Medical Materialism, Shamanic Healing, and the Allopathic Paradigm

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Western Medical practice is a system creating weary professionals and disgruntled patients. Physicians are combating the rising costs of managing an office, while the specters of malpractice insurance and decreased reimbursements are leaving physicians and patients disillusioned.

Kalweit (1987) has described the current state of our medical system; “our bureaucratized and materialistic medicine — this mechanical model with an active therapist and a passive patient that reduces the patient to an object and relegates healing to the long corridors of the hospital has failed” (p.2). This statement, that Western medicine has active healers and passive patients, is not unique to this part of the world, but it has created a paternalistic and materialistic culture. Western medicine has lost its grounding, and in so doing, has become devoid of the natural healing processes on which it was founded. Care of the patient and community has been replaced with business reports and evidence based medicine (Block, 2008). In fact, many Western Medical societies have gone so far as to say that there is no place for religion or spirituality in medicine (Block, p. 9).

The concept that medical practice has become purely scientific effectively filters out spiritual and transpersonal experiences acquired by the healer and the patient. Medical scientists who have shunned spirituality in medicine in the name of scientific exploration are creating a distorted world view. This scientific world view is described by Wilber (1999-2000) in his discussion of the Pre/Trans fallacy. In his discussion, Wilber makes a parallel argument that scientific or medical materialists assume that human beings do not have access to transpersonal experiences, “once this confusion occurs — the confusion of “pre” and “trans” — then one of two things inevitably happens: the transitional realms are reduced to prepersonal status, or the prerational realms are elevated to transrational glory” (Wilber, p. 333).

Maslow (1970) has historically detailed that humans are capable of peak experiences. Peak experiences can take the form of extraordinary healings achieved by shamanic practitioners, and under the scope of medical materialism, these healings are reduced to scientific relationships. Medical materialists have for centuries attempted to explain the healings and psychopomp of saints, mystics, and shamans as simply reactions of the human brain to external stimuli. Pioneers of psychology and extraordinary experiences have made reference to medical materialism in their work.

Medical materialism finishes up Saint Paul by calling his vision on the road to Damascus a discharging lesion of the occipital cortex, he being an epileptic. It snuffs out Saint Teresa as a hysteric, and Saint Francis of Assisi as a hereditary degenerate (James, 2002, p.16).

Indigenous shamanic practitioners, on the other hand, practice healing with an eye towards imagery and community (Achterberg, 1985). In his monumental work,Eliade (1964) discusses the three stages of becoming a shaman: election, instruction, and initiation. Samuels and Rockwood-Lane (2003) have taken Eliade’s three stages and added a fourth, “the practice of shamanism” (p.15).

The first stage to becoming a healer, as described by Eliade, is that of the calling; this call comes from the family, community, or from world beyond. Shamans are called, and then receive rigorous instruction, followed by initiation and practice. Allopathic physicians have similar stages of development: the call to be a physician, followed by the structured education of medical school, the initiation of residency, and ultimately the practice of medicine in the community. In this paper, I will explore the similarities between allopathic medicine and shamanic practice and the call to be a healer.

Is there a reason one is called to practice medicine? Like the indigenous shamans, there are multiple reasons one receives the call. Whether one is a healer in the allopathic model or based in the imagery of the shamanic states of consciousness, there is a healing between the patient and healer. The mechanisms and the practice of medicine differ from culture to culture, but the call to heal transcends culture and materialism.

Eliade (1964) has stated that the call to be a shaman comes as “the hereditary transmission of the shamanic profession, spontaneous vocation, or the prompting of one’s own free will or the will of the clan” (p.13). The calling of an allopathic physician is also deeply rooted in ancestral transmission, spontaneous call, or by the needs of the community. In exploring the similarities and differences of the stages of becoming a healer, it would be my hope to bring portions of the indigenous model into Western Medical practice. In exposing the similarities of medicine to the shamanic healer, it may be possible to demonstrate that healing can occur within a spiritual template. In looking at the stage of development for shamans and physicians, one may see that healing cannot occur in a spiritual vacuum.

As stated above, the stages of shamanic training are the calling, instruction, initiation, and shamanic practice. It is my hypothesis that one can compare the stages of allopathic medical training and find multiple similarities to shamanic practice. The four stages of shamanic training will be compared to a similar stage of medical education in this country.

