PTSD, Mindfulness and Psilocybin

PTSD results from exposure to events that involve the threat of death or loss of psychological integrity. Mindfulness is an attentive awareness of the reality of things, especially the present moment and is increasingly practiced in psychology to alleviate a variety of mental and physical conditions. Psilocybin decreases activity in the brain that provides our sense of separateness, helping to remove the optical delusion that we are individuals struggling alone in the universe.

Einstein Quote

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." Albert Einstein - (1879-1955)

Psilocybin should only be taken with a spiritual mindset in a supportive environment.

Be sure to continue reading with "Older Posts" at bottom of page.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

From the New York Times: New treatments for PTSD

For Veterans, a Surge of New Treatments for Trauma
You name it, and it’s being used somewhere in the veterans’ health system: The National Intrepid Center in Washington is one of many places using acupuncture to treat stress-related anxiety and sleep disorders; it has been shown to be effective against PTSD. At the New Orleans V.A., the same clinicians who ran Trin’s group also did a small study using yoga. They found vets liked it and attendance was excellent. The yoga reduced the veterans’ hyperarousal and helped them sleep. There is even a group in the Puget Sound V.A. Hospital in Seattle that treats PTSD — including among Navy Seals — using the Buddhist practice of “loving kindness meditation.” (“We had a little bit of debate about changing the name,” said Dr. David Kearney, who led the group. “But we decided to keep it, and it worked out just fine.”) NYT

Monday, September 24, 2012

New study shows PTSD symptoms reduced in combat-exposed military via integrative medicine

Scripps study in Military Medicine reveals reduced depression, cynicism among US Marines

Healing touch combined with guided imagery (HT+GI) provides significant clinical reductions in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms for combat-exposed active duty military, according to a study released in the September issue of Military Medicine.

The report finds that patients receiving these complementary medicine interventions showed significant improvement in quality of life, as well as reduced depression and cynicism, compared to soldiers receiving treatment as usual alone. Eurekalert!

Friday, September 14, 2012

New Article from the Journal of Clinical Psychology

Effects of Participation in a Mindfulness Program for Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
Forty-seven veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 37 male, 32 Caucasian) were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU; n = 22), or MBSR plus TAU (n = 25). PTSD, depression, and mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were assessed at baseline, posttreatment, and 4-month follow-up. Standardized effect sizes and the proportion with clinically meaningful changes in outcomes were calculated. Kearney DJ, McDermott K, Malte C, Martinez M, Simpson TL. J Clin Psychol. 2012 Aug 28. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22930491
Cited by (Google Scholar)

Link to related article from 2012 in Journal of Clinical Psychology by Kearney et. al.:
Association of participation in a mindfulness program with measures of PTSD, depression and quality of life in a veteran sample. (PDF)
Kearney DJ, McDermott K, Malte C, Martinez M, Simpson TL.
J Clin Psychol. 2012 Jan;68(1):101-16. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20853. Epub 2011 Nov 28.
PMID: 2212518

Friday, September 7, 2012

Potential paradigmatic shift within the field of psychiatry

Serotonergic hallucinogens and emerging targets for addiction pharmacotherapies.
The ability of these medicinal tools (ex: psilocybin) to treat a range of addictive, psychiatric, and existential disorders is remarkable in scope and possibility. They truly represent a potential paradigmatic shift within the field of psychiatry, too interesting to not explore further. Ross S. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2012 Jun;35(2):357-74. PMID:22640760 PDF (with subscription)

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Sunday, August 12, 2012

New article from Current Biology promoting use of psilocybin for depression

Neuroimaging: a scanner, colourfully.
Two recent studies report changes in human brain responses after exposure to psilocybin, the active ingredient of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Psilocybin increased sensory cortex responses during emotional recollection, but decreased resting-state blood flow in prefrontal cortex, with potential implications for treating depression. Roiser JP, Rees G. Curr Biol. 2012 Apr 10;22(7):R231-3. PMID: 22497939
Cited by (Google Scholar)

And here is a recent article that describes the use of Ayahuasca for depression:

