plant medicine?

[Flydoggy]

I have been offered the opportunity to take a professionally guided therapeutic plant medicine journey to explore end of life feelings and offset a lot of fear around same. Has anyone had any experience with this and if so, was it beneficial or otherwise?

[Hidden]

There are recently published trials showing the benefits in decreasing--or completely eliminating--the anxiety surrounding cancer and death with just one or two treatments.

You are fortunate to have a professional guide/therapist for your journey. Let us know how your experience goes.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[EdBacon in reply to Hidden]

This particular study with anxiety in terminal cancer patients had an 80% response rate, unheard of in clinical trials.

clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show...

It's likely Psilocybin will have FDA approval soon for this indication, PTSD, and possibly other indications.

theintercept.com/2022/07/26...

Oregon will be the first state to set up clinics specifically for this.

oregon.gov/oha/ph/preventio...

[EdBacon]

Can you share the details of your experience with the forum?

Don't know about others, but I'd like to hear about it.

[Flydoggy in reply to EdBacon]

Will do, I am going to do it, I have heard nothing but good things from other participants.

[EdBacon in reply to Flydoggy]

My theory is that an out of body experience allows you to experience your consciousness as being separate from your physical body. This reduces or eliminates the fear of annihilation through physical death. This is based on my own experience with OBEs.

I've had quite a few OBEs through lucid dreaming, but these are quite difficult to achieve and require a lot of practice.

One thing I like about it is that it's really beyond any words you could try to use to describe the experience. You just to have to go there and be in it.

[addicted2cycling in reply to Flydoggy]

I commend you for seeking a resolution to your angst relating to death. IMO, far too often individuals bury their head in the proverbial sand and deny what is inevitable and by doing so it increases their fears and stress levels. As others have asked, please report back as you proceed.

p.s. - a bit of humor to lighten the moment --youtube.com/watch?v=w00Kab1...(Not working as expected?)

EdBacon wrote --- " My theory is that an out of body experience allows you to experience your consciousness as being separate from your physical body. This reduces or eliminates the fear of annihilation through physical death. This is based on my own experience with OBEs ... "

No OoBE for me but My theory is since I have no thoughts of *LIFE or DEATH* (nothing) from the fertilization of my egg to the point of self awareness, there will naturally be nothing following my death. No thoughts of an eternity in some state of existence actually has the most calming effect regarding my eventual dying and death. That amazing calm experienced at the exact moment I fall asleep awaits, so why should I have fears of my death experience.

[EdBacon in reply to addicted2cycling]

Since you referenced me, I want to respond and I'm not trying to be critical of your veiwpoint.

Just want to be clear, I don't know if there is anything after death and whatever people think about that is not relevant to this exercise. Could be there is nothing, but then maybe there is something. None of us know.

But just speaking from my experience, this isn't really about thoughts and beliefs. That's not required, in fact I've found that those things get in the way and you really have to let go of them.

IMO, this is more like a place you go, I have to suspend my preconceived notions and just allow the experience in its fullness to happen. The experience is what changes you directly.

[Flydoggy in reply to addicted2cycling]

Appreciate your perspective, thanks for sharing. Plus the clip made me laugh out loud. Thanks for brightening up my morning!

[spencoid2]

I am doing the same real soon. I have done a little on my own but the goal is to do a large dose more than I would feel comfortable doing on my own. We made a deal for the guide to stay in our cabin with her wife instead of traveling several hours. She wants a getaway and we have that. I forget the date but it is just before Thanksgiving. Will report back after the event. We have quite a bit of the medicine and after the guided experience I might feel more comfortable doing it on my own. My husband is taking SSRIs so he will need a significantly larger dose but we hope to figure that out. The guide wants to concentrate on just me so as to not confuse thing.

[Scout4answers in reply to spencoid2]

Did not know that SSRIs inhibit the Psychadelic experience

[Flydoggy in reply to Scout4answers]

The guide we are working with has said the same about the SSRI's, even if he could come off them for a week before, It would be a great benefit. Anecdotal evidence has shown me that some never go back on them.

[tayninhtom]

I was planning on the same. However I started a Microdosing program instead. Frankly I feel 10 years younger.

