Abstract Ayahuasca is a traditional psychoactive sacrament that's been used in Amazonian shamanic rituals for hundreds of years. Ayahuasca is notorious for its psychedelic properties produced from the combination of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) found in the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and N-N-dimethyltryptamine from Psychotria viridis or Diplopterys cabrerana. Recently, ritual use of...
An eighteen-year-old female patient of the Caucasian ethnicity from Australasia presented with a persistently dilated pupil causing her discomfort and occasional burning sensation when she is outdoors due to oversensitivity to sunlight. However, her pupillary reaction to light (pupillary light reflex) was intact. The patient is a known user of psychedelic substances (entheogens) including LSD,...
Abstract Psilocybin, a classic hallucinogen, is a chemical produced by more than 100 species of mushrooms worldwide. It has high affinity for several serotonin receptors, including 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C, located in numerous areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and thalamus. With legislation introduced in 1992, more work is being done to further understand the implications of...
Psychological stress including depression and anxiety are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, especially in women. Emotional regulation plays a mediating role in the development of depression and physical illness, and can alter resting physiologic responses associated with the stress response. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a structured...
December 15, 2016M. Ikeda, Misari Oe, K. Ogi et al.
We report a case of posttraumatic stress disorder. A 14 year-old female was hospital-ized due to posttraumatic stress symptoms including nightmare, and depressive symptoms including suicide ideation. A psychoeducation program for nightmare of PTSD based on imagery rescripting was conducted with pharmacotherapy. Her nightmares became less fre-quent and she discharged after the improvement of...
MindfulnessDecember 12, 2016Julian R Keith, Mallory E Blackwood, Rano T Mathew et al.
The abilities to stabilize the focus of attention, notice attention lapses, and return attention to an intended object following lapses are precursors for mindfulness. Individuals diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are deficient in the attentional and self-control skills that characterize mindfulness. The present study assessed the relationship between mindfulness...
Harmine is the β -carboline alkaloid with the highest concentration in the psychotropic plant decoction Ayahuasca. In rodents, classical antidepressants reverse the symptoms of depression by stimulating neuronal proliferation. It has been shown that Ayahuasca presents antidepressant effects in patients with depressive disorder. In the present study, we investigated the effects of harmine in...
Actualidades en PsicologíaDecember 5, 2016Marcela Veytia-López, Rosalinda Guadarrama Guadarrama, Octavio Márquez-Mendoza et al.
The objective of this research was to identify the relation between depressive symptoms and mindfulness levels in mexican adolescents high school students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 930 baccalaureate students between 15 and 19 years old was performed. The instruments, CESD (depressive symptoms) and MAAS (mindfulness) were applied, finding a 17.3% prevalence of depressive...
Mindfulness is an increasingly popular therapeutic approach. Mindfulness-based interventions have been tried out in a wide range of mental disorders, with the strongest evidence for use in depression and anxiety. Mindfulness operates by changing the person's relationship with unhelpful thoughts and emotions. The need for home practice is both a strength and a weakness. Some find home practice...
A strong and growing evidence base exists for the use of mindfulness-based interventions to prevent relapse in major depression and for the self-management of chronic physical health conditions (e.g. pain), but the evidence in other domains of mental health work is still emerging. Much work is being conducted outside the evidence base and standardised protocols, and by individuals with varied...