For a long time, psychedelic drugs were associated with negative attributes, including addiction and mental health degeneration. However, continuous research using different psychedelics revealed promising results in controlled trials, leading to an expansion of use. Numerous research-based studies have now included controlled psychedelic amounts in psychotherapy research, creating room for cutting-edge findings. Although the analysis process is yet to provide reliable information about including psychedelic medicine in regular psychotherapy treatment, medical personnel and researchers continue to study patients' positive effects under observation.
Despite the rising interest in testing psychedelic medicine on patients dealing with chronic pain and mental disorders, it is vital to seek information from certified and experienced medical professionals, instead of trying out the treatment yourself. Dangerous side effects often accompany an unregulated use of psychedelic drugs, leading to complications to your existing medical condition. At Pacific Pain and Wellness in Torrance, California, we embrace chronic pain treatment and mental health restoration by consulting different treatment options from therapy sessions to medicated treatment. Therefore, we are open to learning and conducting further research on psychedelic medicine to include controlled amounts in chronic pain treatment. We value your wellbeing and strive to provide personalized healthcare treatment to manage your health and experience a happy, balanced life.
Understanding the Nature of Psychedelic Medicine
The term 'psychedelic' refers to a distorted state of reality, where a person may experience multiple sounds and visions simultaneously. Hence, psychedelic drugs cause similar effects when consumed with commonly reported impacts of vivid hallucinations and psychotic episodes.
Many discoveries on organic produce like plants have yielded numerous types of psychedelic drugs, including Psilocybin, Ayahuasca, and more. Additionally, some drugs are lab-formulated with similar chemical combinations that all yield psychedelic effects to a human's brain system. For example, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA is a typical chemically formulated psychedelic circulating in lively scenes such as parties and concert events.
Usually, all psychedelic drugs are illegal in the United States based on the harmful effects associated with their use. Therefore, authorities impose strict regulations on their accessibility and curb abuse and addiction to drugs.
The illegal status of psychedelics is valid, mainly because of its powerful effect on a human being's mind. When you purchase a small quantity of LSD for personal consumption, you are likely to have a long mental distortion, also known as a 'trip.' The effects of a trip can be unpredictable because the drugs act differently on individuals.
Hence, you may experience a euphoric feeling that goes on for hours or even days, coupled with pleasant mystical hallucinations that detach you from reality. Conversely, the psychedelic drugs may invoke fearful memories you have encountered in the past, leading to exaggerated hallucinations and paranoia feelings that equally last for hours or days.
Consequently, you could experience heightened anxiety and depression from using psychedelics in an uncontrolled environment. Moreover, even if you have a good trip on the drugs, you could easily get addicted to the happy feelings you experienced and have to combat addiction and other mental health disorders in the future.
Hence, it is essential to understand psychedelics' merits and demerits, even as their popularity in health treatments grows. Nevertheless, researchers are working hard to develop pure combinations for testing and eventual use on patients dealing with various pain conditions. As a result, authorized research processes involve placing their subject patients in optimal conditions, where their safety is paramount.
A typical research-based administration of psychedelic doses on patients should include supervision from a professional medical officer or psychologist who understands how the drugs work. Moreover, the administered doses must be in specified amounts to prevent exposing the patient under study to adverse side effects.
Identified Psychedelic Medicine that Could Help Create New Treatment Options
While most psychedelic users claim to experience spiritual and calming effects after using the drugs, not all types of identified psychedelics are ideal for chronic pain and mental health treatment. Hence, researchers have delved into three main drugs to learn about how they affect a human's brain to alleviate mental health conditions.
It is important to remember that none of the three drugs have received full approval for clinical use yet, as research is ongoing. Hence, it would help if you remain cautious about accepting psychedelic treatment, mostly if offered without any research-based motive.
However, as scientists continue to study different positive effects experienced by volunteer patients taking part in the tests, many improvements are noticeable. Subsequently, confidence in using regulated psychedelic medicine on patients continues to increase. The three main psychedelic drugs offering promising findings after tests are:
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Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)
Psilocybin is a plant alkaloid commonly found in different mushroom species. The first identified species that contained the Psilocybin compound was the psilocybe Mexicana. Usually, most Psilocybin users call the drug magic mushrooms, based on the unique mystical experiences it causes.
Recreational users also report feeling extremely calm and more open to life and experiences after a psilocybin trip. Thanks to the spiritual experience associated with the mushroom, most users also speak about experiencing a paradigm shift that allows them to be more fearless and content with life.
Based on the numerous reports from using Psilocybin, researchers delved into the drug's scientific analysis to observe whether the findings were accurate. Upon collecting samples and dissecting the drug's chemical combinations, scientists identified Psilocybin as a serotonin receptor.
