Breathwork and Psychedelics

I've been exploring various breathwork techniques last week, actually just 4 of them but with great teachers and a top set /setting environment.

Details will be later but I've created this high-level comparison and psychedelic states that can be reached using such techniques.

Feel free to use/share and most importantly tell if there are any mistakes.

The table was made by ChatGPT ofcause 😁

Table in CSV attached in the comments.

Breath work really work 💪


https://nypost.com/2024/01/13/lifestyle/what-is-psychedelic-breathwork-learn-all-about-the-latest-hack-people-are-using-to-get-high-without-drugs/


“He [Wim Hof] guided me through a very simple breathing exercise; it was 15 minutes of deep continuous breathing followed by holding my breath, and in that moment I had the most profound experience, it’s like my spirit came back into my body,” Johannes said.

“I was living in a disassociated shell, moving through life like a video game, where I was the main character and it was first-person player mode."

Europe, get ready 🤩https://psychedelichealth.co.uk/2024/01/17/europe-establish-regulatory-guidance-psychedelics-2024/

First European psychedelic Grant 👌


Promise, there will be more research post's here, but this is a big step.


Marking a historic first for Europe, the European Union has funded research into psychedelic therapy as part of its Horizon Europe programme. 


https://psychedelichealth-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/psychedelichealth.co.uk/2024/01/24/psychedelic-research-first-ever-european-union-grant-e6-5-million/amp/

Behavioral Psychedelics - answer to all problems 

Want to stop smoking and drinking, change diet and start physical exercises? Just try psychedelics.

From my personal experience, I quit smoking after Ayahuasca

 I'm much less addicted to alcohol after other psychedelics. 

I've got insight from one of the Ketamine sessions that there is nothing more important than health 




https://youtu.be/tdHHSXn1lV8?si=2WvSaAD0YHvjQzJX

How many psychedelic therapy sessions were done ?


Just over 700 legally counted Psilocybin sessions in Oregon last year. I assumed it must be more.

So we are talking about probably thouthants per year worldwide taking into account they aterevare maybe 2 dozen places worldwide like Oregon. maybe low digest tens of thousands in total per year. The market looks like we are just in the very beginning 🤔

Anyone seen any stats ?

https://hightimes.com/news/over-700-people-legally-tripped-shrooms-in-oregon-this-year/

AI for depression assessment 🤗

I've been constantly arguing rot better depression diagnosis tools and here we are 😊

The newest tool accepted into ISTAND comes from Deliberate AI. The AI-generated Clinical Outcome Assessment—AI-COA for short—uses multimodal behavioral signal processing and machine learning technology to record mental health symptoms and assess the severity of cases of anxiety and depression.


https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/fda-accepts-first-ai-algorithm-drug-development-tool-pilot-deliberate-ais-anxiety-and

So you had a blissful experience what's next?🤔

Psychedelic integration is even more important that trip itself. Not that many good practical information available on this topic. The following article is a good place to start.

TLDR:

There are six domains of integration: mind, body, spirituality, lifestyle, relationships and the natural world. There are hundreds of different integration practices, from journaling and talking to spending time in nature, setting intentions, practising non-sexual intimacy, setting boundaries and volunteering in your community.


https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/61720/1/mushroom-lsd-psycilobin-psychedelic-integration

Cure everything 🤗

EU scientists are already working on a clinical trial studying the impacts of psilocybin, the main psychoactive agent in magic mushrooms, against atypical Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The EU-funded research will feature a much wider cohort of patients than previous studies to determine if psychedelics can relieve hard-to-treat depression in people with terminal conditions. This will be the first time the European Union provides full funding (more than $7 million) for a psychedelic study. The European Union will award the funding through its Horizon Europe Program.

https://www.psychedelicnewswire.com/eu-finances-first-psychedelics-research-on-incurable-illnesses/

What about stroke patients?


https://secure.jhu.edu/form/phathom-study

This study will test the hypothesis that combining psychedelics with physical therapy in digitally enriched environments will restore the ability to recover motor function in stroke patients, even in cases where the stroke occurred months to years prior.

The Best Kanna podcast (and strain?)🔥

Im a big fan of Kanna though all of my friends think that it doesn't work 😅. 