Antidepressant Effects of a Single Dose of Ayahuasca in Patients With Recurrent Depression: A SPECT Study.
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian botanical hallucinogenic brew which contains dimethyltryptamine, a 5-HT2A receptor agonist, and harmine, a monoamine-oxidase A inhibitor. Our group recently reported that ayahuasca administration was associated with fast-acting antidepressive effects in 6 depressive patients. The objective of the present work was to assess the antidepressive potentials of ayahuasca in a bigger sample and to investigate its effects on regional cerebral blood flow. In an open-label trial conducted in an inpatient psychiatric unit, 17 patients with recurrent depression received an oral dose of ayahuasca (2.2 mL/kg) and were evaluated with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Young Mania Rating Scale, and the Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale during acute ayahuasca effects and 1, 7, 14, and 21 days after drug intake. Blood perfusion was assessed eight hours after drug administration by means of single photon emission tomography. Ayahuasca administration was associated with increased psychoactivity (Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale) and significant score decreases in depression-related scales (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale) from 80 minutes to day 21. Increased blood perfusion in the left nucleus accumbens, right insula and left subgenual area, brain regions implicated in the regulation of mood and emotions, were observed after ayahuasca intake. Ayahuasca was well tolerated. Vomiting was the only adverse effect recorded, being reported by 47% of the volunteers. Our results suggest that ayahuasca may have fast-acting and sustained antidepressive properties. These results should be replicated in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.
Sanches RF, de Lima Osório F, Dos Santos RG, Macedo LR, Maia-de-Oliveira JP, Wichert-Ana L, de Araujo DB, Riba J, S Crippa JA, Hallak JE.
J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2015 Dec 8. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 26650973
Cited by (Google Scholar)

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

PTSD, Mindfulness and Yoga: Huffington 08/07/2012

Yoga: How We Serve Our Veterans
This is an interview with Felice Brenner, who had been working as a "headhunter" for 20 years to become a full-time yoga instructor. She teaches two classes a week at the Veterans Administration in Boston, Jamaica Plains campus. This year, Felice received the Outstanding Federal Volunteer award from the VA Boston Healthcare System for her service and commitment. Huffington Post

Monday, August 6, 2012

New Study on PTSD in the Journal Mindfulness

A Prospective Investigation of Mindfulness Skills and Changes in Emotion Regulation Among Military Veterans in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment

We prospectively investigated associations between mindfulness and changes in the use of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal occurring during a residential treatment program for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The sample consisted of 50 male veterans who were assessed with the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills at treatment intake, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and PTSD Checklist—Military Version at treatment intake and discharge. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that greater nonjudgmental acceptance at intake predicted greater reductions in expressive suppression (p < .05) and less improvement in cognitive reappraisal (p < .05) between treatment intake and discharge. Additionally, greater ability to observe thoughts, emotions, and sensations at intake was associated with less improvement in cognitive reappraisal between treatment intake and discharge (p < .05). Findings remained significant after statistically adjusting for treatment-related changes in PTSD symptoms.

Mindfulness

2012, DOI: 10.1007/s12671-012-0131-4

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Lancet: a new editorial on psychedelic research

Shaping the renaissance of psychedelic research
Psychedelic drugs have a rich and vibrant history as clinical aids for psychiatry. For two decades after the discovery of lysergide (LSD) in the 1940s, psychedelics were extensively studied and clinical progress was good. But research collapsed rapidly in 1966 when LSD was made illegal, and there was a subsequent hiatus of psychedelic research. After 40 years, this pause is now coming to an end, with many new studies and a refreshing approach to the research of psychedelic drugs. Lancet. 2012 Jul 21;380(9838):200-1. No abstract available. PMID: 22817963

Thursday, July 19, 2012

New Institute of Medicine Report Assessing PTSD Treatments at the DoD and the VA

Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military and Veteran Populations: Initial Assessment (read free online)
As the U.S. reduces its military involvement in the Middle East, the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) anticipate that increasing numbers of returning veterans will need PTSD services. As a result, Congress asked the DoD, in consultation with the VA, to sponsor an IOM study to assess both departments’ PTSD treatment programs and services. This first of two mandated reports examines some of the available programs to prevent, diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate those who have PTSD and encourages further research that can help to improve PTSD care.

(From page 257)
Many CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) approaches are being used by people with PTSD as reported in the popular press, but these approaches are not necessarily being formally studied to assess their efficacy.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Be the witness: a mindfulness technique for tempering anger

'Self-distancing' can help people calm aggressive reactions, study finds
A new study reveals a simple strategy that people can use to minimize how angry and aggressive they get when they are provoked by others. MedicalXpress

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Researcher urges British governments to facilitate, not hinder, research with psychedelics.

