Psychedelic Sounds and coaching for your meditation, healing, spritual or conscious awakenings..
What are Psychedelics?
The term psychedelic comes from the Greek words Psyche - soul or mind, and delein - to manifest.
English psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond coined the term after author Aldous Huxley proposed the term Phanerothyme, in 1956, which means soul revealing. The term psychedelic is now used to describe many different substances from several different drug categories.
Psychedelic medicines are now being trialled and researched across the globe after decades of suppression, although many people have been self medicating for years illegally.
Antidepressants and SSRI's are modelled on what psychedelics do to the Serotonin and Dopamine receptors in the brain, but sadly, there are many compounds in these medicines which cannot be synthesised, and so the pharmacological versions cannot have the same effect on the brain and do not work like psychedelic medicines do, some have awful side effects which cause co-morbidities in most people. Psychedelics mostly only effect the mind in healthy individuals, so it is strongly advised to have a full physical health screening before starting treatments like Ibogaine, MDMA and others that can affect blood pressure.
Terms to describe Psychedelics.
The path to finding the correct terminology that reflected the qualities and effects of psychedelics was a difficult one.
In the 1940's and 50's, the term Psychometrics was used because test subjects seemed to mimic the behaviour of schizophrenic patients, it was also believed that if the psychiatrist ingested LSD they would experience the internal states of psychotic patients, gaining better insight and empathy.
Psychometric was replaced by Hallucinagen, which means 'to wonder the mind', this term is still used today, but is not seen as correct description as most substances cause more perceptual distortions, exaggerations, or illusion, rather than hallucinations that are experienced by people with psychotic disorders such as Schizophrenia. The term hallucinogen only highlights the sensory experience, which is often less than its emotional, psychological or spiritual components.
More Terminology.
Entheogen, meaning 'generating the god within'.
Empathogen, meaning 'generating a state of empathy'.
Entactogen, meaning 'touching within or generating relatedness'.
We can describe psychedelics in many ways, as a molecular structure and its arrangement of atoms. Pharmacologically, and its interaction with Neuroreceptors. Nuerobiologically, and its effects on the networks of the brain.Psychologically, and its effects on the mind. Phenomenologically, through personal experiences, and Culturally, as in what populations use these substances.
Structural Categorisation.
There are two main groups of Psychedelics, Tryptamines and Phenethylamines.
Tryptamines have the closest relationship to Serotonin and include; Psilocybin, LSD, DMT, 5 Meo-DMT, and Ibogaine.
Phenethylamines more closely resemble Dopamine and include; MDMA, Mescaline and Amphetamines such as Aderall and Methamphetamine.
Other molecules outside of these two categories are substances not structurally related to them but still considered psychedelic are; Cannabis (THC), Ketamines, Nitrous Oxide and Salvia (Salvinorin, from the salvia Divinorium plant).
SET AND SETTING
The most important part of preparation for your therapy session, journey or experience, is set and setting, being somewhere you are completely at ease, comfortable and able to meditate, such as a therapists room, your front room sofa, or your bedroom, do not put yourself into any situation where you would have to go outside and interact with people or drive a car, these things can have a negative effect on your experience, remember these are medicines, not recreational drugs, parties, clubs and festivals are not a good set and setting.
For the best results with high doses of psychedelics, you must plan your playlist, your lighting, and have somebody on hand to hold the space, for example, answer the phone or the front door if possible. Get an eye mask and headphones to block out the outside world and avoid unwanted distractions. Make sure your mind is in a positive place for the whole day leading up to your journey, eat light meals, and nothing for two hours before your dose, all of these things will help you achieve the best possible results.
Factors influencing set:
Past trauma, Propensity for panic attacks and anxiety, perception of safety, and support during the experience, current emotional valance, present life issues, mental health conditions, physical state - hydration, illness etc.
Factors influencing setting:
Sounds- music/silence, company- solo/friends/public, Temperature- indoor or outdoor, Lighting- Day/might, lights, lamps or candles, Smells- food, incense, candles.
