Ordinary to Extraordinary: Psychedelic Experience

Magic Mind Changers

Psychedelics are special things that change how we see life. Some famous ones are LSD, magic mushrooms, DMT, and mescaline. They work with a brain part called the serotonin 2A receptor.

There are other types too, like ketamine, PCP, and dextromethorphan. MDMA, also called ecstasy, is another one that makes people feel love and happiness.

It’s hard to say what a psychedelic is exactly, but it’s something that changes how we feel about ourselves. Get ready for a fun trip into the world of psychedelics!

Happy Brain Stuff

Smart people talked about psychedelics and how they play with two brain things: serotonin and dopamine. These brain parts are important because they change how other parts in the brain do their job. Drugs like LSD and magic mushrooms mostly touch the serotonin part. But, we still don’t know everything about how these drugs work so well.

Serotonin might make us feel happy and okay with life, while dopamine helps us see the world and all the fun things we can do. Different drugs change these brain parts in different ways and make us feel different things. We’re still trying to learn why this happens.

Magic Test

In a place called Hopkins lab, they’re doing cool tests with psychedelics. People with problems and healthy folks can join these tests. First, they check if people can join the test. They talk about feelings and check their hearts to make sure they don’t have big problems like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

On test day, people meet their helper team, who will be with them during the magic trip. They get a big dose of psilocybin, the stuff in magic mushrooms. It comes in a pill and starts working in 30 minutes to an hour. The test day is for helping people, and they can share any feelings they have during the trip. The room and how much people let go can change how the trip feels.

Letting Go

Letting go is important when having a psychedelic trip. It helps people trust themselves and others. Psychedelics change how we see time, space, and who we are. In this new state, people can focus on how they feel inside without being shy or thinking about other stuff. This helps them understand themselves and others better.

To help people go deeper, they can wear eye shades to block out the world and focus more. Also, checking their heart rate and blood pressure keeps them safe during the trip.

Magic Lessons and Flashbacks

People are really interested in using psychedelics, like “magic mushrooms” (with psilocybin), to help with sadness, worry, and addiction. It’s looking good, but we still need to learn about how they change the brain long-term.

A big question is how to use what people learn from the trip in everyday life. Even if the trip is super important, it can be hard to make the lessons stick.

Dr. Matthew Johnson from a place called Johns Hopkins University said it’s important to bring the trip lessons into daily life. In their studies, people write about their trip right after, and then talk to a helper the next day. This helps them understand what happened and what they want to change.

Dr. Johnson also talked about “flashbacks”, when the trip comes back after the drug is gone. But he said there’s no proof the drug stays in body fat and comes back later. He thinks flashbacks happen because some people are more likely to have them, just like some people are more likely to have some mental problems.

In the end, using psychedelics to help people is growing, and it looks good for helping with mental health problems. But we need more learning to see how to make the good parts of the trip stay in daily life.

Psychedelic Dangers: Bad Trips, Scary Moments, and Long Problems

Psychedelics can be dangerous for people with big mental problems like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These drugs can make their problems worse. Some stories say psychedelics might help people with schizophrenia, but it’s too risky to try. In tests, they check people very well for any mental problems before giving them the drug.

A “bad trip” is another danger of using psychedelics. Even healthy people can feel bad when using these drugs. Bad trips can make people scared, worried, and feel stuck. To avoid a bad trip, Johnson says to take psychedelics in a safe place with people who can help.

Johnson also says that some people have had very bad things happen to them after using psychedelics, like hurting themselves or even dying. He compares this to people who die from using too many drugs or doing extreme things, like bodybuilding or twisting their bodies. Johnson thinks it’s good to do tests with psychedelics in places like universities because it can help us learn more and make the drugs legal and safe.

Microdosing: Tiny Bits of Magic

Microdosing means taking just a little bit of a psychedelic drug, like LSD or psilocybin. For LSD, a normal trip starts with around 100 micrograms, but microdosing is about 10 milligrams or less. For psilocybin, people usually take small amounts of mushrooms, like half or a quarter gram.

Some people say microdosing is better than medicine for ADHD or feeling sad, but we don’t have much proof. A few studies say it might make it hard to know how much time has passed and give a small high, but no big changes in how creative or happy people are. There might be a “placebo effect,” where people feel better just because they think they took something helpful.

Microdosing might seem safer, but it’s still a strong drug, and there are risks. We don’t know much about what happens if people do it for a long time. It’s important to learn about the risks and benefits and talk to a doctor or helper before trying microdosing or any new treatment.

Magic Help for Brain Boo-Boos?

Psychedelics like psilocybin might help fix brain injuries. Some people say these drugs make their brain work better, remember things, and feel happier after getting hurt. Tests with little animals show that psychedelics help make new connections in the brain.

But we need to learn more. Scientists want to work with athletes who have had brain injuries to see if psychedelics help with sadness and thinking better. They hope this will show that the drugs can fix brains and make things better for people with brain injuries.

Note : Who is Matthew W. Johnson, Ph.D. ?

Dr. Matthew W. Johnson is a professor at Johns Hopkins who has studied how psychedelic drugs affect people. He has also looked at addiction and risky behavior using a method called behavioral economics. Dr. Johnson has done important research on many different drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, opioids, and cannabis. He has talked to many news reporters and given speeches in many countries about his work.