Dr. David Nutt

Psychedelic drugs can unlock mysteries of brain – former government adviser
Scientists should have access to illegal psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin to aid them in brain research, according to the government's former drug adviser Professor David Nutt. He said that research into the deepest mysteries of the brain, including consciousness and mental illness, had been curtailed by the prohibition of the drugs.

"Neuroscience should be trying to understand how the brain works," said Nutt, who is professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London. "Psychedelics change the brain in, perhaps, the most profound way of any drug, at least in terms of understanding consciousness and connectivity. Therefore we should be doing a lot more of this research.

"Regulations, which are arbitrary, actually make it virtually impossible to research these drugs," said Nutt last month. "The effect these laws have had on research is greater than the effects that [George] Bush stopping stem cell research has had, because it's been going on since the 1960s." The Guardian

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Institute of Noetic Sciences interviews Johns Hopkins psilocybin researcher Roland Griffiths

"Psilocybin and quantum change in attitude and behavior" with Roland Griffiths

Roland Griffiths and Cassandra Vieten
Download as mp3

Link to audio: "Psilocybin and quantum change in attitude and behavior"

The overall finding that psilocybin can occasion, in most people studied, mystical-type experiences having sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance, indicates that such experiences and the changes they produce are now amenable to rigorous prospective scientific study. Several ongoing studies are discussed, including a study of psilocybin on meditation and spiritual practice in healthy volunteers, a study of psilocybin in psychologically distressed cancer patients, and a study of psilocybin-facilitated treatment of drug cigarette smoking cessation. Noetic.org

Video presentation by Robin Carhart-Harris, lead author of fMRI study of effects of psilocybin on bloodflow in brain.

Lead author of 2012 British Journal of Psychiatry study ( Implications for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study with psilocybin.) discusses his work in video first presented at the Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century, a conference that took place in San Jose, California on April 15-18, 2010.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Poster Presentation From the International Research Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health 2012

P02.135. Measuring mindfulness: which aspects of mindfulness change following a brief telehealth intervention for PTSD (PDF)
The goal of this pilot study was to examine changes in self-reported levels of mindfulness in the context of an 8-week mindfulness telehealth intervention for military veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Niles et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012, 12(Suppl 1):P191

DoD using yoga and meditation help them make better decisions on the battlefield and prevent trauma

A State of Military Mind
For the past year, (Douglas C.) Johnson, a psychologist at the Naval Health Research Center’s Warfighter Performance Lab, in San Diego, has gathered blood and saliva samples from marines before and after they went through training, scanned their brains, recorded their heart rate and respiration, and given them cognitive and behavioral tests. Using this data, Johnson and his colleagues can adjust training to make troops more effective and limit the negative impacts of combat. Pacific Standard

PubMed search for articles on yoga/meditation in the military

Monday, June 11, 2012

Mindfulness-based psychological therapy helps reduce anxiety and depression in cancer patients

Mindfulness reduces anxiety and depression in cancer patients

Mindfulness-based psychological therapy is rooted in Buddhist meditation techniques and includes the programmes mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Training and exercises in mindfulness teach the cancer patients to be more conscious of life as it happens instead of worrying about the past and the future. This may be thoughts about their past behaviour having contributed to their disease and fear of what will happen to them in future, including worries about death.

The findings have been published in the most prestigious international journal within clinical psychology research, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

New article from journal Behavior Modification: mindfulness, mantra, and compassion meditation as a treatment for PTSD

The Theoretical and Empirical Basis for Meditation as an Intervention for PTSD.
In spite of the existence of good empirically supported treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), consumers and providers continue to ask for more options for managing this common and often chronic condition. Meditation-based approaches are being widely implemented, but there is minimal research rigorously assessing their effectiveness. This article reviews meditation as an intervention for PTSD, considering three major types of meditative practices: mindfulness, mantra, and compassion meditation. The mechanisms by which these approaches may effectively reduce PTSD symptoms and improve quality of life are presented. Empirical evidence of the efficacy of meditation for PTSD is very limited but holds some promise. Additional evaluation of meditation-based treatment appears to be warranted.
Lang AJ, Strauss JL, Bomyea J, Bormann JE, Hickman SD, Good RC, Essex M.
Behav Modif. 2012 Nov;36(6):759-86. doi: 10.1177/0145445512441200. Epub 2012 Jun 5. Review.

