Mara Howell was in pain, the type of pain so severe it left her bedridden in a hospital at just 33 years old. Cancer was killing her.
Conventional pain killers weren’t providing any relief. She tried them all — opioids, methadone, IV ethanol, and more — but to no avail. On top of the physical pain, Mara was also battling severe depression and anxiety, as April Short describes in her article “Psychedelics Could Change The Way We Die.“
Mara’s mother, Marilyn Howell, recalls her daughter’s struggles in a memoir published for MAPS: “However much courage Mara had, the waves of illness that washed over her were unrelenting. Diligent exercise didn’t make her stronger, an antidepressant didn’t make her happier.”
Cannabis had provided temporary ease for Mara, but nothing substantial enough to make her situation bearable.
Being a mind-body educator, Mara’s mother suspected that her daughter’s pain was perhaps connected to something less tangible than what Western medicine was willing to accept. It was deeper than the physical.
Working with Mara’s nurse, Marilyn eventually discovered an alternative treatment option for her daughter: psychedelic therapy.
Mara had heard about the use of psychedelics before from Aldous Huxley’s 1954 book, The Doors of Perception, wherein Huxley described using LSD to subdue his own suffering from terminal cancer. In his final moments, Huxley was injected with a strong dose of LSD by his wife, who recorded the experience in her book The Timeless Moment.
Marilyn was aware of the therapeutic applications of such drugs as MDMA and LSD from her youth, before the Controlled Substances Act gained its strong grasp on psychedelic research. Marilyn recalled how, in the 1980s, MDMA-assisted therapy was a popular treatment for anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. (In recent years, the FDA has even allowed for a limited amount of research in this field once again._
Thankfully, Mara’s nurse was able to track down a qualified psychiatrist who had just worked on MDMA-assisted therapy research at McLean Hospital. He travelled to Mara’s bedside and administered a controlled dose of MDMA in a guided session. Remarkably, Mara’s pain vanished during the session,
“He came and did a guided session with [Mara] with MDMA, and Marilyn did it with her,” Joyce said. “They reported that she was pain free during that time. I think [she] died pain free a few days after that.”
In her final days of life, Mara underwent carefully supervised psychotherapy sessions under the influence of MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin “magic” mushrooms. The treatments eased her pain, and she was able to get out of bed to take walks in a nearby park. The drugs also helped Mara reach a deep sense of acceptance of her imminent death.
Mara’s hospice care worker, Vassallo, was blown away by the results of the therapy: “[For Mara] it was just always about pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, no matter what we did,” Vassallo said.
“And we did a lot … to try to control her pain, and really nothing worked. My theory is that the pain —- I don’t think it was conscience, but it was on the subconscious level —- [Mara] needed to have the pain, because if everyone was focused on the pain, that kept everyone unfocused on the fact that this 32-year-old was dying.”
Vassallo said that psychedelics seemed to open Mara up to a new reality that provided imminent peace during her final days.
Check out Marilyn’s blog, Honor Thy Daughter, for more on her daughter’s story.
Current Psychedelic-Therapy Research
Although limited, there have been successful applications of psychedelic therapy during studies in recent years.
Last year a study concluded that LSD-assisted psychotherapy is effective in easing anxiety in dying patients. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study was sponsored by MAPS and conducted by Swiss psychiatrist Peter Gasser and his colleagues.
They tracked 12 people who were in the process of dying, primarily due to terminal illness, as they attended LSD-assisted psychotherapy sessions. All but one of the participants had never taken LSD prior to participating in the study. An Austrian participant named Peter described the experience as follows: “My LSD experience brought back some lost emotions and ability to trust, lots of psychological insights, and a timeless moment when the universe didn’t seem like a trap, but like a revelation of utter beauty.”
Charles Grob, a psychiatrist and researcher at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, completed a study in 2008 that showed the ability of psilocybin (the active component in psychedelic mushrooms) to ease fear of death in 12 end-stage cancer patients. The study results, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in 2011, concluded that the treatment could be done safely and successfully reduced all subjects’ anxiety and depression about impending death.
Research involving ayahuasca has also turned out encouraging data showing its ability to reduce psychological traumas and anxieties, and several studies involving MDMA-assisted psychotherapy have shown it to be statistically significant in reducing anxiety and PTSD symptoms in study participants. To date, clinical trials looking specifically at psychedelics for the end of life are limited, but determined researchers continue to delve into the potentials of various substances.