In many indigenous cultures, shamanism is a hereditary practice and can be transmitted along maternal or paternal lineage. Within these indigenous cultures, even if the shaman is born into a lineage, there are gifts from spirits or gods that instruct the future shaman through dreams and visions (Mikhailowski, 1894). Those who are called through familial inheritance have a different course from those called based on vocation or community need. These individuals are groomed from an early age and are apprenticed through the family. Illness and tragedy will often be the catalysts for entry into the shamanic world. It has been proposed that an individual who experiences severe illness is merely being prepared to become a shamanic practitioner and that the power of the wounded healer aids them in their journey (Halifax, 1991).

For the shaman, training occurs over many years or a lifetime. Training may begin in young adulthood and continues through the teaching of elders; one may also be subjected to experiences in nature, solitude, and apprenticeship to the community shaman. Among the Zulus there are “twelve stages of training and the Blackfoot novice must pass through seven “tents” to become a fully accomplished medicine man” (Kalweit, 1987, p. 20). Exposure to severity is a common theme in the road to becoming a shaman. In Japan, there are certain aspects of training whereby Medicine men acolytes are made to stand under a freezing waterfall for hours a day for 100 days (Blacker, 1975). Basic education in the ways of shamanism, or those of a medicine man, is the oral transmission of knowledge and repetitive rituals that symbolize relationship to the divine.

Shamanic initiations vary and can occur as part of the training process or spontaneously. Initiation creates shamans from those who have been called, but not all who are called become shamans (Pratt, 2007). Four general forms of initiation have been described: traditional or cultural, instantaneous, wounded healer, and dismemberment (Pratt).

Traditional initiation is an ordered progression similar to a medical residency; the shaman will go through graduated stages as deemed worthy. Instantaneous initiation can occur with near death experiences. The wounded healer may have emotional, physical, or mental challenges that result in a spiritual insight or awareness that comes once they have surrendered to their wounds. Dismemberment or spiritual deconstruction is a state whereby the shamanic initiate experiences a spiritual death in a shamanic state of consciousness. The commitment of the shaman is lifelong which adds to the power of the vocation for the community. While the vocation of the physician is powerful and helpful to the community, it is not permanent and is subject to retirement, loss of medical license, change of employment and so forth.

Western physicians are active healers in the sense that they instruct the patients on a course of action. The patient is meant to follow the healing instruction, whether it is in the form of a prescription medication or activity. The shamanic healer is a passive participant with an active patient; the patient is guided in a healing direction. The shamanic practitioner masters control of himself or herself, becomes an advocate for the patient between the spiritual and physical worlds, and participates in community healing.

The many rigors of allopathic medical training have similarities to shamanic training and practice. Within Western medicine, there are the stages of calling, education, initiation, and the practice of medicine.

Large numbers of applicants to Western medical schools have remained stable over the last five years, according to reports from the American Medical Colleges (Association of American Medical Colleges [AAMC], 2007). While reasons for becoming a physician are as varied as the applicants, there are similarities to the call of the shaman. This data is not a representation of the American medical community as a whole. A difference between Western healers and indigenous shamans is that indigenous shamans tend to come from the community at large. Western medical practitioners are from different cities, counties, states and countries; in many instances, physicians do not practice medicine in the community where they lived as children. Children are often groomed by their parents to become physicians; this is true when one or both parents are physicians. Other reasons that individuals are called to medical practice are the desire for a stable income, helping those in need, and the lure of healing.

Medical education begins in a four-year accredited allopathic or osteopathic institution. The educational phase experienced in medical school is followed by the initiation of residency, and then the rigors of medical practice. Education received by medical students is similar to shamanic training; it takes place over many years, and there are tests and rites of passage.

One receives a degree to practice medicine upon graduation, but this does not singularly convey the power to practice medicine in this country. In our culture, after completing medical school, one must obtain a medical license by completing board exams and a minimum number of years in graduate education (“Your doctor’s education”, 2000).

The allopathic healer learns through ceremony and ritual. An example of ritualistic education in medicine is seen by evaluating the ritual of the operating suite. The patient is instructed to fast before the surgery in order to prepare the body, and at times, the physician is also fasting because of strenuous work schedules. The surgical suite is structured with the patient in the center of the room with arms outstretch in a Christ-like crucifixion posture, while the room is continuously sanitized by air filters. The attending physician escorts the medical resident in training into the surgical suite; both are garbed in the traditional surgical gown. In many instances, the resident physician will only monitor the elder physician’s healing practice of surgery.