Be well prepared...
Some useful tips and pointers...
Before using psychedelic medicines, it is really important to be well prepared, to know everything about the medicine and what to expect during the journey, such as intense emotions or euphoria, reading other peoples accounts is helpful, and talking to a psychedelic therapist or life coach is also advisable for your own safety and peace of mind.
Make a dosing plan and an emergency plan. Set a schedule to make sure you won't be interrupted, prepare your space, as your setting is very important and can influence the type of journey you experience, make rules about touch with your guide or therapist and anything else you feel is important to you.
Intention setting is very important, it gives you a framework for engaging with the medicine, what type of relationship do you want with this substance? Is this the right medicine for me? Why do I want to take this medicine? Who do I want to take this medicine with? Where do I want to take this medicine, How much do I take?
Knowing what to expect can make the difference between a good experience and a bad experience.
PSYCHEDELICS THROUGH HISTORY
The Term Psychedelic comes from the Greek words Psyche- soul or mind, and Delein- to manifest. Psychedelics have been used as medicines, and in healing ceremonies and rituals for thousands of years...
5000 BC Algerian cave drawings depict Shamans holding mushrooms.
4000 BC Selva Pascular murals in Spain depict the earliest use of mushrooms in Europe.
3700 BC Peyote Buttons carved in the Shamula caves, Texas, where carvings of the Peyote were worshipped.
2000 BC Kykeon, citizens of Greece used this potion for worship, derived from Ergot, as is LSD.
1500-1000 BC Guatemalian mushroom structures/statues/carvings, depicting the Aztecs use of psilocybin mushrooms, they called them "Flesh of the Gods".
1500 BCE indian Sanskrit text of poems describes a psychedelic drink called Soma.
1300 BC Peruvian stone carvings of a God holding a San Pedro Cactus.
1000 BC Amanita Muscaria depictions by the Chukotka people of Siberia.
1000 CE Inside a rock cave in the Bolivian Andes, a small pouch was found dating back to 1000 CE and was found to contain DMT and 5 Meo-DMT.
1560-1575 Spanish Priests and explorers wrote about Aztecs and their use of mushrooms.
1591 Juan De Cardenas published first known literature on Peyote.
1799 Everard Brandepublished the first article on Psilocybin based on a case study of a family he treated after they had found Psilocybin mushrooms in a London park and made a stew with them.
1851 First western account of Ayahuasca being used, Richard Spruce drank it with the Tukano Indians of the Amazon.
1893 Camanche Chief Quanah Parker gave Peyote buttons to the Smithsonian Inst, later to be used by William James, the father of American Psychology.
1900 William James experiments with Nitrous Oxide and discovers its effects on consciousness.
1897-1920'2 Chemist Arthur Heffner isolated Mescaline from peyote, in 1897 human trials were conducted and throughout the 1920's.
1918 James Mooney advocated for ceremonial Peyote rights for Native Americans.
1943 Albert Hoffman discovers LSD after accidental ingestion.
1947 Sandoz licenses Deysid (LSD) for psychiatrists to experience the effects for themselves.
1947- 1970 Antidepressant and Anti-Psychotic discoveries were made, psychometrics were used to treat many conditions, in this time more than 40,000 patients enrolled in over 1000 studies spanning the globe.
1952 Al Hubbard - LSD assisted therapeutic treatments movement, he became known as Captain Trips, he took LSD for the first time in 1952 and went on to advocate for their therapeutic uses.
1954 Doors of Perception, written by Aldous Huxley, a book about his own psychedelic experiences.
1957 Life Magazine featured Psilocybin Mushrooms on its front cover.
1958 Albert Hoffman names the compounds Psilocybin and Psilocin.
1962 FDA makes LSD an experimental drug.
1962 Harvard fires Alpert and Leary for involving students in trials, Leary becomes the face of the counter culture.
1966 Life magazine does a complete U-turn and vilifies psychedelics and anyone who uses them.
1970 Richard Nixon starts the war on drugs, makes them all illegal, and makes any kind of research very difficult.
1971 Biochemist Gertrude Paltin Oscar Janger work on Psychedelic research not discovered until years later, they are now seen as pioneers.