What Does the Future Hold for Psychedelic Therapy?
Mara’s story is yet another example of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. If utilized properly, psychedelics can serve as an accelerated means of healing deeply-rooted trauma and anxiety. One of the most exciting factors within this field of research is that it still yields so much potential, as we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what psychedelics have to offer. If studies keep producing promising results, we could very well be seeing some major changes within psychedelic legislation very soon.
What are you thoughts on psychedelic intervention in easing the dying process?
Source: Alternet
*Art credit: Cameron Gray. Parablevisions.com
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I think that anything which eases a person’s painful transition into death should be allowed if it is the patient’s wish. It’s a pity that we can’t all just die peacefully and without pain. 🙁
This is why assisted suicide would also be helpful, and offer more options for those in need. No need to tolerate all this pain.
I agree. Death is part of the natural order of the universe. We in the west have an unnatural fear of it. We keep people alive at any cost. You can’t kill energy. It only transmutes. Einstein proved it and most all religions have an afterlife. In other worde, no-one really dies.
cannabis oil cures cancer/ alzheimers! the us gov’t owns patent 6630507 on it! its really too bad no one told her that! :/
Kevin. Cancer is a complex disease. It can sometimes be mitigated or even healed with integrative treatments. However, to make the simplistic and exaggerated claim that “cannibus oil cures cancer” creates false hope and more harm than help.
Not sure how you get that. How is it creating false hope to suggest a medicine that actually helps? Certainly, cannabis extract isn’t the only thing a person should rely on for cancer because there are many causes to cancer and lack of cannabis isn’t one of them, but this plant has amazing healing capabilities that can be very beneficial when combined with other things like taking care of nutritional deficiencies and eliminating toxins and pathogens. It’s anti-cancerous on multiple levels, which is also needed in a cancer treatment. To suggest that it harms more than helps isn’t accurate or fair.
Kevin has right but problem is people get it too late or when they start taking it they are already (excuse my language) too fucked up from disease itself plus “treatments” like chemotherpay all the pills you get for pain etc. plus bad eating and drinking and lifestyle…..we all know that cancer CANT abtain in or survive,grow in alkaline body,organizm…cannabis oil defenietly cures cancer plus many other diseases but it must be applied with great “diet” and healthy lifestyle plus persons motivational state…
That’s not why it was erased. It was erased due to the ability this medicine has is beyond your level of understanding and they want o keep it that way$$$$$$$ You are still ignorant of this???? whoa!
There are over 100 different types of cancers, all reacting differently to the many drugs we currently use to combat them. Which type of cancer are you claiming is cured by cannabis? Just remember when you open up your mouth spouting nonsense, you inadvertently spread misinformation, dumbing down those who are too credulous to know any better.
Tim, your ignorance on this subject is evident. Cannabis is anti-cancerous on multiple levels for multiple types of cancer. For the most part, cancer is cancer–no matter where it is in the body. Treat the body wholistically, and you will be treating the cancer wherever it is. I don’t think Kevin is trying to misinform by being vague; I think the intention was to get people to do research on their own. There is no magic bullet, including cannabis, but it can be a valuable tool in one’s treatments by helping to bring the cancer under control. It doesn’t work for everyone, but then again neither does chemo or radiation.
The words ‘holistic healing’ always reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH5IMv2jeuk
Lol. Well, Jeffrey, that’s not the kind of wholistic healing I meant, but thanks for the laugh.
cannabis oil in high doses causes apoptosis (programmed cell death) in several different types of cancers. It can drastically shrink tumours, sometimes up to 90%,
The most prominent of which are breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and leukemia.
And yes, it has made many people cancer-free. Sometimes used in conjunction with severly lowerd doses of chemo, but often used as a last resort, after chemo and radiation failed to shrink the tumours.
It is a non-toxic alternative to the often fatal chemotherapy and damaging and cancer-causing radiation-therapy..
Cannabis oil used in this way is incomparable with recreational use,. the dose is many times higher.A therapeutic dose is generally a minimum of 90 grams PURE active compound consumed in 60 days. This is the equivalent of ingesting between +/- 500 grams and 1 kilo in that short period.
That is, for the average serious to heavy daily smoker, about a year’s supply.
A little bit of research on the web will yield plenty medical publications in which the cancer-killing properties of cannabis are confirmed.
