In Conversation: Can psychedelics rewire a depressed, anxious brain?

[ozro]

Technically it is with sight and sound. But it really is not after exposure. Booze is a psychedelic the first few times you are lit.....lolol...........................Double vision with one eye closed driving...lol

I think 50+ years ago I might have experienced fleeting visions and the like. May have heard music when it wasn't there. That was a long time ago.
I will say once in awhile I get these "notions". Like a few months ago I accused my cats of conspiracies against me, and they even communicated to each other openly. They still do, little hellions those cats.

 

[ABikerSailor]

I've tried different substances, both various kinds of psychedelics and marijuana with varying THC contents (ditch weed and brick vs. high grade bought in a dispensary).

Marijuana never made me "trip". All it did was enhance the way I perceived things around me. Colors seemed a bit brighter, sense of taste seemed to be enhanced, but I never saw or heard something that wasn't actually there. May have noticed things I never noticed before (enhanced perception), but they were all real. Never saw something that wasn't actually there.

Various psychedelics, I have perceived things that weren't really there. Would get CEV's (closed eye visuals), would see patterns and tracers, as well as would perceive things that weren't there. (Saw a line of trees transform themselves into a row of German style gingerbread houses, that was pretty cool, also sat and had a conversation with a gnome for a bit, that was also interesting).

Whenever I used either of them, it improved my mood and outlook on life. Marijuana improved my outlook while I was stoned, and when used psychedelics, I noticed a mood improvement that stayed with me for several days.

Psych and mental health doctors have also noticed that patients that were given various psychoactive substances have been able to deal with, or even overcome depression, as it does help to bring them out of it.

Personally? I think that if you want to use marijuana, feel free, it's not addictive, nor will it make you "trip". I find it helpful for pain relief, and just good old fashioned relaxing. Psychoactive substances? Much different. You need to pay attention to what you're getting into, and have a good mindset before starting it, as mindset, as well as setting will have a strong impact on how you will perceive your trip.

As far as using psychoactive substances for treatment? I'm no doctor, but research into it has yielded some pretty positive results.