1976-1980's Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin synthesised MDMA, and experimented on himself. He shared some with therapist Leo Zoff who went on to train over 4000 therapists to use MDMA in assisted therapy.
1978 Shulgin and Nichols publish the first scholarly paper on the subjective effects of MDMA.
1985-1986 MDMA made schedule 1 and banned because of recreational popularity.
1992 Terrence McKenna claims psilocybin played a role in rapidly advancing our evolution from apes (stone ape theory).
1990-1995 Rick Strassman's DMT trials at the University of Mexico.
1998 British Countess Emma Fielding founded the Beckley Foundation for the purpose of researching psychedelics and drug policy reform.
1999 Johns Hopkins and Imperial College of London begin studies and trials.
1993-2014 Heffler research institute, Usona Inst and the International centre for Ethnobotanical research, and service ICEERS all begin research and trials.
1996- 2016 More studies of MDMA and Psilocybin begin.
2018 How to Change your mind by Michael Pollan is published followed by a series that is now on Netflix.
2019- present, Expansion and New players enter the psychedelic research field, more universities and hospitals across the globe are now doing research.
2020 Project New Day, Zando Project, and Professional organisations that are non-profit start to promote integration therapy, education and harm reduction information.
2021 First ever phase 3 trial published for PTSD and psychedelics.
2022 Psychedelics publications increase, public awareness increase.
PSYCHEDELIC MEDICINES
Psilocybin & LSD
Psilocybin and LSD are psychedelic medicines, currently ilegal across most of the globe, they are quite similar in their effects.
Psilocybin, a Tryptamine, is the compound found in over 200 species of fungi, called psilocybe mushrooms. The human body converts Psilocybin into Psilocin which has mind altering effects.
Effects of Psilocybin include visual distortions, colours and movement, mystical experiences, temporary synesthesia, enhanced introspection and ego dissolution and feelings of unity and sacredness, connectedness with the universe and beyond.
LSD, derived from a fungus called Ergot, was created in 1936 by Albert Hoffman, a swiss chemist who discovered tits effects by accidentally ingested some himself. LSD or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide has very similar effects to Psilocybin, but LSD can last 3 times longer (9-12hours), and can feel more speedy than Psilocybin.
Psilocybin and LSD have been proven to help with many mental health disorders including Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, MDD and have even been used to cure addictions successfully.
Allthough these medicines are currently illegal across most of the globe, Trials and Studies are currently ongoing in many countries including USA, Canada and UK.
Psychedelic medicines should not be used by anyone with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or Bipolar, or if there is a personal/family history of psychosis.
We do not advocate for or condone the misuse of psychedelic medicines for recreational purposes, please do not use our webform to ask where to buy them. These medicines should only be used with appropriate healthcare professionals such as counsellors, guides, psychotherapists and psychiatrists. Thank you.
MDMA
MDMA is also a psychedelic medicine and is currently ilegal, manmade and not a natural substance, it was first synthesised in the 1930's and was used as medicine right up until the 1980's when the war on drugs saw many useful medicines banned.
MDNA is known as the love drug, it behaves differently in the brain compared to psilocybin and LSD, and has been successfully trialled and used on patients with treatment resistant mental health disorders like Major depressive disorder with great success. PTSD, Depression and Anxiety do not always react to antidepressants and talking therapies, MDMA can change that as it makes the patient feel more open, euphoric and free to say what they feel. It facilitates social interaction, feelings of empathy and safety.
allthough MDMA is illegal, Trials and Studies are currently ongoing in the UK and USA amongst other countries.
Psychedelic medicines should not be used by anyone with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or Bipolar, or if there is a personal/family history of psychosis.