DEAR D M W. MY MOM Passed away about 20 years ago. she had lung cancer and terrible pain in her legs. we finally put her in hospice and they put her in a coma. at least she died with dignity. all she would say when she was in the hospital was that she would kill for a cigarette. none of the treatments you mentioned were even offered to her in the hospital. she ate one aspagus spear a day and maybe 2 bites of cottage cheese. was all she wanted. or would eat. too much damn family had to much to say. was a terrible time for her and for me. I took the night shift in hospice so I wouldn’t have to put up with my family. I have to admit. she didn’t know about any of the things you spoke of. however, I told mom if she would get out of bed and we got her in awheel chair I would take her out for a smoke. oh the family raised royal hell with me. this is rambling. my idea, if I could get her out of the bed for a smoke she might get out of the bed to walk a bit. not a chance. my family verto’ed every thing I could muster up to get her to care.well, she passed. I never had heard of any of the treatments you mentioned. I hope you are alive and kicking cancers ass.out of all these comments yours just stuck with me. I never heard about anything but the cannabis. none of the other things. I had no idea about any of the meds yu mentioned. GOD BLESS and may you be free of pain and yu can think clearly to aid in your recovery. I will be praying for you. take care and thanks for the information,,,,
Cancer is Cancer is Cancer. It is all caused by the same thing. Our toxic lifestyle. Many, including myself are curing our own cancer naturally. Before berating someone for telling us about another natural cure you should do a little research. You will find that Allopathic remedies are not very successful at all, and natural remedies have a very high success rate.
In 2004 I was diagnosed with stage 4 nodular Melanoma. My prognosis, 6 months to a year to live. 2 brain tumors, 1 in the lung, one in the deep tissue of my thigh, and it was in my lymph system. They offered whole brain radiation, and chemotherapy. After my mother taled to an oncologist that she worked for about this, he pulled here aside and told her not to allow me to go through these treatments. It would be better to do nothing. I took half of his advice. I declined the treatment, but I did seek advice from a naturopathic physician that steered my in the right direction of natural cures. An all raw vegan diet was the start, Ridding the household of all toxic materials from toothpaste and deodorants,to detergents and pesticides. Many natural supplements were added into my protocol as well. Colostrum, pectin powder, turmeric, Heavy doses of vitamin C, Oxygen, Ozonated water, among others. If Rick Simpsons Cannabis oil was available at that time I would have added this as well.
Ive seen others cure themselves using similar protocols. All different types of cancer.
You shouldn’t destroy the hope these cures give the people who are using them. Most of the folks I know who cured themselves have been the Dr.’s throwaways that they have sent home to die after they burnt and poisoned them beyond their help. #Gerson #Budwig #Rick Simpson #Ozone Treatments #B17 #Chelation Therapy #DMSO #Cesium Chloride
bravo!!!!!!!!!
Why DMSO, I had that treatment for interstitial cystitis
Maybe you should take the time to be credulous kiddo;)
I suppose you’re an advocate of chemo
No itdoesn’t you numpty
Yes it does numpty
I agree. I took my beautiful, beloved dog to her doctor to have her “put down”. I held her and talked her through it. When it was over, and I was at peace, I thought how horrible it is that we don’t do whatever it takes for our humans.
My personal opinion as a reader of your article is these are all temporary measures. They are interesting and I am sure work. But I believe,the ONLY way to receive Permanent peace before death is to accept JESUS CHRIST as your LORD AND SAVIOR.
People are afraid to die, because they have not made peace with GOD their creator. There is a fear of the unknown. People carry guilt and shame from mistakes they have made or things that have been done wrongfully to them.
We all need HOPE when we die. By receiving forgiveness of our sins and mistakes we have done it brings great peace. Sometimes, more often then not, they need to forgive themselves as well. The first thing according to the Bible is that people no longer fear death. They have that assurance that when they die, their sins forgiven no how imperfect someone is, they will go to Heaven. People need to know, what happens after death and the answer is clearly in the Bible.
Go forth and listen to Alan Watts.