Shamanic initiates and medical professionals are transformed according to their cultural norms. The word “resident” physician is so coined because the physician lived in the hospital. The hospital would provide food and lodging for the young healer, and in exchange, the resident physician was to live in the hospital and work in the healing arts. As stated earlier, indigenous shamans also live in the community where they practice. Residential practice is chosen based on the desires of the physician upon completion of medical school. The residential system is a ranked system that slowly adds increased responsibility to the resident based on their ability. A major difference between shamanic and allopathic initiation is that shamans are initiated for life. Western medical doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, but there is nothing in that oath that states it is for a lifetime that he or she is a healer; recently physicians have been leaving or contemplating leaving their healing practice over the next five years (Reuters, 2008).

Personal experience has taught me that medicine is a graduated learning process. Unlike the indigenous shaman who tends to practice alone in a community, physicians gravitate towards larger groups. Private medical practice is the status one achieves upon the initiation and completion of residency; however the allopathic healer is in a state of subclinical practice until he or she becomes board certified. The process of board certification will usually take place in a written, oral, or combined examination process. Elder physicians, through the power of the examination process, confer the rights of the Western healer upon the initiate physician.

Obstetrics and gynecology has a written examination immediately after graduation from residency. The next two years are spent in private practice; during this process the physician is recording every patient encounter. These encounters are then submitted to the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology as the template for the physician’s oral examination. This oral examination is a six hour encounter with six elder physicians who question the examinee about his or her healing failures and successes.

Shamanic practice has similarities to this process of certification; “before the Tenino of Northern Oregon can begin his practice, he must prove his gifts before a committee of older shamans” (Murdock, 1965).

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the call to be a physician. Medical students and resident physicians participating in an elective in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona were asked to participate in the study. Throughout the month-long rotation, participants were exposed to multicultural healing modalities such as homeopathy, Reiki, chiropractic, osteopathic manipulation, Huna, and Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. At the end of the rotation, sixteen participants were taken to Sedona, Arizona. In Sedona they were exposed to Huichol healing traditions under the guidance of author and guide James Endredy.

Time in Sedona consisted of silent hiking, traditional Huichol healing ceremonies, smudging, open dialogue with spirits, and fire rituals. Participants were invited not to only become patients in the ceremony, but to heal and bless their colleagues as well. Closing ceremony was performed with fire initiation, where each participant was asked to converse with the fire and divulge past, present, and future acts and desires. The cleansing of the fire ceremony was a closing and an initiation back into the world they were now re-entering. During the ceremony the students and residents were asked to discuss their calling to heal and become a physician. The sacred fire, as described by Endredy (2007), allows a “primal connection that creates a holistic state of consciousness with the power to advise, heal, and nurture us on our anointed path” (p. 311).

After exposure to the elements and being surrounded by the blessings of the red earth, students were asked to privately reflect on their call to be a healer, and why they decided to follow this path. Participants were advised that their responses would be handled as a group and there would be anonymity. Within the group there were six males and ten females ranging from 22 to 49 years of age, representing the United States, Canada, Israel, and India. Of the sixteen participants, six were medical residents in their last year of training; the remaining participants were medical students in their fourth year of school. All participants had spent at least three weeks in each other’s company and were comfortable sharing personal reflection.

Nine of the participants claimed they had either one or both parents who were physicians. Within these nine participants there was a majority that claimed their parents influenced their decision to become a physician in some manner. The remaining seven participants claimed that it was the vocation itself that called them to the practice; healing practice called to them. None of the participants claimed that an illness had been the reason for entering medicine.

Participants were encouraged to write responses to the above question, but they were also being observed throughout the day. More than half of the participants claimed they were skeptical of shamanic practice prior to the trip to Sedona, but all claimed an increased sense of self-awareness and their surroundings by the end of the trip. They claimed that the healing rituals performed gave them an increased sense of community . As the students called out verbally to the ancient spirits, Tate Wari (Grandfather Fire), Takutsi Nakawey (Grandmother Growth), Kauyumari (Deer Spirit), and Tatei Yurianaka (Mother Earth), there was a verbal connection to the earth and universe.