PMID: 22669968
PDF
Cited by (Goggle Scholar)

Professor starts class discussing clinical research on psychedelic drugs

Psychedelic studies
Watching his mother struggle with death stirred an interest for (Bruce) Sewick. As a result, he’s studied the clinical use of psychedelic drugs to treat the terminally ill for more than 15 years, and completed his master’s thesis on the topic in 1997.

“It’s all in memory of my mom,” he said.

Now, he’s hoping to pass that knowledge on to others by offering a summer course at College of DuPage called “Psychedelic Mindview” that will explore the role of psychedelic substances throughout history. Mysuburbanlife.com

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Prolonged exposure, mindfulness and emotion regulation

Prolonged Exposure, Mindfulness, and Emotion Regulation for the Treatment of PTSD
Although several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of prolonged exposure (PE) for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are concerns regarding its clinical applications. The exacerbation of symptoms during exposure, poor adherence to treatment, and early treatment dropout are suggested to occur because of an unwillingness for some PTSD clients to confront feared trauma-relevant stimuli and experience anxious arousal during exposure. The application of mindfulness and emotion regulation skills during PE may be a useful substitute for clients’ attempts to escape, avoid, or control anxious arousal during treatment. Lauren A. Frye, C. Richard Spates. Clinical Case Studies 1534650112446850, first published on May 24, 2012 as doi:10.1177/1534650112446850

Thursday, May 17, 2012

New article on mindulness and PTSD from the Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University

Mindful awareness and non-judging in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Conclusion: This study confirms in a clinical sample that mindful non-judging is associated with PTSD symptoms and could represent a meaningful focus for treatment.

Wahbeh H, Lu M, Oken B. Mindfulness (N Y). 2011 Dec 1;2(4):219-227. PMID: 22582091

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Existential Medicine

Experiencing events that lead to PTSD or being diagnosed with a life threatening disease such as cancer often results in an existential crisis. Mindfulness and psilocybin can both be considered" existential medicine" or "existential therapy".

New Study in Biological Psychiatry: psilocybin enhanced positive mood, increased goal-directed behavior toward positive.

Psilocybin Biases Facial Recognition, Goal-Directed Behavior, and Mood State Toward Positive Relative to Negative Emotions Through Different Serotonergic Subreceptors.

RESULTS: Psilocybin enhanced positive mood and attenuated recognition of negative facial expression. Furthermore, psilocybin increased goal-directed behavior toward positive compared with negative cues, facilitated positive but inhibited negative sequential emotional effects, and valence-dependently attenuated the P300 component. Ketanserin alone had no effects but blocked the psilocybin-induced mood enhancement and decreased recognition of negative facial expression.

Kometer M, Schmidt A, Bachmann R, Studerus E, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. Biol Psychiatry. 2012 May 9. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22578254
Cited by (Google Scholar)

Friday, May 4, 2012

Newly indexed article in Pubmed from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Treatment of complex PTSD: results of the ISTSS expert clinician survey on best practices.
This study provides a summary of the results of an expert opinion survey initiated by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Complex Trauma Task Force regarding best practices for the treatment of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ratings from a mail-in survey from 25 complex PTSD experts and 25 classic PTSD experts regarding the most appropriate treatment approaches and interventions for complex PTSD were examined for areas of consensus and disagreement. Experts agreed on several aspects of treatment, with 84% endorsing a phase-based or sequenced therapy as the most appropriate treatment approach with interventions tailored to specific symptom sets. First-line interventions matched to specific symptoms included emotion regulation strategies, narration of trauma memory, cognitive restructuring, anxiety and stress management, and interpersonal skills. Meditation and mindfulness interventions were frequently identified as an effective second-line approach for emotional, attentional, and behavioral (e.g., aggression) disturbances.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Impact of a Program in Mindful Communication on Primary Care Physicians

Physician's mindfulness skills can improve care for patient and provider.
Training physicians in mindfulness meditation and communication skills can improve the quality of primary care for both practitioners and their patients, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report in a study published online this week in the journal Academic Medicine. via MedicalXpress

Since this post has been receiving numerous hits, the post is being updated with the PubMed indexed link to the article. a link to the PDF, plus a Google Scholar listing of the articles that have cited this article since it was published.