Yes!! So true!!! I notice the same thing with people who are not right with Jesus Christ and so they experiment with drugs, trying to find out of the “unknown”. I know this also to be true because I have a best friend who basically admitted it to me (yes still denies the bible..) as well as other friends of mine do all sorts of other drugs–proving that they are trying to “look for something ‘out-there'”. So yes, in the end, they are still never at piece, because they haven’t accepted or be open minded to our lord and savoir:)
That’s really neat to hear about your connection with “God”. I was “religious” not too long ago, but due to the gift a free will, I starting thinking and becoming much more open minded. There are so many religions around the world, why was my religious so special and why was it superior to all other religious. If my God is the supreme ruler, then surly your God can’t possibly be… I started looking at the structure of our society/government and its close relationship with religion. Obey God and his instructions, have blind faith, do not question and seek alternatives, as that is sinful. When you look at our social structure, isn’t that kind of similar? Obey your authorities, do what you’re told, don’t ask questions.. We make decisions in fear of hell? Every religion, ALL of them justify their murderous ways in justification of their God.. So the God that created me and my enemy, is okay with the killing of each other?.. My open mindedness has lead me to believe that religion is nothing more than form of control.. There is no book on “how to be human” we don’t need it, we inherit it naturally. Before it was origin, then race, color and now one the only things contributing to our separation as a species is Religion. Is it not everyone’s goal in life to be fulfilled with peace, love and happiness? It is universal, we need to remove the things that make that possible.
Why do you think drugs are bad?
Nicely Said! Michael.
I was raised as a Quaker and never understood way anyone would want to have someone tell them what to think and believe. Quakers believe ‘There is that of God in ALL of us.’
So jesus/god/mohammed/flying spaghetti monster/ religion or whatever made up deity you want to believe in creates the fact you can sin, so when you go to your pearly gates they can judge you for it? Right, makes a lot of sense.
Why try and take away what someone needed in their final hours and say this is temporary? Have you died and gone to heaven? No you haven’t. You have no right to blast your religious stuff on here.
The fact that people like you still believe in this man made bull is slowing the collective conscious right down from expanding into an identity as a single species, and no longer separated by your religion, race or choice of sexual identity.
Shame on you.
Amen! Heh 😉
Shame on you dude. Who gave you the right to shoot down someone else’s beliefs? Aggression I believe slows down the collective evolution of consciousness much more than the belief in a person who preached about love, forgiveness and the unity of the universe. Stop hating on the Jesus freaks. Let us ramble if we want, all we are really saying is Jesus loves you man. Accept it or not, believe it or not. The bridge to the divine is always open. All you need to do is accept forgiveness.
Well said Chris.
I think the limitations of religion are the reason so many western people are so scared to die. If they expanded their vision and mind to accept Source/God as infinite and loving they’d not be so scared.
I don’t need one man’s son to help me accept death. To tell me to treat others nicely or live this life in a better way, that’s a self limiting belief. I moved away from religion because of the immense hypocrisy surrounding the vast majority of them.
Proof of survival of Spirit is out there but most religious people are too indoctrinated to believe it which is what hampers their acceptance of death. No one has the right to put down others beliefs, everyone is living the life they know and can understand best.
When my time’s up, my vibration won’t be seen or felt by others, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be gone forever. I’ll be on another journey. It never ends, nor does the learning.
I have no faith whatsoever and death is one of the last thing that I am afraid of. I am an 18 year old man awaiting my death with a very bright smile while living my life to the absolute fullest. peace.
how brave of you to say, drake. you see, i don’t believe you have all that much life experience, excuse my prejudice about your age. but all i’m saying is, one’s mind fully develops at 25, therefore maybe your brain still isn’t even capable of fearing death. i believe that the physical manifestation of God has taken upon his sacrifice all the sins of the world, which is a lot of sins. a large problem with what we regard as sin, is that we look at it as if some person took the task upon themselves to devise divine laws that we all must obey. the truth is that God didn’t make these commandments up. He is perfect, and by even thinking one imperfect thought we have separated ourselves from the glory of the divine creator. Through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, when God sees us, he sees Jesus, the perfect and divine son of God. From that point of we were able to connect to God and the divine. All that is needed is a little faith. “Religion” is flawed, but only because man is flawed. Science and the Messiah’s gospel aren’t enemies. There are simply some things science is still to young to comprehend. If anyone has taken their time to read this, please just take away one thing from my ramblings and that is just, God loves you.
Religion is the answer for fearing death? Thank you for demonstrating why we still are under the thumb of organized religion, preying on our fear of death by selling us fairy-stories. Lol.
