Psychedelics Weekly Drug-Free Digital Trips, The Prevalence of Challenging Experiences, and The End of Synthesis Institute
In this episode of Psychedelics Weekly, David is joined by Kyle, who is finally home after a lot of traveling, to talk shop and dig into the articles they found the most interesting this week.\xa0
They begin with the news that Paul Stamets now has a species of mushroom named after him (Psilocybe stametsii), then take a look at a recent self-report study called \u201cPrevalence and associations of challenging, difficult or distressing experiences using classic psychedelics,\u201d which aimed to collect data on just how many psychedelic users (in this study, anyone who had ever tried a psychedelic) felt that they had had a challenging or difficult experience. They discuss the results and highlight some interesting data: that LSD was the most commonly associated substance, that smoking cannabis was one of the most commonly reported interventions, and of course, the question of whether or not these experiences were beneficial.\xa0
They then talk about Synthesis Institute closing its doors, the possible hope Synthesis could have, and the sadness in this \u2013 when businesses fail, it\u2019s easy to look at numbers and profit margins and be dismissive, but we forget the people involved; not just at Synthesis, but the hundreds of would-be students.\xa0
And lastly, they look at an article about a California-based startup called the Reality Center, which uses a combination of pulsing lights, sounds, and vibrations to create a drug-free but seemingly very psychedelic experience, reminding us yet again that you do not need a substance to achieve \xa0non-ordinary states of consciousness.
www.psychedelicstoday.com