September 10, 2021

Melanie Boling, Harvard University.

September 10, 2021

Effectiveness of Hallucinogenic lianas of the Amazon Rainforest among United States Military Veterans.

The saying goes, “the toad always knows” or “toad you so” which are modern-cultural references to the Bufo alvarius, also known as the Sonoran Desert toad. Its most notable characteristic is the toxic, milky-white venom it secretes to poison predators. The substance derived from that venom is 5-MeO-DMT, an extremely potent psychedelic that is up to six times stronger than its better-known relative DMT. After just a single-use, “this psychedelic medicine lifts anxiety, depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and provides an overall sustained enhancement of satisfaction with life” (Imagery Beyond Borders, January 2021).

United States Military Veterans are taking their mental health into their own hands and by doing so are stepping away from pharmaceutical interventions, and leaning in toward plant medicine solutions (“The Potential for Psychedelic Treatment for Veterans,” 2021).

Military Veterans seeking the potential relief through entheogen therapy or that specifically ayahuasca could provide for their Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, outweighed the risks. Plant medicines are a way of “pulling the rug out from under you and beating the rug until it’s clean” (Stroder, 2014), a commonality among troops on how to handle their affairs in life.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Addiction are two mental illnesses that some veterans returning home are plagued with and preliminary research has shown that ayahuasca consumption can relieve some of the symptoms that accompany those illnesses and in some cases cure them.

Entheogen Therapy holds a space for many veterans trapped in their trauma and plant medicine has provided a space for releasing the trauma during their psychedelic experience (Veterans Are Turning to Ayahuasca for PTSD Relief, n.d.).

Each experience is different with the individual; but, the overall message is that relief is sought and found through ayahuasca therapy. Drinking ayahuasca brought veterans the healing they search for by providing love and acceptance of themselves after suffering through atrocities such as psychological abuse and sexual assault while serving in the military (Stroder, 2014).

Different types of research being conducted on veterans involving Psilocybin Mushrooms and MDMA, and a groundbreaking study on 5-MeO-DMT that shows positive results for those suffering from psychological and cognitive impairment (“The Potential for Psychedelic Treatment for Veterans,” 2021).

San Pedro Cactus or Echinopsis pachanoi is a fast growing cactus native to the Andes Mountains. The processing of the plant medicine is a sacred traditional ceremony because one puts their own intentions into the medicine in an effort to heal the consumer (Imagery Beyond Borders, January 2021).

The San Pedro Cactus or “Huachuma” is cut and boiled down to a brew with the consistency of agave nectar. Echinopsis pachanoi contains mescaline and is currently being used for treatment-resistant mental illnesses like Depression, PTSD, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD (Imagery Beyond Borders, January 2021).

The sacred cactus tea is best consumed in a safe and trusted environment where one could express their creative-self for up to 12 hours. It’s been said that “The Incas built Machu Picchu while consuming Huachuma” (Imagery Beyond Borders, January 2021).

Researchers are just beginning to tap into the therapeutic potential for the treatment of depression and anxiety through the application of ayahuasca. Despite not knowing the exact “mechanisms'” (Murphy-Beiner & Soar, 2020) that make this plant medicine such a beneficial treatment option; research has shown that other psychedelics have offered a window of opportunity for additional psychotherapeutic tools to be introduced to help support the human subject after the acute effects had worn off (Murphy-Beiner & Soar, 2020).

One study utilized mindfulness and cognitive “mental” flexibility, which both approaches are defined as shifts of perspective in their own right. Both have been said to improve the practitioner’s quality of life or state of being.

Mindfulness increases the connectivity between the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) responsible for the emotional and cognitive center of the brain and the Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PSC) which is the hub of the Default Mode Network (DMN) where you create a sense of “self” (Murphy-Beiner & Soar, 2020).

Ayahuasca inhibits various parts of the brain associated with cognitive flexibility. It produces structural changes within the brain that are responsible for activity within 24 hours of ayahuasca consumption which leads to positive increases in cognitive flexibility.

Results show that mindfulness is beneficial and lasting to the first-time or experienced ayahuasca user. Ayahuasca’s use allows the loosening of one’s cognitive grip which helps alleviate the feeling of being stuck and the depression associated with similar behavioral patterns (Murphy-Beiner & Soar, 2020).

Sexual assault survivors in the military suffer from the fear of victim-blaming and feelings of shame and guilt that often continue to impact every aspect of the survivor’s life beyond their time in the military.

Relationships of any kind are impaired and ultimately the survivor has no room for trust with anyone.

More and more United States Military Veterans are being diagnosed with PTSD due to Military Sexual Trauma or MST, which could potentially deem sexual assault survivors as disabled without the ability to work again for the remainder of their life.

Entheogen therapy or Psychedelic Plant Medicine combined with mindfulness and cognitive flexibility is a potential avenue for relief for these particular individuals “seeking the light” (Veterans Are Turning to Ayahuasca for PTSD Relief, n.d.).

Facilitating this through small group ceremonies is a way of allowing the survivor to feel safe, and provide space for trust within themself and those around them, which can often be lost in a large group of individuals.

This particular recipe could be the key to improving the overall quality of life for the survivor and provide a path to finding their way back to themselves, despite the atrocities that were forced to suffer at the hands of others.

Trust and safety are the key components to the overall success of Psychedelic Plant Medicine.

Depiction of your mind on Ayahuasca. (Artist unknown, 2020)

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.

HAVN Life. “The Potential for Psychedelic Treatment for Veterans,” March 11, 2021.

https://havnlife.com/the-potential-for-psychedelic-treatment-for-veterans/.

Murphy-Beiner, A, and K Soar. “Ayahuasca’s ‘Afterglow’: Improved Mindfulness and Cognitive Flexibility in Ayahuasca Drinkers.” Psychopharmacology 237, no. 4 (April 2020): 1161–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05445-3.

Stroder, Richard. “Veteran: My Search for a PTSD Cure Led Me to the Amazon.” CNN, October 23, 2014. https://www.cnn.com/2014/10/23/opinion/veteran-ptsd-ayahuasca/index.html.

“Veterans Are Turning to Ayahuasca for PTSD Relief.” Accessed July 15, 2021. https://www.vice.com/en/article/a3kaye/veterans-are-turning-to-ayahuasca-for-ptsd-relief.

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

September 7, 2021

Harvard University, scientific research, Melanie Boling

The Psychedelic Renaissance in 2021. // Melanie Boling, Harvard University.

Melanie Boling

September 7, 2021

Harvard University, scientific research, Melanie Boling

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, 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:

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 Boling

March 23, 2021

Expeditionary Service Dog River Roux and Melanie Boling on expedition in Olympic National Park, Washington.

Melanie Boling

March 23, 2021

Expeditionary Service Dog River Roux on expedition while handler Melanie Boling scouts the Northern Pacific Coast for the elusive Coastal Sea Wolf in the Northwest corner of Washington State.

Boling’s research is part of her Graduate Studies at Harvard University where she examines “extreme environments” and how they can have a potential negative impact on humans operating in the extreme environment. Implementing “expeditionary service dogs” are a way of mitigating negative variables such as abnormal behavior and abnormal psychology that can play a role into conservation team degradation.

Melanie Boling and Expeditionary Service Dog River Roux spent nearly a year in the field while training out in the South Cascades Mountain Range of the Pacific Northwest. This particular scouting trip to the North Pacific Coast of Washington was the first that Expeditionary Service Dog River Roux and Boling had accomplished together “on expediton “ over the course of a week in August of 2020.