Chris !are you kidding me?what are you talking about ,and what are you on
WAIT UNTIL YOU HIT THE HALF CENTURY MARK. WITHOUT FAITH DEATH CANT HELP BUT BE SCARY…IF WE THINK RATIONALLY ONCE YOUR DEAD YOUR DEAD AND WE WILL BE NOTHING NO MEMORIES NO PAST LIVES NO GHOSTS…AND THE LIVING WILL NEVER REALLY KNOW WILL WE….UNTIL WE DIE….SEE THE MOVIE FLATLINE
Cara, sweetie, age has little to nothing to do with it. I’m *well* past your “half century mark” and I’m not in the least afraid of dying. I love life with all its joy and beauty as well as the messiness of hurt, heartbreak, and pain, but fear of death? No, dear, even without this “faith”, I’m fine with the natural order of things.
You silly have no clue what you’re talking about…
I am 57, and have been in chronic pain for nearly 20 years. The only thing I fear about death is the possible pain from the cause, whatever that might be. I actually look forward to it. Just imagine…. Not hurting any more. Wow. I put in my living will that if I can’t speak for myself, but I am obviously in pain, or even in a coma, to assume the pain is still there, and to continue treating it. Even if it shortens my life. Back when I was young, in the 70s, I experimented with a lot of hallucinogenics. In my experience, I would dwell on the pain, and therefore most likely make it worse. It is possible that I needed a much larger dose, or much smaller, or maybe it has to be a cocktail. But on death’s doorstep, who has time to experiment?
Sondra and Chris, the Bible is a book of fairy tales. Respect the fact that some people choose not to follow and believe in fairy tales. Don’t put down somebody’s age just because they don’t believe in non-existent things like you i.e. they choose to be rational. I’m 30, not religious, not perfect, and I’m not afraid to die. Death is a natural part of life and it awaits us all. It’s the cycle of life, some become born and the other ones die, and it’s like that with every single living being on this planet – from a small ant to a big elephant.
Annabelle – maybe a need for “practise what you preach”? Such as, respect the fact that some people do believe in religion and for some people the Bible is NOT a book of fairy tales. Don’t ask people to respect someone’s right to not believe and then not respect their right to believe in return. I never understand why non-believers always feel the urge to denounce another’s right to believe and also tend to imply that anyone who does believe is not “rational”. Science proves what science needs to prove. each proof is only good until the next version comes along. We trust what we see – but then we discover new evidence that allows us to see differently. Scientific minds once thought the Earth was flat, remember, and ridiculed those that did not agree. Scientific minds once pursued alchemy…..Scientific minds believe what they perceive as proven – until different proof is found. that doesn’t mean science is in some form “wrong” it just means that people believe what they want to believe it certainly doesn’t make anyone more rational than someone else. It certainly doesn’t mean that non-believers are more or less rational than believers
i want to reply sondra berry. i respect your beliefs for religion. but if somebody doesn’t believe in any religion or god what happens? and i think if you were in her shoes, i don’t think you will be so peaceful with god, you believe at your age of 33. cause this is not fair and i don’t believe a god, a supreme power, supreme consiousness which or who will not be fair. death is something, suffering is something. and i want to ask if you see a dream about god who wants you to commit suicide will you? the only think i can tell is god is you and you are god. so first you have to make peace with yourself. and as rumi said you should die before you die.
Spiritual Climate Change ..? .. Widely used for thousands of years nearly everywhere on the planet. Psycho active plants have been central to most ancient sacred rituals and primitive medical treatments. They have been worshipped in all cultures as “Plants of the Gods” and considered as mediators between human beings and the universe, linking the physical to the spiritual dimensions of existence.
The term we use to describe them today is derived from the Greek “psyche” (soul) and “delos” (manifest), and means a state in which the soul manifests itself. It was coined in 1956 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond, in a now-famous exchange with writer Aldous Huxley .. both recognized the potential of these compounds for self-awareness, (spiritual advancement) and their correspondence to psycho active plants held sacred for millennia.
The classic psychedelics like LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline and ayahuasca – the Amazonian “Vine of the Soul” – are not drugs in the medical sense, but belong .. according to Albert Hofmann.. concerning their chemical structure and their pharmacological effects, to the SACRED substances, used in ritual settings for thousands of years, and re-discovered through LSD. They are characterized by the fact that they are neither toxic nor addictive, and have the power to bestow benefits of both practical and transcendental value.
The global spiritual reasurgence that peaked some forty years ago with the Summer of Love, was fueled by these … A historical view shows, that the consciousness – expanded – hippie counterculture exerted an enduring influence on society …. Without the soul-opening and sensory stimulus of psychedelics, many of the social cultural and ecological advances taken for granted today would be absent from our lives.
