The Psychedelic Renaissance in 2021.
“Ayahuasca, a hallucinogen brew prepared through the decoction of Banisteriopsis caapi stalks and Psychotria viridis leaves. Ayahuasca effects are caused by the interaction of β-carbolines contained in Banisteriopsis caapi stalks combined with the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Psychotria viridis leaves, a potent agonist to serotonin (5-HT) receptors. Benefits obtained from the brew intake, such as mind healing, increased self-knowledge, improved memory and persistently elevated mood”. It has gained recent traction with U.S. Military Veterans for seeking healing from treatment-resistant mental illness such as Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Depression.
Ayahuasca is gaining traction in our modern society after having remained in the shadows for decades.
The United States Government has deemed many plants as having no medicinal purpose within our country. As such, they were assigned as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act making it illegal for possession, consumption, and research. This includes N-dimethyltryptamine or DMT, the active ingredient within ayahuasca.
With the proliferation of the internet and the ability to disseminate information at instantaneous speeds; coupled with the fact that most corners of the globe are now accessible by humans; entheogen research has pressed on, despite the legal hurdle that the United States Government has kept in place for over 50 years (The Controlled Substances Act, n.d.). As entheogen research gains more support globally, the opportunities to explore ayahuasca from a scientific perspective will grow.
Researchers, Healers, Shamans, Psychonauts, and those searching for a “hail mary” (Londoño & Ferguson, 2020), in regards to treatment-resistant or incurable illnesses that cannot be solved by Western Medicine; many have found safety and solace in locations around the globe where entheogen consumption is in fact legal. Thus, finding alternative means for healthcare that provide the user a cure; or simply finding relief through a placebo effect granted facilitated by a shaman or similar practitioner of rainforest healing (Plotkin, 2021).
Today, the psychedelic renaissance is moving faster than its predecessor with the help of the internet and social media. Searching up keywords such as psychedelics, plant medicine, or even ayahuasca on a number of technological platforms will provide both valuable information and disinformation.
During the 1960s, the media controlled the narrative of psychedelics such as LSD labeling them as “drugs of dependence” (Johnson et al., 2008) that would make the user “crazy”, despite the United States Government testing these same substances on military forces.
The U.S. government deemed hallucinogens as having no medicinal value simply because they saw greater value in the investment and production of pharmaceuticals that would provide long-term profit, as well as means to control the population.
50 years later, the scientific community is teaming up with a growing number of persons within our society to do away with the control that the government has held over substances like DMT, Psilocybin, and LSD for over half a century. I foresee that plant medicines like ayahuasca will in fact be legalized in the United States and available for research in laboratories around the country; and on the path for use by those who need it for medicinal use.
Would you like to know more?
Be sure to read back on all of our articles about Entheogen Therapy or Psychedelic Plant Medicine derived from the scientific paper, “Reported results of Amazonian Entheogens for treatment of Complex-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD); Military Sexual Trauma (MST); and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among U.S. Military Veterans and the benefits of application through small group indigenous shamanic ceremonies”.
References:
Boling, Melanie (2021). Reported results of Amazonian Entheogens for treatment of Complex-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD); Military Sexual Trauma (MST); and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among U.S. Military Veterans and the benefits of application through small group indigenous shamanic ceremonies. The Amazon Rainforest: From Conservation to Climate Change-research. Harvard Summer School, August 9, 2021.
The Controlled Substances Act. (n.d.). Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/csa
Londoño, E., & Ferguson, A. (2020, August 30). ‘A Hail Mary’: Psychedelic Therapy Draws Veterans to Jungle Retreats. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/world/americas/psychedelics-therapy-war-stress.html
Plotkin, M. J. (2021). The Amazon: What everyone needs to know. lecture notes The Amazon Rainforest: From Conservation to Climate Change- seminar. Harvard Summer School. Delivered July 2021.
Johnson, Mw, Wa Richards, and Rr Griffiths. “Human Hallucinogen Research: Guidelines for Safety.” Journal of Psychopharmacology 22, no. 6 (August 2008): 603–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881108093587.
About the author:
Melanie began attending Harvard in 2020 to complete a Graduate Certificate in Human Behavior with a specialization in Neuropsychology. Boling’s research has examined extreme environments and how they can have a potential negative impact on humans operating in the extreme environment. During her time at Harvard, she has built a mental wellness tool called a psychological field kit. Implementing these tools will allow an individual to thrive in an extreme environment while mitigating negative variables such as abnormal human behavior which can play a role in team degradation.
Melanie Boling, Extreme (ICE) Environments Behavioural Ecologist, Peer Wild; and Graduate Student of Neuropsychology, Harvard University.
contact: melanie.noelani@gopeerwild.org