The impact of a program in mindful communication on primary care physicians. (PDF)
Abstract: Interventions to improve the quality of primary care practice and practitioner well-being should promote a sense of community, specific mindfulness skills, and permission and time devoted to personal growth.
Beckman HB, Wendland M, Mooney C, Krasner MS, Quill TE, Suchman AL, Epstein RM.
Acad Med. 2012 Jun;87(6):815-9.
PMID: 22534599
Cited by (Google Scholar)

Saturday, April 21, 2012

From the New York Times: a transcendent article on the use of psilocybin by cancer patients

Photo illustration by Clang

How Psychedelic Drugs Can Help Patients Face Death

Researchers acknowledge that it’s not clear how psilocybin reduces a person’s anxiety about mortality, not simply during the trip but for weeks and months following. “It’s a bit of a mystery,” Grob says. “I don’t really have altogether a definitive answer as to why the drug eases the fear of death, but we do know that from time immemorial individuals who have transformative spiritual experiences come to a very different view of themselves and the world around them and thus are able to handle their own deaths differently.”

By LAUREN SLATER Published: April 20, 2012 New York Times
Cited by (Google Scholar)

For more on this topic read:

New Yorker article by Michael Pollan hits home

and

Psilocybin: a single dose relieves Existential Distress in cancer patients

and

Psilocybin use in end of life care: Journal of the National Cancer Institute

Friday, April 20, 2012

Recent brain research in regards to self-transcendence

This neuroradiological scan shows

what an injured right parietal lobe looks

like. Individuals with similar injuries to

this part of the brain will be less focused

on the self, and more likely to be able

to experience spiritual connection with

a higher power/nature, depending

on their faith tradition.

Distinct “God Spot” in the Brain Does Not Exist, MU Researcher Says

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Scientists have speculated that the human brain features a “God spot,” one distinct area of the brain responsible for spirituality. Now, University of Missouri researchers have completed research that indicates spirituality is a complex phenomenon, and multiple areas of the brain are responsible for the many aspects of spiritual experiences. Based on a previously published study that indicated spiritual transcendence is associated with decreased right parietal lobe functioning, MU researchers replicated their findings. In addition, the researchers determined that other aspects of spiritual functioning are related to increased activity in the frontal lobe.
University of Missouri News

Article: "Right parietal lobe-related “selflessness” as the neuropsychological basis of spiritual transcendence"
PDF
Cited by (Google Scholar)

Role of user's personality, current mood state, drug pre-experiences, expectancies, and social and environmental variables

Prediction of psilocybin response in healthy volunteers.

Specifically, having a high score in the personality trait of Absorption, being in an emotionally excitable and active state immediately before drug intake, and having experienced few psychological problems in past weeks were most strongly associated with pleasant and mystical-type experiences, whereas high Emotional Excitability, low age, and an experimental setting involving positron emission tomography most strongly predicted unpleasant and/or anxious reactions to psilocybin. Studerus E, Gamma A, Kometer M, Vollenweider FX. PLoS One. 2012;7(2):e30800. Epub 2012 Feb 17. PMID: 22363492. [PubMed - in process] Free PMC Article (PDF)

Psilocybin has potential role in treating depression

Neuroimaging: a scanner, colourfully.

Two recent studies report changes in human brain responses after exposure to psilocybin, the active ingredient of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Psilocybin increased sensory cortex responses during emotional recollection, but decreased resting-state blood flow in prefrontal cortex, with potential implications for treating depression. Roiser JP, Rees G. Curr Biol. 2012 Apr 10;22(7):R231-3. PMID: 22497939

Sunday, April 15, 2012

How my interest in Psilocybe sp. evolved

Below is a link to a short story by someone with no pretense of being a writer:

A Mushroom Story

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Roland Griffiths discusses Psilocybin and Spirituality on 11/5/09

TEDxMidAtlantic - Roland Griffiths - 11/5/09
Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His principal research focus in both clinical and preclinical laboratories has been on the behavioral and subjective effects of mood-altering drugs. He is also currently a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Dependence for the World Health Organization.

About TEDx, x=independently organize event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self- organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Army Surgeon General on diagnosing and treating PTSD

Army Surgeon General defends PTSD diagnostic method
Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho testified March 28 at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, Defense subcommittee hearing on military health and said military hospitals use the same method as the civilian sector to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD.

"It's the one standard that's out in the civilian sector as well as the military. It's the best standard out there for diagnosing PTSD," she said.

(Lt. General) Horoho also addressed the pain management task force that was stood up two years ago to look into alternatives to the use of pain medications after officials determined more than 35 percent of wounded Soldiers were addicted. Former Special Operations Command deputy and now retired Lt. Gen. David Fridovich in December 2010 admitted publicly that he'd been a narcotics addict for five years as the result of the pain caused by a shattered vertebra.