We do not advocate for or condone the misuse of psychedelic medicines for recreational purposes, please do not use our webform to ask where to buy them. These medicines should only be used with appropriate healthcare professionals such as counsellors, guides, psychotherapists and psychiatrists. Thank you.
DMT / Ayahuasca
DMT and 5-Meo-DMT are another psychedelic medicine derived from a plant, also ilegal across the globe, it is best known as the hallucinogenic compound in ayahuasca, the bitter brown liquid that is created by combining two plants. 5-Meo-DMT is best known as the venom of a toad.
DMT or N,N-Dimethyltryptamine occurs naturally in many plants and animals and is referred to as the "spirit molecule" due to the intense psychedelic experience it gives. It can bring on a transcendental experience, but it can also cause intense vomiting and fear.
5-Meo-DMT is also found in many plants and is best known as its presentation in the venom in the Bufo Alvarius Toad, this venom is milked from the toad and dried, the crystals are then vaporised, its duration is the shortest of the psychedelics, lasting only 15-30minutes. In this short time its visions can bring about mystical experiences and dissolution of ego.
In most countries DMT/Ayayhausca is illegal, so please be careful and source it from somewhere safe.
Psychedelic medicines should not be used by anyone with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or Bipolar, or tif here is a personal/family history of psychosis.
We do not advocate for or condone the misuse of psychedelic medicines for recreational purposes, please do not use our webform to ask where to buy them. These medicines should only be used with appropriate healthcare professionals such as counsellors, guides, psychotherapists and psychiatrists. Thank you.
Mescaline
Mescaline is found in some Cacti such as Peyote or San Pedro, it was the first psychedelic compound to be isolated from a plant in 1897, its effects are similar to LSD and psilocybin, it facilitates social interaction, feelings of empathy, euphoria, compassion and safety.
Psychedelic medicines should not be used by anyone with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or Bipolar, or if there is a personal/family history of psychosis.
We do not advocate for or condone the misuse of psychedelic medicines for recreational purposes, please do not use our webform to ask where to buy them. These medicines should only be used with appropriate healthcare professionals such as counsellors, guides, psychotherapists and psychiatrists. Thank you.
Ketamin
Ketamine traditionally used as an anesthetic because of its dissacotiative nature, is used to treat depression and suicide ideation.
Psychedelic medicines should not be used by anyone with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or Bipolar, or if there is a personal/family history of psychosis.
We do not advocate for or condone the misuse of psychedelic medicines for recreational purposes, please do not use our webform to ask where to buy them. These medicines should only be used with appropriate healthcare professionals such as counsellors, guides, psychotherapists and psychiatrists. Thank you.
Ibogaine
Extracted from the root of the West African Tabernanthe Iboga shrub, this medicine induces a dream like state, it is used in Africa to treat addiction to Opiods, but carries significant health risks and even death if the dose if incorrect and proper health screening hasn't been carried out.
Psychedelic medicines should not be used by anyone with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or Bipolar, or if there is a personal/family history of psychosis.
We do not advocate for or condone the misuse of psychedelic medicines for recreational purposes, please do not use our webform to ask where to buy them. These medicines should only be used with appropriate healthcare professionals such as counsellors, guides, psychotherapists and psychiatrists. Thank you.
Psychedelic Medicines Video by ADHDVoice on TikTok.
Risks and Harms of Psychedelics
Risks.
The Risks and potential adverse consequences of Psychedelics use are;
Legal Consequences are considered one of the greatest risks, however, drug policy reform is now coming into greater focus. Repercussions from this can impact employment, schooling and relationships.
Adulterants and Contaminated drugs is another big risk, when there is no assurance to the contents of a pill, powder or liquid, and the dosage is unknown, there are risks of toxicity, and adverse effects are greatly increased when substances are adulterated with other drugs, also risk of overdose.
Ilicit manufacturing is an additional risk as other unknown compounds are often added to either increase potency or expand the amount of end product, often drugs are mixed with other substances to achieve this.