Regarding Mara Howell using lsd- lsd opens up inner portals that interface with your 4th heart chakra/4th dimensional bio-fields. Your 4th dimensional bio-field can be a portal to the 4th dimension or astral plane if opened in the wrong way.. This is where the horror story begins. The astral plane is full of unhealthy entities which prey on people through their 4th dimension bio-fields. Then they gain further access to other portions of your subtle energy body. These entities, if not expelled will wreak havok on you from the inside. This is what lsd does. The euphoria that some people feel when taking lsd tricks them into believing that their consciousness is expanding in a beneficial way.
For people not trained in clearing their subtle energy anatomy with special techniques, I could only say to keep your hearts filled with love because these entities from the astral dimension simply can not exist in the same space with love frequency. Thanks and bye for now. Joachim
She was terminal.
This is absolutely narrow-minded. As someone of your spiritual stature I am utterly disgusted.
Have you ever even taken lsd? I’m willing to bet you haven’t because i’ve had countless spiritual experiences on a number of tryptamines and the like, i’ve never been faced with someone trying to possess my soul and I BELIEVE in the otherworlds, the power of the subconscious mind and all is symbol. I’m not sure where you are reading this crap but start thinking for yourself, it’s better this way…
I know mdma really helped me get over ptsd.
As a hospice nurse, I am fully in favor of psychedelic therapy. There is such a great potential for spiritual and emotional healing at the end of life utilizing these substances, which have the capacity to connect us to our subconscious in a powerful way, unlocking trauma and existential fear and connecting us to something larger. There is also the possibility of some level of physical healing both as a direct action of the psychedelics (especially plant-medicines) and as a result of mental/emotional healing due to the mind-body connection. I had a patient who had taken ayahuasca a dozen times or so during his battle with cancer, and he believed it was a major contributing factor to him outliving his prognosis by many years. It also showed him that there is more beyond the physical dimension, and he had no fear of death. He died peacefully at home. In my personal work with these medicines, I have uncovered and integrated a tremendous amount of my own fear and pain, and discovered the loving, immense beauty at the heart of life. Though challenging at times, these journeys have enriched my life for the better, even years after. I am so glad to see that the healing power of psychedelics is becoming more well-known and is starting to be accepted my the medical community. We all have so much to learn. 🙂
My names Robert Davis, from santa cruz ca, and I also agree with the psychedelic lad treatments for terminal patients… ive had a real bad near death experience, that was very traumatic, and while I was about to die, my brain released a large dose Dimetheltripaline “D.M.T ” and at tjat moment I had no fear of impending death what so ever.. which saved my life cuz at the last moment I asked jesus- if its my time take me….but I asked him not to spare my life for all the reasons I wanted to live, but for the mercy on my parent’s and family members that would have been devastated…and miraculously I survived… but only beacuse of the DMT… I severed my right forearm in half and was drunk had no turnikit and had to make it 8miles to the hospital with all my vains severed…. it was a major psychedelic religious expirence…. but it saved my life…and soul… thank you
As a pharmacologist Your spelling of Dimethyltryptamine makes me tear my eyes out.
I think it’s an amazing story and I’m glad he shared it here. You understood what he was saying and the meaning was conveyed, albeit in a kind of vernacular way; thus, communication was successful! Spelling be damned!
Shakespeare spelled his own name 16 different ways.
Wouw speechless!
You are absolutely right! And in my opinion these substances are not available in nature by accident and even in our own bodys…thats just too impropable… sth./smbdy. wants us to know…
Actually, LSD isn’t found in nature. If it were me in her place, I would have preferred Ayahuasca or mushrooms over synthetic LSD.
I understand what you’re saying as the form of LSD they take is created. In a way it is found in nature, through in ergot fungi alkaloids. Ergot alkaloids can be classified as either derivatives of 6,8-dimethylergoline or lysergic acid derivatives. Ergot contains no lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) but instead contains lysergic acid as well as its precursor, ergotamine. Lysergic acid is an analog of and precursor for synthesis of LSD.
Bless your hart. Your job is just amazing to me. I couldn’t do it. My emotions would get the best of me. Nothing but love out to you.
LSD is a powerful anti-inflammatory and pain killer. Psychedelic therapy is not just psychiatry. It’s a physiological response to the powerful physical effects of these drugs.