And here is why. According to the podcast there are a lot of different strains and different ways to harvest it and most of them now are low potency. 

I agree, I've actually tried 3 of them on various forms and posted review here 

https://news.1rj.ru/str/unstoppable_technologies/178

The most potent I tried in Amsterdam and you should sniff it to feel 

Going back to podcast, in Kanna we have at least 3 main alcaloids responsible for various effects. 

Mesembrine
Mesembrenone 
Δ7Mesembrenone

Much like with weed where we have THC CBD and a bunch of other cannabinoids  responsible for variety of effects from uplifting to sedating here we have even more options for variations, but Msembrine is the most important part. 

So the guy from this podcast growing the most potent strain so far according to his opinion and I've already ordered a few examples. 

There are 2 mixes they offer 

85% Mesembrine 
10% Mesembrenone 
5% Δ7Mesembrenone 

This can give Uplifting, Energizing, Outgoing effects 

60% mesembrine
20% mesembrenone
20% Δ7mesembrenone

This one is more Blissful, Warm-Hug, “Melty”

Overall Kanna can be described as emphatogene, like MDMA, but with much much much less potency. 

However, this strain the he grows should be more effective (will see).

Also, what's very unique and exciting from this podcast is that he suggested a mix of 100-200 mg of Kanna + 0.2 - 1 grams of mushrooms which in combination can make almost an MDMA experience but with less negative effects.

If thats the case it's a game changer 🔥

Anyway, check this podcast, there is a lot more on history, growing and indigenous usage.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5saWJzeW4uY29tLzgxODk1L3Jzcw/episode/ZWEzMTEwMGMtNmQxNi00M2YyLWIxYTktMGVlYWY0MTk2ODU2?ep=14

EMDR + Psychedelics = Match 

First I thought -WTF, those are 2 very powerful instruments.  why mixng?

Then I remember myself trying to do that with Ketamine long time ago with the idea that it might help me to enter the EMDR season and get rid of the blocks i had, but my experiment was not successful that time.

So how we can mix EMDR with psychedelics?

1. As a preparation session before to get to trauma
2. As a tool to get out from repeating loop happening during psychedelic therapy (research in going on in this area)
3. As a better way to use neuroplasticity window after psychedelic to run even better integration 
4. Microdosing to enhance EMDR

What are the combinations
1. EMDR + weed to increase body connection 
2. EMDR + MDMA - perfect match
3. EMDR + Ketamine - there is a research that it's actually make sense in low doses (maybe I need to try again)
4. EMDR + Classic Psychedelic - great too to process and integrate  all insights clothes to the end of trip 


P.S. there was a short conversation on flashbacks  and theory that it's actually a Version of PTSD
When part of the trip was not processed properly and then stored in maladaptive part , like traumatic memory. I found this very insightful and wan to dive deeper. 

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9wbGFudG1lZGljaW5lcG9kY2FzdC5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw/episode/ZDY4NmY5MDctMmFiNC00NmNjLWIxNzUtY2RkZjNiYjcxY2M4?ep=14

Psychedelic digest January 2024 

Let's try new format, since I've been out of this reality ( well, I was  actually testing a bunch of altered states of consciousness with Psychedelics, Breathwork, Soundhealing, Nidra and others, and still processing it )😊

Here is the digest of most interesting Psychedelic news in Jan 2024 from Business, Clinical and Research areas. 


Business & Government 

Following the approved psychedelics provision,l and 10m$ in funding the Department of Defense (DoD) must create, within 180 days of the enactment, a process for service members with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) to participate in clinical trials with psilocybin, MDMA, ibogaine or 5-MeO-DMT.

https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/23/12/36386091/president-biden-approves-psychedelics-clinical-trials-for-active-military-members

 Development and Clinical trials 

1. MindMed, a biotech company specializing in psychedelic-inspired medicines, has revealed promising results from its MM-120 drug candidate in the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

The trial highlight that the drug candidate, particularly at the 100 µg dose, demonstrated effectiveness, significantly reducing anxiety symptoms.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/lsd-effective-treating-anxiety-clinical-trial



