A meta-analysis of studies on psilocybin show that high doses of the substance can alleviate symptoms of depression in people at levels comparable to the SSRI drug escitalopram, which is used to treat major depressive episodes. Researchers found that patients fared better with psilocybin - the active ingredient in 'magic mushrooms' - than with placebos. [...]

It's not often that a scientist becomes a subject for his own research; even less common when said scientist describes his brain as 'breaking' during the experiment. But that's precisely how Dr. Nico Dosenbach, an associate professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, recounted his experience under the influence of [...]

Sensory deprivation via natural or manmade caves has now become, if not routine, certainly more commonplace. In recent months Outside and National Geographic have run stories on the practice, which usually involves a stay lasting days or even weeks in the pitch-black confines of a cave retreat. The goal is to eliminate the sensory stimuli [...]

Using fMRI technology, scientists for the first time have revealed significant - albeit temporary - changes in the brain function of individuals using psilocybin, a hallucinogen known more casually as 'magic mushrooms.' "I've never seen an effect this strong," said Shan Siddiqi, a neuroscientist at the Harvard School of Medicine. He said some of the [...]

For as long as self-aware humans have occupied this planet, they've been busy attempting to understand and improve themselves. In this post, we'll look at vision quests, which actually lends itself to other aspects of personal development, including meditation, mindfulness, silence, and self-inquiry. Although there is evidence vision quests have been practiced for thousands of [...]

Everywhere you turn, it seems, psychological sufferers - including a growing number of therapists and physicians treating them - are turning to psychedelics or, more specifically, 'psychedelic-assisted therapy,' to cure suffering. At the risk of harshing a lot of people's buzzes, it's unlikely that MDMA, psilocybin, ketamine, LSD, ayahuasca and a host of other mind-bending [...]