Academy of Sciences published a study purporting to show how psilocybin, the active ingredient in what are known as “magic mushrooms” is helpful in the treatment of depression, PTSD and anxiety. Another study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found similar results.
Meantime, researchers around the world have been experimenting with Ecstasy, whose active ingredient, MDMA, has been linked to improvements among people suffering from depression.
The Academy of Sciences study looks at where and how psychedelics work in the human brain. Turns out, “turning off parts of the brain may be the real secret to expanding your mind.” And a Johns Hopkins study finds mushrooms induce mystical/spiritual experiences descriptively identical to spontaneous ones people have reported for centuries.