Serotonin is a brain compound that exists in different forms. The drug explicitly enhances the reception of serotonin type 5HT2A, which is one among many other types. The combination of serotonin type 5HT2A is essential to your brain, as it balances and reduces feelings of depression and addiction. Hence, if your 5HT2A receptors are inactive or improperly placed, you will be prone to mental health problems that could alleviate over time.
Once the drug promotes serotonin receptors, you will experience a new feeling that allows your mind to open up to different perceptions and ways of thinking. Often, patients describe the sensation as mystical and other because of the overpowering sense of spirituality or fearlessness as the mind merges with various elements in the environment.
As a result, a patient receiving Psilocybin treatment may explore new thoughts that he/she had never thought of. In return, the patient will undergo different mental conditioning that leaves him/her open to try new things or accept circumstances that he/she cannot change. The mind conditioning is ideal for chronic pain treatment, mainly because the patient can learn to manage specific problem areas on the body after undergoing therapy.
While research has not yet identified the exact neurological interactions that Psilocybin treatment exposes a patient to, patients' positive effects are a beneficial starting point to conduct further research. So far, scientists have understood that the drug has a calming effect, mainly because of the serotonin receptors activated when it reaches the brain.
Hence, patients dealing with depression who tried Psilocybin treatment and their regular psychotherapy treatment-experienced alleviated symptoms of the condition. As researchers observe, Psilocybin can interact with your brain's default mode network, responsible for maintaining your attention on a specific task or emotion.
When the drug reaches the default mode network, it switches it off for a while, opening up multiple sensors and receptors in your brain. Subsequently, you can experience a different mental state that results in mystical feelings where your reality is completely distorted. When a patient is under the mystical experience period, he/she can identify numerous senses, visuals, and emotions that have never occurred before.
Since the drug is powerful, research indicates that a one-time administration of Psilocybin is sufficient to prompt a significant change in the brain's neurological pattern. Hence, a patient suffering from depression may only require one dose to promote advanced self-realization, mood improvement, and solution-finding. The improved mental health restoration is more effective than regular therapy sessions that create similar outcomes only after months or years of a patient's treatment.
Additionally, Psilocybin has also been beneficial to subjects dealing with heightened anxiety. Usually, a person experiences anxiety from different triggers, including thinking about future projects, possible outcomes of a terminal disease, or even thinking about the anxiety.
The condition ranges from mild to severe, depending on a patient's mental health state. Hence, you may be prone to labored breathing, dizziness, stomach discomfort, and sweating when dealing with anxiety. Some adverse conditions also lead to anxiety attacks, where you may be unable to breathe correctly and suffer from chest pains. Some patients also experience muscle spasms, where they are unable to hold their postures and begin to shiver.
Based on the characteristics of diagnosed anxiety as a mental health condition, patients require effective treatment to control their symptoms. With the help of Psilocybin, patients who undertook the research tests reported feeling more calm and open to viewing their worries and fears from different perspectives. The findings were also specific to other groups of patients suffering from anxiety.
For example, patients dealing with terminal illnesses like cancer often worry about death, health deterioration, and the pain of chemotherapy treatment. Consequently, anxiety develops in most cases, leading to additional health problems for the cancer patient. Moreover, patients in later stages may become disillusioned by their health, leading to depression chances.
When select cancer patients undertook pain and mental health treatment using Psilocybin, most patients reported feelings of extreme calmness and reduced stress. Moreover, the mystical experiences associated with the drug also made most patients more comfortable with chemotherapy treatment and death subjects. Their minds opened up to alternative ways of thinking. Generally, reports on the studies indicate that Psilocybin could be a highly beneficial drug for patients battling anxiety.
On top of this, findings on Psilocybin helping with alcohol and cigarette addiction also exist. In addiction treatment, the drug works similarly to anxiety and depression medicine opening up the mind to different thought processes.
For example, you may have Psilocybin administered during an addiction therapy session. During your discussions with your psychotherapist, he/she will encourage you to touch on possible causes of your addiction as the drug exposes new experiences that push your mind to different realities.
By the end of the session, you may get a deeper understanding of why you feel the need to smoke or often drink, instead of handling underlying issues.
Overall, psychotherapy treatment using Psilocybin is not yet clinically authorized based on preliminary research. Hence, further analysis is still in progress to determine whether the drug may pose grave side effects on different patients and manage them.
Once approved, psychotherapy using Psilocybin may enhance mental health restoration and promote efficient pain treatment options.