"I do believe we're on the right track," Horoho said. "We've seen a decrease in the reliance of polypharmacy -- multiple drugs, and many of our warriors have used yoga, acupressure, acupuncture, mindfulness and sleep management vice narcotic pain medicine we're seeing better patient outcomes." Army.mil

Mindfulness trainings helps former British soldier

Why one former soldier is trying to raise awareness to help Combat Stress
Returning to life in the UK, Liam found himself suffering flashbacks of what he had seen in Iraq. He developed depression and would avoid going out, because the anxiety of heightened awareness in large crowds was not something he felt easy to deal with.

He said: “I would have a couple of weeks where it would be good and a couple of weeks when I couldn’t go out.

“On bad days I would sleep two hours a night and on a good night five or six hours. I would have nightmares and flashbacks. My moods were up and down. I did have anger issues, but not so much now.”

According to Liam, it took him a year to access any help and since Christmas 2010 he has had one treatment session with Combat Stress; he is waiting for his second.

Liam, who now lives with his partner, his six-year-old stepdaughter and eight-month-old son, said: “When I went down to Combat Stress I learned relaxation and mindfulness. Northampton Chronical

Monday, April 2, 2012

UCLA discovers 2 genes that predispose individuals to PTSD by moderating serotonin levels

PTSD genes identified by UCLA study
In studying the families' genes, the researchers found that persons who possessed specific variants of two genes were more likely to develop PTSD symptoms. Called TPH1 and TPH2, these genes control the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep and alertness -- all of which are disrupted in PTSD. Eurekalert!

These findings indicate the importance of serotonin levels in the brain in PTSD acquisition and possibly its treatment. Psilocybin has a pronounced and long term effect on serotonin receptors in the brain, is not addicting and has a low level of toxicity. Perhaps it is time for the DoD and VA to initiate Clinical Trials to examine the efficacy of treating combat-related PTSD with psilocybin.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Mindfulness and the Military: New from PsychCentral

Mindfulness and the Military: Does Self-Acceptance Help Veterans?
A recently published article in the Journal of Clinical Psychology by Kearney, McDermott, Malte, Martinez, and Simpson (2012) may have broad implications for veterans suffering with symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

These researchers demonstrated that engagement in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) showed significant improvements after six months in reducing soldiers’ symptoms of PTSD, depression, behavioral activation (the ability to engage in activities to achieve a goal in spite of aversive symptoms), and self-acceptance.

Association of participation in a mindfulness program with measures of PTSD, depression and quality of life in a veteran sample
Journal of Clinical Psychology
Volume 68, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages: 101–116, David J. Kearney, Kelly McDermott, Carol Malte, Michelle Martinez and Tracy L. Simpson. Article first published online : 28 NOV 2011

Abstract

Full Article (HTML)

Free PDF(160K)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Recent TED Talks is a nice fit with the essence of this website.

Jonathan Haidt: Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt asks a simple, but difficult question: why do we search for self-transcendence? Why do we attempt to lose ourselves? In a tour through the science of evolution by group selection, he proposes a provocative answer.

Jonathan Haidt studies how -- and why -- we evolved to be moral. By understanding more about our moral roots, his hope is that we can learn to be civil and open-minded. His new book is "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion." Full bio »

From Voice of America: Potential of psychedelics to treat mental problems and explore consciousness examined

UCLA researchers found
the psychedelic compound,
psilocybin - found naturally
in certain mushrooms -
can ease end-of-life anxiety in
cancer patients.

Scientists Explore Hallucinogens for PTSD, Sex Abuse Victims (MP3)

Mind-altering compounds, such as LSD and psilocybin, stirred controversy in the 1960s. As the counter-culture’s psychedelic drugs of choice, the widespread use - and abuse - of hallucinogens prompted tougher anti-drug laws.

That also led to a crackdown on clinical studies of the drugs’ complex psychological effects.

However, now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun to approve limited research into the potential benefits of psychedelic drugs. Voice of America

Recent TED Talks is a nice fit with the essence of this website. Mar 15, 2012
New article from journal Behavior Modification: mindfulness, mantra, and compassion meditation as a treatment for PTSD Jun 9, 2012
Alternative Therapies on the Rise Among Clients With PTSD Mar 4, 2012
From the New York Times: a transcendent article on the use of psilocybin by cancer patients Apr 21, 2012