Thanks a lot. Wonderful article, but I can’t help but introduce a small errata : Huxley wrote The Doors of Perception long before his body was dying from Cancer and was administered LSD to ease his leaving the body. In the book, he describes his experiences with Mescaline and the subject of these essays are about the nature of the universe and the things etc… certainly not his passing away due to cancer 🙂
His wife wrote about his cancer experience in Timeless Moment.
She died in the end, what’s the point. No offensive I was looking for total cure and thought she would become normal again. But, anyhow she died peacefully in the end. How about if we work on prevention?
What is the point? Well, to start how about living her last days without the cancer unbearable pains, died with a new conscious about her upcoming death, a refreshed and positive vision on the world and its horizons, a rested hearth. I don´t know how old are you or if you are a college graduate, but I would love if you tell me how could you prevent cancer, and don´t come with the Dr. Oz yabadaba that cancer can be prevent if you change your diet and exercise everyday, because, although that two factors are determinant in not only cancer but any illness, we know very little about the protein signals that lead to create cancer cells, so it’s multifactor and there is not an ultimate truth on this terrible decease. We need to explore wider fields and understand the body as a whole entity, not parts of it.
Yeah, what’s the point of easing excruciating pain and emotional trauma?
Until you witness some one dying of cancer, and the dreadful effects of chemo, we have no idea of the pain suffered. I watched my wife die, the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I wish some of these drugs had been available
So, basically you said:
“Anybody knows anyone from anywhere on this Planet who EFFECTIVELY helps prevent such a situation from happening in the first place?”
You were asking if there was a plant that was a cure for cancer…
…the answer is…eh…no.
Research Cannabis! Cbd oil from the plant has the abilities to CURE some forms of cancer….it also helps with other diseases from seisures in epilepsy to dementia in alzheimers.
Anybody knows anyone from anywhere on this Planet who EFFECTIVELY helps prevent such a situation from happening in the first place?
You cannot prevent death. It comes to us all whether we are 33 or 93. We will feel pain, some will experience anxiety, even terror at what is to come. This is the point.
What is the point? That we need to feel the pain, terror? The study is to reduce pain while dieing. That is not a bad thing.
A world without woe. No famine. No sort of erosion at all. Our bio sphere full proofed & non intuitive free.
Aldous Huxleys Moksha is worth a look at its free on the internet archive site all his writing and private correspondence with family and colleagues about his different experiences with plant and chemical based psychedelics,it tells you about his last moments and how his wife administered LSD to him on his request just before he died.The thing i like most about Huxley is how he cuts through all the bollox of chakras, astral planes religion and all the other nonsense.An organisation called M.A.P.S is doing loads of work on the subjects mentioned above.A leading proponent in this field is Proffesor Nut a former government advisor who was sacked for basically being honest and pointing out that current drug policy is a total farce.The Psychedelic library is worth a look at,thats mostly free as well.
Somebody is finally catching on, this is exactly what these types of drugs were created for.
Death
The end of a certain known reality. End of one cycle and beginning of another. What is death?
Apart from being the only certainty and act that binds everything and everyone, it is also not spoken of enough.
The core issue lies in the way our current societies function. Putting layers and layers of identity and notions on top of us so we are left detached and distant from the glimmer of our true self.
The self, or the universal entity that floats within this gross vessel is ever flowing and evolving and is not something that is bound in our narrow minded known reality.
These psychedelics do nothing more than expand our true self and bringing it to the front so we are aware of the maya/ illusion we are trapped within. Loops within loops within loops.
Meditation is a path towards experiencing that from within, without the need of an external stimulus.
So, if we were closer to our true self, we might not need to even accept our death.
We would understand…not just the rational mind, but the mind that is not bound by violent categories like gender, caste, creed, nationality, etc.
We would understand that it is just one door closing
and another opening
Love
Death is the end of the life cycle. There is no beginning of another cycle.
what about reincarnation?