During the healing and fire ceremonies, participants reported emotions such as love, anxiety, fear, anger, and sadness. All agreed that they felt more connected with their body and that sensations of hearing and touch were elevated. Final analysis at the end of the rotation showed an overwhelming consensus within the group of a connection with allopathic medicine unlike their perceived connection before the trip to Sedona. This was not reported as an understanding of shamanic practices, but as a deeper connection to their own allopathic practice.

Medical students and residents become wounded healers through the rigors of training. They are wounded by long hours and a disconnect from basic health, healing, and holiness that medicine has offered them. “Healing itself has little to do with the surgeon’s scalpel or antisepsis. Wholesomeness and basic health are attained, rather, only through inner purification” (Kalweit, 1987, p. 1). Through the process of shamanic ritual, medical students and residents may learn that healing is first for the community, then the individual, and finally for the illness (Kalweit). The allopathic model is a reversal of the shamanic model that focuses on the patient and not the illness. Allopathic medicine has become materialistic and has become less humane. The humane healing practitioner becomes a passive participant in the healing process and acts in accord with the patient’s destiny and individual intent (Meyer, 1996).

I have attempted to correlate the call to become a physician with the call to indigenous shamanism. Exposure to the healing shamanic arts opens allopathic healers to their own inner healing. Training for the shaman is community based, and this may be where the soul of medicine was lost. Medical schools have an important role in reducing the isolation of their students from alternative health beliefs like shamanism that are a part of our community (Poland-Lakin & Cosovic, 1995). The call to indigenous shamanism has similarities to that of the Western Medical professional. At some point in the medical training of a physician there is a disconnect from the community. This disconnect or wounding can be healed, or the wound utilized to bring the trainee back to their healing roots. Shamanic practice can be a portal for recovery of the wounds inflicted in medical training.

We could say, without too much exaggeration, that a good half of every treatment that probes at all deeply consists in the doctor’s examining himself, for only what he can put right in himself can he hope to put right in the patient. It is no loss either, if he feels that the patient is hitting him, or even scoffing him: It is his own hurt that gives the measure of his power to heal (Jung, 1951, ¶ 239).

The call to heal comes from the familial bonds of the shaman-physician, healing vocation, or from wounds of the past. In any case, it is the spiritual glue that provides physicians with the ability to become healers. The continuation of spirituality in medicine is a critical conduit to healing the physician. Inner healing of the physician is an important aspect of bridging the gap towards healing the community. Shamanic practice is a potential first step in bridging the gap between the wounded healer and the disembodied local and global communities.

References

Achterberg, J. (1985). Imagery in healing: Shamanism and modern medicine. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Association of American Medical Colleges (2007). U.S. medical school applications and matriculants by school, state of legal residence, and sex. Retrieved December 02, 2008, from http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2007/2007school.htm

Blacker, C. (1975). The catalpa bow: A study of the shamanic practices of Japan. London: Ruskin House.

Block, M. (2008). Allopathic or allopathetic medicine? The impact of non-evidence based disciplines on allopathic medicine. AzMedicine, 18, 8-9.

Eliade, M. (1964). Shamanism: Archaic techniques of ecstasy. New York: Pantheon Books.

Endredy, J. (2007). Ecoshamanism: Sacred practices of unity, power, & earth healing. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications.

Halifax, J. (1991). Shamanic voices: A survey of visionary narratives. New York: Penguin.

James, W. (2002). The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature (Centenary. ed.). London: Routledge.

Jung, C. G. (1951). The collected works of C.G. Jung (Bolligen Series, XX.). Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Kalweit, H. (1987). Shamans, healers, and medicine men. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Maslow, A. (1970). Religion, values, and peak experiences. New York: Viking Press.

Meyer, F. (1996). Organ transplantation: Do we know what we are doing? Journal of Anthroposophical Medicine, 13(3), 10.

Mikhailowski, V. M. (1894). Shamanism in Siberia and European Russia: Being the second part of Shamanstvo. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 24, 60-100.

Murdock, G. (1965). Tenino Shamanism. Ethnology, 4, 165-171.

Poland-Lakin, M., & Cosovic, S. (1995). Introducing alternative/complementary healing to allopathic medical students. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 1(1), 93-98.

Pratt, C. (2007). Shamanic Initiation. In An encyclopedia of shamanism (Vol. 1, p. 227-229). New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

Reuters (2008). Many doctors plan to quit or cut back: Survey. Retrieved December, 12, 2008, from http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AH1CE20081118

Samuels, M., & Rockwood-Lane, M. (2003). Shaman wisdom shaman healing: Deepen your ability to heal with visionary and spiritual tools and practices. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.