2. Cybin Announces Positive Topline Data from Phase 1 Studies of Proprietary Deuterated DMT Molecules CYB004 and SPL028

Importantly, these are the first-in-human studies of deuterated DMT in healthy participants. both the IV and IM administrations produced robust psychedelic effects and were safe and well-tolerated

Results  support progression to a Phase 2 study in Q1 2024

https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/cybin-announces-positive-topline-data-from-phase-1-studies-of-proprietary-deuterated-dmt-molecules-cyb004-and-spl028

Science and Research 

And now, the favorite part. For this month I've picked something less usual as we regularly see. Less common psychedelics (Ibogaine), less common sickness (/brain injury) and my favorite, less common way to search for a new drugs( AI).


1. Psychedelics for acquired brain injury (ABI): a review of molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential


Paper explores the neurochemical properties of psychedelics as a therapeutic intervention for ABI, with a focus on serotonin receptors, sigma-1 receptors, and neurotrophic signalling associated with neuroprotection, neuroplasticity, and neuroinflammation. The promotion of neuronal growth, cell survival, and anti-inflammatory properties exhibited by psychedelics strongly supports their potential benefit in managing ABI.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-02360-0

2.  Ibogaine for Traumatic brain injury 

TBI is a leading cause of injury-related disability worldwide and is likely to remain so until at least 2030. It is also the signature injury of US veterans from recent military conflicts, most often caused by blast exposure.

The prespecified primary outcome was a change in the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 from baseline to posttreatment.


https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02705-w


3.  Alphaphold AI discovered new psychedelics

Researchers have used the protein-structure-prediction tool AlphaFold to identify hundreds of thousands of potential new psychedelic molecules — which could help to develop new kinds of antidepressant.

They then synthesized hundreds of the most promising compounds identified with either the predicted and experimental structures and measured their activity in the lab.

The screens with predicted and experimental structures yielded completely different drug candidates.

But to the team’s surprise, the ‘hit rates’ — the proportion of flagged compounds that actually altered protein activity in a meaningful way — were nearly identical for the two groups. And AlphaFold structures identified the drugs that activated the serotonin receptor most potently. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00130-8

HPPD or hallucinogen persisting perception disorder.

Just recently though if there are any good studies on this "flashbacks" phenomenon and here they are:

"One of the most notable findings was the correlation between first-time psychedelic use and an increase in unusual visual experiences. Participants who had never before used psychedelics but did so during the study period reported a greater increase in these experiences than individuals who had used psychedelics previously. This suggests that naivety to psychedelics may predispose individuals to more pronounced visual disturbances, highlighting a potential area of concern for first-time users


https://www.psypost.org/2024/02/psychedelic-use-linked-to-increased-risk-of-unusual-visual-experiences-221224

Brain organoids breakthrough 😊


"Scientists have created brain “organoids” for years, but there are limitations to the tiny, lab-grown cultures. One of the most frustrating issues is a lack of control over their design, which often limits an organoid’s functionality and use. Although researchers long suspected 3D-printing could offer a solution, the workaround has so far proven difficult and ineffective. A new production breakthrough, however, could solve the longstanding barrier, and one day offer new ways of exploring treatment for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzeheimer’s."

And we will be finally able to test psychedelics on organoids 😊


https://www.popsci.com/science/3d-printed-brain-tissue/

Psychedelics and Sex ❤️

14th February is close, plan your plans accordingly 😘

These are the findings of the first known scientific investigation into the effects of psychedelics on sex by Imperial College London. questionnaire responses from almost 300 people before and after a psychedelic experience.

By combining responses from two groups – people taking psychedelics for recreational or wellness/ceremonial purposes, as well as a small group from a clinical trial assessing psylocibin (the compound found in magic mushrooms) for depression – they were able to investigate how the experience influenced a range of aspects relating to sexual functioning.


The analysis reveals that on average, people reported improvements across a range of areas of sexual function up to six months after their psychedelic experience, including their enjoyment of sex, sexual arousal, satisfaction with sex, attraction to partner, their own physical appearance, communication, and their sense of connection.



https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/251313/psychedelic-experiences-linked-with-improved-sexual/