Variations in content, there are now drug checking services which can check your pills for you, this significantly reduces risk and harm.
Harm Reduction.
Harm reduction is a set of policies and ideas used to create practical strategies meant to reduce the negative consequences and high risk behaviours associated with personal use amounts of illegal and legal drugs/substances. The effort to make healthy healing through substances safe and accessible, includes broader efforts to protect health, promote safety and raise quality of life.
Just like putting your seat belt on every time you go for a journey in the car, psychedelic harm reduction is the set of ideas and strategies we put in place to protect us whilst we are on our journey. Harm reduction applies to ceremonial, recreational and medical use.
The major players in harm reduction are services, organisations and non-profits doing important work in their retrospective fields to ensure harm reduction education and strategies are available to everyone.
Good resources for more information are: Erowid and TRIPSIT.me.
Harm reduction strategies: Always be prepared for the worst case scenario.
Physical accidents, broken bones, twisted ankles, lacerations, falling, drowning, unexpected injuries that occur whilst altered.
Medical events, increased heart rate and blood pressure, dehydration, excessive perspiration/sweating, increased body temperature, seizures, loss of consciousness, loss of motor functions.
Psychological events, Panic attacks, anxiety, delusions, magical thinking, paranoia, confusion, dysthymia, existential crisis, increased suicide ideation.
Violence, Sexual assaults, domestic disputes, interpersonal conflicts, non-consensual dosing.
Prior to any journey there are 6 areas of considerations where harm can occur that must be thought through. Acknowledging that these types of situations do occur and actively thinking about the places and people with whom you are taking your journey, is a key harm reduction strategy to protect yourself and others.
Considerations for harm reduction.
1. Consent and Altered states. Engage in a conversation about safety and consent during altered states, physical touch, substances used and emergency planning should all be considered prior to a psychoactive experience.
2. Trust, Privacy and Confidentiality. Group pr community psychedelic work can run risk of violations of these three things, so there should always be an agreement around photos, videos and sharing to the internet.
3. Psychedelic Induced Trauma Bonding. For some medicines like ayahuasca, the group dynamic can play a big part in the healing process, this often means the group will share a special bond.
4. Vulnerability and Suggestibility. psychedelic use opens up the individual to this, its a recognised effect of psychedelics because of the MKultra mind control experiments from the 60's.
5. Power, Dynamics, Bias and Boundaries. The facilitator, guide, shaman, therapist, sitter has an inherent power differential whether its parent-child or healer-patient, we must acknowledge this power dynamic exists and address it. It is easy for the ego to become inflated with access to knowledge and medicines that others desperately seek. We may make judgements or hold an internal bias that one molecule is better than another, we must remember to empower others to decide what's best for them and their own journey.
6. Drug sourcing. Access, Privilege and legal risks. Purchasing and possessing comes with legal risks, the dark web can be a dangerous place where you can be scammed, robbed and sold something toxic. The most common way people obtain substances is through friends, guides, m community groups and gatherings/festivals, falling on a spectrum of risks, such as unknown dosage in the substance, adulterated substances, untested substances.
The principles of Peer Support:
Psychedelics should never be taken alone, peer support provided for somebody having a difficult time should be delivered in a calm way, and the person should be fully present for the whole duration. If an individual is having a bad time, first, get them to a safe space, don'ttell them they had better leave or they may get anxious, talk to them in a non urgent way with words like"lets get you to a quitter spot where I can hear you better and you will be more comfortable". Offer water and tell them they are safe.
Book recommendations
Two great books to read and learn about what these medicines can do for you.
The Default Mode Network
This video has a clip from "How to Change your Mind by Michael Pollan, the series is on Netflix, and also in a book.
Science or Ideology?
Would you like to know how far back our outdated ideology surrounding cannabis goes? Former President Barack Obama told CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, MD, “governments health policy regarding marijuana should be directed by science and not ideology”, this admission by the learned former president is contrary to the prevailing reality of how the US government functions, and how laws are made.