Shamanic Initiation (2007). In An Encyclopedia of Shamanism (Vol. 1, p. 221). : .

Wilber, K. (Ed.). (1999-2000). Eye to eye (Vols.1-8). Boston: Shambhala Publications Inc.

Your doctor’s education. (2000). Journal of the American Medical Association, 284, 1198.

Image by alicepopcorn, courtesy of Creative Commons license.

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How Much Does LSD Cost? When shopping around for that magical psychedelic substance, there can be many uncertainties when new to buying LSD. You may be wondering how much does LSD cost? In this article, we will discuss what to expect when purchasing LSD on the black market, what forms LSD is sold in, and the standard breakdown of buying LSD in quantity.   Navy Use of LSD on the Dark Web The dark web is increasingly popular for purchasing illegal substances. The US Navy has now noticed this trend with their staff. Read to learn more.   Having Sex on LSD: What You Need to Know Can you have sex on LSD? Read our guide to learn everything about sex on acid, from lowered inhibitions to LSD users quotes on sex while tripping.   A Drug That Switches off an LSD Trip A pharmaceutical company is developing an “off-switch” drug for an LSD trip, in the case that a bad trip can happen. Some would say there is no such thing.   Queen of Hearts: An Interview with Liz Elliot on Tim Leary and LSD The history of psychedelia, particularly the British experience, has been almost totally written by men. Of the women involved, especially those who were in the thick of it, little has been written either by or about them. A notable exception is Liz Elliot.   LSD Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety LSD, Lysergic acid diethylamide, or just acid is one of the most important psychedelics ever discovered. What did history teach us?   Microdosing LSD & Common Dosage Explained Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing LSD.   LSD Resources Curious to learn more about LSD? This guide includes comprehensive LSD resources containing books, studies and more.   LSD as a Spiritual Aid There is common consent that the evolution of mankind is paralleled by the increase and expansion of consciousness. From the described process of how consciousness originates and develops, it becomes evident that its growth depends on its faculty of perception. Therefore every means of improving this faculty should be used.   Legendary LSD Blotter Art: A Hidden Craftsmanship Have you ever heard of LSD blotter art? Explore the trippy world of LSD art and some of the top artists of LSD blotter art.   LSD and Exercise: Does it Work? LSD and exercise? Learn why high-performing athletes are taking hits of LSD to improve their overall potential.   Jan Bastiaans Treated Holocaust Survivors with LSD Dutch psychiatrist, Jan Bastiaans administered LSD-assisted therapy to survivors of the Holocaust. A true war hero and pioneer of psychedelic-therapy.   LSD and Spiritual Awakening I give thanks for LSD, which provided the opening that led me to India in 1971 and brought me to Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharajji. Maharajji is described by the Indians as a “knower of hearts.”   How LSD is Made: Everything You Need to Know Ever wonder how to make LSD? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how LSD is made.   How to Store LSD: Best Practices Learn the best way to store LSD, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long LSD lasts when stored.   Bicycle Day: The Discovery of LSD Every year on April 19th, psychonauts join forces to celebrate Bicycle Day. Learn about the famous day when Albert Hoffman first discovered the effects of LSD.   Cary Grant: A Hollywood Legend On LSD Cary Grant was a famous actor during the 1930’s-60’s But did you know Grant experimented with LSD? Read our guide to learn more.   Albert Hofmann: LSD — My Problem Child Learn about Albert Hofmann and his discovery of LSD, along with the story of Bicycle Day and why it marks a historic milestone.   Babies are High: What Does LSD Do To Your Brain What do LSD and babies have in common? Researchers at the Imperial College in London discover that an adult’s brain on LSD looks like a baby’s brain.   1P LSD: Effects, Benefits, Safety Explained 1P LSD is an analogue of LSD and homologue of ALD-25. Here is everything you want to know about 1P LSD and how it compares to LSD.   Francis Crick, DNA & LSD Type ‘Francis Crick LSD’ into Google, and the result will be 30,000 links. Many sites claim that Crick (one of the two men responsible for discovering the structure of DNA), was either under the influence of LSD at the time of his revelation or used the drug to help with his thought processes during his research. Is this true?   What Happens If You Overdose on LSD? A recent article presented three individuals who overdosed on LSD. Though the experience was unpleasant, the outcomes were remarkably positive.

