VA funding its first study of psychedelic treatment for PTSD

THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IS PUTTING ITS MONEY ON PSYCHEDELICS.

IN JUNE – AN F-D-A PANEL SAID IT WILL **NOT** RECOMMEND THE USE OF M-D-M-A-ASSISTED THERAPY AS A TREATMENT FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS IN VETERANS… SAYING THERE’S NO PROOF THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE RISKS.

NOW, THE V-A IS SETTING ASIDE 1 POINT 5 MILLION DOLLARS TO SEE IF THAT’S TRUE.

V-A RESEARCHERS AFFILIATED WITH BROWN UNIVERSITY AND YALE UNIVERSITY WILL SEE HOW M-D-M-A-ASSISTED THERAPY WORKS FOR VETERANS WITH POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND ALCOHOL USE DISORDER.

M-D-M-A – MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS ECSTASY OR MOLLY AND OFTEN USED AS A PARTY DRUG – IS A PSYCHEDELIC COMPOUND BELIEVED TO INCREASE EMOTIONAL OPENNESS, REDUCE FEAR, AND PROMOTE INTROSPECTION DURING THERAPY.

SOME PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMLY CHOSEN TO RECEIVE AN ACTIVE PLACEBO – WHICH WILL BE A LOWER DOSE OF THE PSYCHEDELIC.

THE STUDY IS SPURRED BY ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE FROM VETERANS WHO TURN TO PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY WHEN TRADITIONAL TREATMENTS FOR COMBAT-RELATED MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES DON’T WORK FOR THEM.

A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE PUBLISHED THIS WEEK – FOLLOWED A GROUP OF AMERICAN SPECIAL OPERATIONS VETERANS AS THEY CROSSED THE BORDER INTO MEXICO SEEKING TREATMENT AT A PSYCHEDELIC CLINIC. 

FOR YEARS, THESE RELATIVELY OSCURE CLINICS WERE SEEN AS A LAST RESORT FOR TREATING DRUG ADDICTION… BUT RECENTLY, MORE AND MORE VETERANS HAVE BEEN TURNING TO THE UNORTHODOX METHOD OF TREATMENT.

ACCORDING TO THE TIMES – NO ONE TRACKS HOW MANY VETERANS TURN TO THESE CLINICS FOR HELP – BUT CLINIC OWNERS ESTIMATE THEY SEE THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS EVERY YEAR, AND THAT NUMBER IS ONLY GOING UP.

THEY SAY SOME ACTIVE DUTY TROOPS HAVE EVEN MADE THE TREK FOR TREATMENT – EVEN THOUGH IT RISKS A COURT MARTIAL.

THE DRUG OF CHOICE FOR MOST PSYCHEDELIC CLINICS IN MEXICO IS **NOT** M-D-M-A… BUT IBOGAINE (ih-bow-guh-een), WHICH IS AN EXTRACT MADE FOR THE BARK OF AN AFRICAN SHRUB.

WHILE M-D-M-A IS KNOWN TO INDUCE A SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS AND EMOTIONAL COMMUNION… IBOGAINE IS AMONG A GROUP OF PSYCHEDELICS – INCLUDING L-S-D AND PSILOCYBIN (sill-OH-sigh-ben) – WHICH CREATE ALTERED PERCEPTUAL STATES. 

DESPITE THE DRUGS’ DIFFERENCES, EXPERTS SAY M-D-M-A AND IBOGAINE BOTH CREATE NEUROPLASTICITY AND ALLOW THE BRAIN TO HEAL DAMAGED NEURAL CIRCUITS – WHICH IMAGING SHOWS CAN BE SHRIVELED UP IN PATIENTS WITH ADDICTION, DEPRESSION AND P-T-S-D.

BUT, UNLIKE M-D-M-A, AN IBOGAINE TRIP IS NOT KNOWN FOR BEING PLEASANT AND THE DRUG USUALLY MAKES PEOPLE PHYSICALLY ILL.

ALSO UNLIKE M-D-M-A-ASSISTED THERAPY, PSYCHEDELIC CLINICS TYPICALLY ADMINISTER IBOGAINE IN A SINGLE DOSE **THEN FOLLOW IT THE NEXT DAY** WITH A DOSE OF THE POISON OF THE SONORAN DESERT TOAD. 

THAT POISON – NICKNAMED “THE GOD MOLECULE” – IS A POWERFUL SHORT-ACTING PSYCHEDELIC THAT TENDS TO GIVE USERS AN OVERWHELMING FEELING OF SPIRITUAL CONNECTION.

IN MOST CASES, THE PATIENT USES EACH SUBSTANCE JUST ONCE – AND PARTICIPATES IN PSYCHOTHERAPY BEFORE **AND** AFTERWARD.

THE V-A’S STUDY IS SLATED TO BEGIN ENROLLMENT BY SEPTEMBER 20-25 AND THE 1 POINT 5 MILLION DOLLAR GRANTS WILL SPREAD OVER FIVE YEARS.

IN THE MEANTIME – THE V-A STRONGLY DISCOURAGES SELF-MEDICATING WITH PSYCHEDELICS OR ANY OTHER UNPRESCRIBED SUBSTANCES.

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