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Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
Another common psychedelic drug is Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, commonly called LSD. Most recreational drug users are familiar with LSD effects, including hallucinations, extreme cognitive detachment, and dopamine release. Hence, most users experience episodes of euphoria and fearlessness, coupled with mystical experiences that could change your thought process.
However, like any other psychedelic, LSD is illegal because of the high addiction levels reported in reported cases. Moreover, users who overdose on the drug undergo severe health conditions, including heart disease, increased anxiety, and depression.
LSD is a well-known drug, primarily because its recreational use dates back to the late twentieth century. Scientific research on the benefits of LSD on health treatments began early but was suspected based on the uncontrolled recreational use that yielded multiple health and social risks.
For example, some LSD users report experiencing bad trips that cause the replication of psychosis. Usually, the effects can affect a healthy person's brain, leading to subsequent flashbacks and repeated hallucinations weeks or months after using LSD. Hence, it is vital to stick to the drug's controlled medical administration to avoid having severe and lasting mental health complications.
The main medical benefits tied to LSD arise from its ability to improve your mind's flexibility by loosening up your cognitive skills. Hence, if your mind usually thinks based on specific norms and facts, LSD deconstructs the predictive neurological functions and paves the way for new thought lines. LSD can help detach pain receptors periodically when undergoing pain therapy for a more comfortable session.
Chemically, LSD compounds are responsible for pairing up brain networks that do not interact under normal circumstances. As a result, you may experience new sensations, optical illusions, and mental simulations that expand your mind's imagination and flexibility.
For example, if you find speaking to new people nerve-wracking, LSD interactions with your brain's neurological network may inhibit feelings of anxiety and panic, leading to more fluent businesses.
Similarly, LSD promotes the release of serotonin and dopamine, often known as happy hormones. Therefore, you will experience a better mood and suppress symptoms of depression while the drug is operational.
Thus, psychotherapists who incorporate LSD in their research treatment will monitor a patient's reaction to the dose and record any noteworthy findings. Moreover, your medical professional should guide you through the entire trial process to remain calm and optimistic about the experience.
In doing so, the medical professional reduces the chances of a bad trip, especially if you are apprehensive about taking the LSD dose. Moreover, you will receive medication after taking the dosage in case of adverse side effects. However, since the studies include administering controlled doses, patients rarely report side effects after LSD therapy.
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Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA/Ecstasy)
Lastly, MDMA has also shown beneficial results when incorporated with psychedelic treatment correctly. Usually, the drug is widely used by people in social scenes to enhance confidence in interactions.
The chemical combination in MDMA promotes an enhanced feeling of empathy, meaning that you can easily engage in genuine interactions and create connections, even with strangers. Thus, most users rely on MDMA to reduce social anxiety.
Additionally, MDMA is known for promoting dopamine and serotonin release, as the name 'ecstasy' alludes. Consequently, most users get addicted to the drug quickly, resulting in its abuse and unlawful acquisition. Hence, MDMA is also an illegal drug in the United States, with limited accessibility or production allowed for research purposes only.
Scientific research on MDMA and the treatment of mental health disorders mainly focuses on conditions like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, and Autism. As mentioned, MDMA promotes the release of dopamine and serotonin that can alleviate anxiety and fear.
Also, findings on increased oxytocin release after using MDMA are available. The hormone Oxytocin is responsible for forming bonds between people, especially between a mother and child or intimate partner.
Often, patients who suffer from advanced autism struggle with forming bonds or relationships with people, leading to strained interactions. Hence, with controlled doses of MDMA, the patient can release more oxytocin, leading to better bonds and relationships with loved ones.
Moreover, patients who have PTSD can benefit from MDMA psychotherapy. The drug functions to modify or destabilize traumatic memories by including extra details to memories after an MDMA trip. Subsequently, with a psychotherapist's help, a patient will associate previously traumatic memories with modified brain engrams that reduce the past feelings of trauma.
Overall, all three types of psychedelics offer promising treatment options for patients dealing with severe body pain and mental health conditions. However, it is vital to remember that using psychedelic drugs recreationally or without professional supervision may lead to severe consequences. Therefore, we recommend working with a certified health and wellness experts to undertake therapy using psychedelic doses.
Contact a Pain and Wellness Specialist Near Me
Dealing with chronic pain symptoms or mental health disorders can easily take a toll on your wellbeing, especially if it takes over your daily routine. Therefore, finding improved ways of managing your condition would be beneficial because you get quicker results. Incorporating psychedelics in medical treatments is still a prospective process, with promising results if approved.
At Pacific Pain and Wellness, we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the best pain management and wellness services. Our highly experienced and knowledgeable team will prioritize your health and work hard to provide effective treatment for your condition. If you need pain treatment services in Torrance, California, call us today at 310-437-7399 to get started today.