The Ayahuasca Experience
Ayahuasca is both a medicine and a visionary aid. You can employ ayahuasca for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual repair, and you can engage with the power of ayahuasca for deeper insight and realization. If you consider attainment of knowledge in the broadest perspective, you can say that at all times, ayahuasca heals.

 

Trippy Talk: Meet Ayahuasca with Sitaramaya Sita and PlantTeachers
Sitaramaya Sita is a spiritual herbalist, pusangera, and plant wisdom practitioner formally trained in the Shipibo ayahuasca tradition.

 

The Therapeutic Value of Ayahuasca
My best description of the impact of ayahuasca is that it’s a rocket boost to psychospiritual growth and unfolding, my professional specialty during my thirty-five years of private practice.

 

Microdosing Ayahuasca: Common Dosage Explained
What is ayahuasca made of and what is considered a microdose? Explore insights with an experienced Peruvian brewmaster and learn more about this practice.

 

Ayahuasca Makes Neuron Babies in Your Brain
Researchers from Beckley/Sant Pau Research Program have shared the latest findings in their study on the effects of ayahuasca on neurogenesis.

 

The Fatimiya Sufi Order and Ayahuasca
In this interview, the founder of the Fatimiya Sufi Order,  N. Wahid Azal, discusses the history and uses of plant medicines in Islamic and pre-Islamic mystery schools.

 

Consideration Ayahuasca for Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Research indicates that ayahuasca mimics mechanisms of currently accepted treatments for PTSD. In order to understand the implications of ayahuasca treatment, we need to understand how PTSD develops.

 

Brainwaves on Ayahuasca: A Waking Dream State
In a study researchers shared discoveries showing ingredients found in Ayahuasca impact the brainwaves causing a “waking dream” state.

 

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a pro cannabis Peruvian Shaman.

 

Ayahuasca Retreat 101: Everything You Need to Know to Brave the Brew
Ayahuasca has been known to be a powerful medicinal substance for millennia. However, until recently, it was only found in the jungle. Word of its deeply healing and cleansing properties has begun to spread across the world as many modern, Western individuals are seeking spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being. More ayahuasca retreat centers are emerging in the Amazon and worldwide to meet the demand.

 

Ayahuasca Helps with Grief
A new study published in psychopharmacology found that ayahuasca helped those suffering from the loss of a loved one up to a year after treatment.

 

Ayahuasca Benefits: Clinical Improvements for Six Months
Ayahuasca benefits can last six months according to studies. Read here to learn about the clinical improvements from drinking the brew.

 

Ayahuasca Culture: Indigenous, Western, And The Future
Ayahuasca has been use for generations in the Amazon. With the rise of retreats and the brew leaving the rainforest how is ayahuasca culture changing?

 

Ayahuasca Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
The Amazonian brew, Ayahuasca has a long history and wide use. Read our guide to learn all about the tea from its beginnings up to modern-day interest.

 

Ayahuasca and the Godhead: An Interview with Wahid Azal of the Fatimiya Sufi Order
Wahid Azal, a Sufi mystic of The Fatimiya Sufi Order and an Islamic scholar, talks about entheogens, Sufism, mythology, and metaphysics.

 

Ayahuasca and the Feminine: Women’s Roles, Healing, Retreats, and More
Ayahuasca is lovingly called “grandmother” or “mother” by many. Just how feminine is the brew? Read to learn all about women and ayahuasca.

What Is the Standard of Care for Ketamine Treatments?
Ketamine therapy is on the rise in light of its powerful results for treatment-resistant depression. But, what is the current standard of care for ketamine? Read to find out.

What Is Dissociation and How Does Ketamine Create It?
Dissociation can take on multiple forms. So, what is dissociation like and how does ketamine create it? Read to find out.

Having Sex on Ketamine: Getting Physical on a Dissociative
Curious about what it could feel like to have sex on a dissociate? Find out all the answers in our guide to sex on ketamine.

Special K: The Party Drug
Special K refers to Ketamine when used recreationally. Learn the trends as well as safety information around this substance.

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

Ketamine vs. Esketamine: 3 Important Differences Explained
Ketamine and esketamine are used to treat depression. But what’s the difference between them? Read to learn which one is right for you: ketamine vs. esketamine.

