# Motivation and emotion/Book/2021/Psychedelics and higher selves

* Multimedia presentation (3 min)
Since the usage of peyote and psilocybin in Shamanic ceremonies to a tab of acid placed on someone's tongue at a party; psychedelics have always been a controversy in the medicinal field. As we progress further into the 21st century, there's been a paradigm shift within the psychopharmacological community towards the use of psychedelics for therapy.
We shall explore the usage of psychedelics as facilitators of growth.
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## Historical usage of psychedelics
### 5000 BC - Early evidence in the Tassili n' Ajjer Plateau

* Fig 1. Artistic representation of Tassili n ' Ajjer rock paintingsRock paintings of mushroom-holding Shamans
* Could symbolize a lost religion based on hallucinogenic mushrooms

### Peyote in Native American tribes

* Found in the Shumla cave no.5 on the Rio Grande, Texas dating back to 3780-3660 BC
* Alkaloid extraction led to identification of mescaline in two samples

### Mysteries of Soma and Kykeon

* Ancient psychedelic drink called Soma was mentioned in the Rig Veda
* Use of ergot in brewing the potion called Kykeon in the Greek Elusinian Mysteries
* Ergot also used to synthesise LSD
* Interesting fact: Ergot is a fungus that grows on the seeds of rye/morning glory.
* Psilocybin, the psychoactive substance within 'magic mushrooms' has a similar chemical structure to ergot.

## Stoned ape theory
### Entheogenic origins of consciousness

* Figure 2. The evolution of the brain from apes to humansFile:Stoned ape.jpgFig 2. Stoned apeTerrence McKenna's argument on consciousness and language being emergent properties through the consumption of psilocybin by Homo erectus
* Entheogenic origins of consciousness common around many indigenous tribes

### Criticism

* Carhart-Harris states that psilocybin inhibits the activity in areas of the human brain that are involved in cognitive and symbolic changes
* No evidence of Psylocybin cubensis mushrooms a million years ago in the sub-Saharan dessert
* Entropic brain hypothesis
* How it ties into the stoned ape theory and the expansion of the mind just between the "tipping point" of order and chaos

## Shamanic roots of psychedelics
### Traditional ceremonies

* Entheogenic/psychoactive compounds such as peyote, psilocybe mushrooms, iboga, and their significance with shamanic ceremonies
* Role of curandera or healer

### Current clinical studies on shamanistic rituals

* Perception of non-material spirits or entities and access to hidden knowledge - significance in self development

## Psilocybin
### Mechanism of activating 5-HT2A receptors in prefrontal cortex

* Metabolism of psilocybin to psilocin
* Increased neural connectivity and deactivation of default mode network

### Therapeutic usage of psilocybin

* Treatment of depression through clinical administration of psilocybin
* Treatment of opioid, alcohol and nicotine addiction

### Limitations of studies

* Self reported cross-sectional studies don't provide concrete causal inferences

## Ayahuasca and DMT
### N,N- Dimethyltryptamine

* Indole alkaloid found in plants and animals
* Released during birth and death - implications?
* Shortest but most intense psychedelic experience

### Ayahuasca in indigenous ceremonies

* Amazonian origins
* Decoction prepared from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, importance of dieta
* Qualitative field studies conducted in Peru on overcoming substance abuse
* Changes in neuroticism (Weiss, B., Miller, J. D., Carter, N. T., & Keith Campbell, W.,2021)

## Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)

* Fig 7. LSD molecular structureSimilar effects to psilocybin on 5HT2A receptors (Dolder, P. C., Schmid, Y., Müller, F., Borgwardt, S., & Liechti, M. E., 2016)

### Effects on cognition and emotions

* Impairment of recognising negative emotions and increased empathy
* Increase of fractal dimensions in temporal and spatial domains

## Studies on psychedelic-assisted therapy
### Increasing prominence of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

* Mood elevating effects
* Treatment of depression and PTSD

### Psilocybin
## Altered states of consciousness and the self

* Connection to a larger collective consciousness
* Implications for fostering a sense of community and wellbeing