[MateoBeach]

See my answer to spencoid 2 above. After reading “How to Change Your Mind”, and studying the research, I arranged to fly to a close friend’s home in Canada to be my trusted guide. 7 high quality mushrooms he grew dissolved my ordinary boundaries and limited sense of Self. Not out-of-body but certainly beyond. A transcendent state of access to the innate intelligence in all of nature and life. Gave me the perspective I needed to release fears. Then would answer my deepest questions instantly as soon as I thought them. Amazing! Did not continue with the music nor blindfold, just a distraction from being fully present. Scribbled sketchy notes for later recall. Then just took command of my mind as a tool to serve me.

Too much to relate here. In the end completely satisfying (unlike Ayahuasca for me). And feel no need to repeat it now after3 years. It is nothing like recreational tripping nor micro-dosing. Must be respected.

[EdBacon in reply to MateoBeach]

Great book, I've read it. I read the part about terminal cancer patients and their anxiety a few times.

[Hidden in reply to EdBacon]

I'm a Michael Pollan fan as well. For those that would rather not read, Netflix did a four part series based on How to Change Your Mind (although part 4 about mescaline is covered in his follow up book, "Your Mind on Plants".) Another interesting watch is a recent Nova episode, "Can Psychedelics Cure". It touches on end of life anxiety but mainly addresses overcoming addiction, depression, and anxiety. Here is the link:

wgbh.org/program/nova/can-p...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes I watched that series and other documentaries on the usefulness of psychedelics.

[Scout4answers in reply to MateoBeach]

Read the Pollen book as well and recently watched the Netflix documentary

I was micro dosing about a year ago when PCa reared it’s ugly head. Stopped to focus on cancer survival.

I think the micro dosing experience had some effect on me has I have no fear of death, rather an acceptance of it as an inevitable part of the life experience. My focus is on getting the most out of the time I have left.

Would like to hear more about your experience.

Think I am ready for the full 7 shroom experience.

[Hidden]

Great thread here. I wish psychedelics had been available to assist in my psychotherapy many years ago, before I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I might just have to take a trip to Oregon. I feel that I still have unfinished spiritual business. I don't see this ever being available here in AZ in my lifetime.

[CAMPSOUPS]

I appreciate you sharing this and look forward to your comments on the experience. If you were my son or brother I would say though let the experience fully envelope, wash thru you even for some time after. Don't let trying to communicate it to us interfere. It will likely be very difficult to describe if my recreational times in my youth are any indicator.

[Flydoggy]

Hello all, just wanted to post an update here...my wife and I did 2 guided psychedelic journeys in the past 3 months, 6-7 weeks apart. I cannot even begin to recommend this highly enough to anyone suffering from depression or anxiety regarding the potential outcome of their cancer ( or anything else for that matter).

These journeys have helped both of us overcome almost 100% of our fear, anger, sadness and worry that has been plaguing us since diagnosis in 2015. The emotional sword hanging over us is gone. Not to say the cancer is gone, although this experience has given me more hope than anything else has since this began. It is impossible to explain how it works without experiencing it I think, but I will say I was overcome with gratitude for all the love and all the blessings I DO have in my life, overriding the fear and anxiety of what the cancer has done to my life, exponentially. I am filled with peace and gratitude and aware that we will all leave this world at some point, and we will all go on to the next thing, whatever that may be (not to sound crazy but I think I saw a preview in my journey, and it was beautiful).

I am not ready to go, although I recognize that will not be my choice, but I am now focused on the present moment more than dreading what may come. I am at peace, we are laughing again, a lot, and I am so very grateful for my wife, my family and my dogs, and the beautiful life we have built together. I am not going to waste what little time I may have left feeling bad about my situation, I am going to celebrate every day with my loved ones and LIVE while I am dying!

I would recommend this experience to any and all. Anyone who may be interested, Dr Dan Engle in the US is pretty involved in this movement and would be a good place to start your research. This is going to be a big deal.

[Catskills]

I did a guided journey about three months ago. It was a bit odd in the sense that there were no epiphanies, and I can’t remember most of the five or six hours. But I can say that since that experience, I have felt much better about my mortality, much more at peace with it.