schedule I drugs, MDMA most definitely has therapeutic benefits. MDMA-assisted therapy is an investigational treatment and is not yet approved for use outside of research. Phase 3 MDMA-assisted therapy clinical research has demonstrated that 67% of participants in the MDMA group no longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis two months after treatment, compared to 32% in the placebo group5. That is a very high percentage of participants essentially being cured of their ailment after only two months of treatment. This does not mean we have a panacea on our hands, but those numbers are promising & warrant more research.
I have always held a special place in my heart for the military community. Our servicemembers embody the word “sacrifice.” They sacrifice aspects of life that civilians normally take for granted. Sometimes, they make the ultimate sacrifice by giving their life. I am constantly working on my gratefulness, and the people who serve make it easier for me to do that. Among veterans with PTSD, as diagnosed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 89% are treated with SSRIs. It has been estimated that no more than 20% of veterans with PTSD are effectively treated, possibly because SSRIs are more effective in women than in men and because they are more effective in acute PTSD than in chronic disease6.
Quick sidebar: I have a buddy. Let’s call him James. This topic is near & dear to James’s heart. He is quite passionate about it. In 2017, James began a journey of self-discovery. Getting physically fit and self-medicating with psychedelics has truly helped James manage his addictions, anger, and depression. James has cut back considerably on drinking alcohol (which used to be an every day thing for him). He has also become a licensed REALTOR®, and is far more empathetic and compassionate compared to earlier in his life. James enjoys things like he did when he was a child. He has found his true passions in writing, dancing, and performing. The most profound thing that psychedelics has done is made James realize that we are all connected. As cliché as that may sound, James thinks it’s 100% true!
There are certainly other variables that helped James get to this point. Most noticeably, his framily (friends+family). James can’t give psychedelics all of the credit for his transformation, but it has definitely helped him “rewire” his brain. These substances are NOT for everybody, so I don’t suggest you go out today and drop three X pills if you have PTSD. If you are dealing with mental health problems, however, I suggest doing your own research on this topic and ASKING LOTS OF QUESTIONS! This suggestion is second only to cognitive behavioral therapy (a.k.a. talking to a mental health professional). Talking through your problems and getting them off your chest is always the best place to start your mental health journey.
***** MDMA is not the only psychedelic that is revolutionizing modern mental health medicine. LSD (a.k.a. “acid”) and psilocybin (magic mushrooms) are currently being tested in an effort to gain FDA approval. My plan is to write pieces on those psychedelic substances and their relation to anxiety & depression. Look for them later this month or maybe even into June! *****
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