Millions of people are living with chronic pain. All of the chemical pain killer pills have a bad history indicating that the longer you use them the higher the risk for death by chemical pain killer pills. I am a vietnam vet and 14 months ago I my chronic left shoulder pain began to wake me up from sleep. For Several weeks the pain was off the charts. I did not want to do pain killers of any kind. My wife told me about Black Seed oil. I went on line and found a Black Seed Formula made with other seeds. I began my research and found out that this seed extract formula is 281 times stronger than aspirin for pain and inflammation. Then I read about Dr Leonard and oncologist cancer doctor that wanted to help children coming off chemo and radiation to build their immune systems. So for about 20 years Dr Leonard researched many seeds to create this formula called SOUL. I placed my order and in 3 to 5 days my chronic pain was just about all gone and so was my weak bladder and poor memory. My high blood pressure is back to normal from 220/190 down to 120/80. So I have been drinking Soul Seed extract for 14 months now. google ( seed nutrition recover health now ) then helps get the word out.
Thank you, Roberto, for sharing this information. I have chronic pain as well and am delighted to have stumbled across your post about SOUL.
Thats beautiful man! Thank you!
A wonderful use for wonderful medicines. May we accept these beneficials into our world so that more can live….and die with ease.
If we consider all the alternative treatments and medicines that are out there for people who are faced with terminal illness, the results must be mind-boggling. I feel that we can debate this topic for hours based on our personal or religious beliefs, and we make decisions based on these beliefs, but when we are faced with a terminal illness what actions would we take would we base our decisions on our beliefs? In considering the decision the 29 year old mother from Oregon, who had terminal cancer made, do we agree or disagree? Does it matter? I think if I was faced with a decision like this, I would base my decision on what I wanted my remaining life to be like.
It is ALL good! Alternative treatments, marijuana, spiritual awakening…If it is not bringing harm to you or others, do it! And for those of you who think God is the simple, finger pointing, though shalt not! entity that limited minds have made Him out to be…you have no clue. I feel sorry for you and would buy you a clue if I could, so maybe you should dig a little deeper and knock some of that primordial dust off your souls 😉
I feel that any means to ease pain and suffering, physical or emotional, is acceptable at the end of someone’s life. not only does it help them die peacefully, but it helpss their family..wouldn’t you rather remember your grandmother, mother, father, child, etc. dying peacefully and happy than violently and afraid?
additionally, these comments impressed me. The arguments are mostly mature, well conveyed, and informative on some level. There is no regression of maturity here. i applaud this type of debate, and everyone wins here.
I think that you will unlock states of mind that were locked before with these “drugs”
My ex-husband just died of lung cancer. He didn’t even feel pain till it reached the end stage. He was a cigarette and pot smoker. If pot works, well I guess in his case it didn’t.
Smoking pot is not the same as taking cannabis extract, for one thing; the dose used with the extract is much higher than when smoking it. Secondly, there are usually multiple causes for cancer and cannabis deficiency isn’t one of them. It may be able to help (via the extract) but that doesn’t mean all the other causes will magically go away on their own. Nutritional deficiency is a big problem, as well as all the toxins in our environment and the pathogens that plague humans.
what ever works…nobody gets out alive….
To naysayers, she got out of BED and she enjoyed what was left of her existence on this planet with her mom. Leave her human corpse alone and do your own thing and let others do THEIRS. Can I get an AMEN?
I think there is a lot of potential with various psychedelics, entheogens and the like being used as psychotherapy not just strictly for illness but also for ways to study consciousness further. It’s a better way to heal the source of the illness than popping pills all the time. This is actually the second day in a row i’ve seen an article the future of psychdelics used for potential psychiatry with a hint this may become more prominent over time. I think cannabis is merely the tip of the iceberg there is so much potential with these substances to helping heal psychological disorders especially.
I think there is so much more benefit to be obtained from these kinds of helps, what a shame Big pharma holds us back. hey they are dying anyway so what is the problem? That they will die happy? heaven forbid that should happen!
Fanatic has got just one ´n´in it.
The Doors of Perception is not about Huxley injecting LSD to cope with his terminal cancer.
Not even close. It was his first psychedelic experience and it was with Mescaline. 🙂
This story is questionable. Doors of Perception wasn’t about Huxley’s psychedelic experience while dying of cancer, it was about his experience with mescaline. It was written in 1954 and he was diagnosed with cancer in 1960. No psychiatrist would risk his career by randomly going to a cancer patient’s bedside in a hospital to give her MDMA. Then it continues to say she had therapy with LSD and psilocybin as well? This story is an insult to the psychedelics renaissance. For evidence-minded psychedelics news check out http://www.facebook.com/OAWoww, http://www.ouramazingworld.org, or http://www.twitter.com/OAWoww
I practise my death at least one every four months – a heroic dose every now and then but usually just a small dose of psilocybin and then an internal journey to the edges .