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Preliminary evidence suggests that psychedelic drugs can be effective for eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and major depression — including cases that don’t respond to conventional antidepressants. a Johns Hopkins study and a concurrent New York University study found that about 80 percent of cancer patients showed clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety even six months after receiving one to two psilocybin treatments.
“Psychedelics, under carefully controlled conditions, can create experiences of wonder and awe and a connection to a ‘divine realm’ that leads to significant behavioral changes,” says ayahuasca expert Kenneth Tupper, director of implementation and partnerships at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use.”
Psilocybin also appears to be an effective treatment for addiction. Echoing past research with LSD, scientists recently showed decreased cravings for and increased abstinence from alcohol
Research into psychedelics, shut down for decades, is now yielding exciting results. As the drug war subsides, scientists are eager to reconsider the therapeutic potential of these drugs, beginning with psilocybin.
Three years later, Mr. Mihai, now 25, said, “I’m not anxious about cancer anymore. I’m not anxious about dying.” The session, he added, “has made my life richer.”