Case and Point, in 1930, secretary of the treasury, Andrew Mellon of the Mellon banking family, appointed his relative, Harry J Andslinger to be commissioner of the federal bureau of narcotics, Mr Andslinger Clearly favoured religion and ideology over science. His ideology included a manic excessive hatred of people of colour, as a result for the past 87 years. The American people, and most parts of the world have suffered from Mr Andslingers racist ideology. Lives have been lost, families shattered, cities damaged, entire governments, such as Mexico’s have been threatened by Mr Harry Andslingers successful creation of laws, that enforced his ideology, while ignoring science.
Andslinger, along with others, prosecuted the Chinese, for using opium, the Mexicans, for marijuana and blacks for cocaine. Disinformation was spread that these minority people of colour were using the drugs to seduce white women, and the public roared. By using the mass media as his forum, receiving much support from yellow journalismPublisher, William Randolph-Hearst, Andslinger Propelled the anti-marijuana sentiment from state-level, to national and then into an international movement, he used what he called his “gore files”, A collection of quotes from police reports, to graphically depict offences caused by drug users. By representing the United States before the United Nations, Harry Andslinger made certain substances illegal on a worldwide scale, alcohol prohibition in the United States lasted 13 years during which time, two issues became obvious, first, the American people were not going to be legislated out of drinking alcohol, second, making alcohol illegal spawned the criminal enterprise we now call the mafia, who’s gross revenue, approached the nations entire previously legal alcoholic beverage industry!
it’s hard to wrap your consciousness around that, take every business in the United States that is involved with alcohol, from the production to the distribution, to the sales every bit of it, hard spirits, beer and wine, and that is the amount of business that we gave to the criminal enterprise. It might not be a stretch to say that Harry Andslinger created the largest, most successful criminal enterprise, the world has ever known.
When Harry Andslinger Waged a war an alcohol and Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan subsequently declared war on drugs. They were in fact declaring a war on people, mostly people of colour, 87 years after Mr Andslingers federal appointment, and his creation of the marijuana tax laws of 1937, US jails are overburdened with people of colour, who’s only crime was an act of ingesting a vegetable, marijuana that comes from the ground. People of colour make up about 30% of the United States population, they count for 60% of those imprisoned in jails, incarceration rates in America, disproportionately impact men of colour, one in every 15 African-American men, and one in every 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated, In comparison to 1 in every 106 white males. In recent decades, people around the United States and the world, have responded to this war against people, by attempting to bring science into this ideological War, pioneering groups such as the drug policy alliance, national organisation to reform marijuana law, (normal), the multi disciplinary Association for psychedelic studies, MAPS, and the marijuana policy Project, MPP, advance the cause of overturning drug laws, driven by ideology.
When the 44th American president, Barack Obama called for the acceptance of science over ideology. We thought we saw the end of Harry Andslinger’s 85 year rule, Cannabis is legal on prescription in the UK and US now and has been since 2018, it treats a plethora of diseases and symptoms of disorders, but most importantly we know it kills certain cancers, it’s criminal that we are still not allowed to access it, but are offered poisonous chemo which costs ten times the cost for one treatment, whilst poisoning your whole body.
Legal Stuff...
Our soundscapes are for meditation and theraputic purposes only, we do not condone or advocate for recreational drug use, misuse of psychedelic medicines can lead to harmful outcomes for the individual and others, although many countries worldwide, and organisations such as MAPS are now doing trials and research with these medicines within the mental health sectors, they still remain illegal in most countries across the globe, we strongly advise against the use of these medicines without a psychedelic therapist and psychotherapist or a trained guide present.
We do not offer any medicines for sale, please do not use our webforms to ask for this, our mission is to educate, relax and massage your ears with sweet sounds that will take you to another place.
Lisa Barnes Qualifications.....
Lisa is passionate about helping others through life coaching and counselling, as she continues to grow and learn alongside her clients.
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