Guide to Ketamine Treatments: Understanding the New Approach
Ketamine is becoming more popular as more people are seeing its benefits. Is ketamine a fit? Read our guide for all you need to know about ketamine treatments.

Ketamine Treatment for Eating Disorders
Ketamine is becoming a promising treatment for various mental health conditions. Read to learn how individuals can use ketamine treatment for eating disorders.

Ketamine Resources, Studies, and Trusted Information
Curious to learn more about ketamine? This guide includes comprehensive ketamine resources containing books, studies and more.

Ketamine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to ketamine has everything you need to know about this “dissociative anesthetic” and how it is being studied for depression treatment.

Ketamine for Depression: A Mental Health Breakthrough
While antidepressants work for some, many others find no relief. Read to learn about the therapeutic uses of ketamine for depression.

Ketamine for Addiction: Treatments Offering Hope
New treatments are offering hope to individuals suffering from addiction diseases. Read to learn how ketamine for addiction is providing breakthrough results.

Microdosing Ketamine & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing ketamine.

How to Ease a Ketamine Comedown
Knowing what to expect when you come down from ketamine can help integrate the experience to gain as much value as possible.

How to Store Ketamine: Best Practices
Learn the best ways how to store ketamine, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long ketamine lasts when stored.

How To Buy Ketamine: Is There Legal Ketamine Online?
Learn exactly where it’s legal to buy ketamine, and if it’s possible to purchase legal ketamine on the internet.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?
How long does ketamine stay in your system? Are there lasting effects on your body? Read to discover the answers!

How Ketamine is Made: Everything You Need to Know
Ever wonder how to make Ketamine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how Ketamine is made.

Colorado on Ketamine: First Responders Waiver Programs
Fallout continues after Elijah McClain. Despite opposing recommendations from some city council, Colorado State Health panel recommends the continued use of ketamine by medics for those demonstrating “excited delirium” or “extreme agitation”.

Types of Ketamine: Learn the Differences & Uses for Each
Learn about the different types of ketamine and what they are used for—and what type might be right for you. Read now to find out!

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

MDMA & Ecstasy Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to MDMA has everything you want to know about Ecstasy from how it was developed in 1912 to why it’s being studied today.

How To Get the Most out of Taking MDMA as a Couple
Taking MDMA as a couple can lead to exciting experiences. Read here to learn how to get the most of of this love drug in your relationship.

Common MDMA Dosage & Microdosing Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing MDMA.

Having Sex on MDMA: What You Need to Know
MDMA is known as the love drug… Read our guide to learn all about sex on MDMA and why it is beginning to makes its way into couple’s therapy.

How MDMA is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make MDMA? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how MDMA is made.

Hippie Flipping: When Shrooms and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Explore the mechanics of hippie flipping and how to safely experiment.

How Cocaine is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make cocaine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how cocaine is made.

A Christmas Sweater with Santa and Cocaine
This week, Walmart came under fire for a “Let it Snow” Christmas sweater depicting Santa with lines of cocaine. Columbia is not merry about it.

Ultimate Cocaine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
This guide covers what you need to know about Cocaine, including common effects and uses, legality, safety precautions and top trends today.

NEWS: An FDA-Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray
The FDA approved a cocaine nasal spray called Numbrino, which has raised suspicions that the pharmaceutical company, Lannett Company Inc., paid off the FDA..

The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Bioavailability
What is bioavailability and how can it affect the overall efficacy of a psychedelic substance? Read to learn more.

Cannabis Research Explains Sociability Behaviors
New research by Dr. Giovanni Marsicano shows social behavioral changes occur as a result of less energy available to the neurons. Read here to learn more.

The Cannabis Shaman
If recreational and medical use of marijuana is becoming accepted, can the spiritual use as well? Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Hamilton Souther, founder of the 420 Cannabis Shamanism movement…

Cannabis Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to Cannabis has everything you want to know about this popular substances that has psychedelic properties.

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a procannabis Peruvian Shaman.

CBD-Rich Cannabis Versus Single-Molecule CBD
A ground-breaking study has documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant Cannabis extract as compared to synthetic cannabidiol (CBD), challenging the medical-industrial complex’s notion that “crude” botanical preparations are less effective than single-molecule compounds.

Cannabis Has Always Been a Medicine
Modern science has already confirmed the efficacy of cannabis for most uses described in the ancient medical texts, but prohibitionists still claim that medical cannabis is “just a ruse.”

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