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Re:The Yale Manual for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy of Depres... by pmoriarty on Saturday January 02, 2021 @11:59AM (#25614157)
I haven't seen any therapeutic guidelines recommending this, nor research supporting it, but anecdotally and from personal experience, doing something expressive with the body like dancing, chanting, singing, or playing an acoustic instrument during difficult experiences can help.

This is, of course, something that's been done for millennia by traditional cultures in altered states of consciousness and during ritual, so there's plenty of precedent for it and it's far from a new idea.

I hope some research is done on this sort of intervention, and expect the results will be positive.

Re:The Yale Manual for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy of Depres... by danenania on Saturday January 02, 2021 @12:08PM (#25614235)
Another tip, along the same lines as dancing, is to do some physical exercise. Excess physical energy and restlessness is a common side effect of psychedelics, and that can easily translate into mental anxiety. Expending some of that energy through jumping jacks, push ups, running, hiking or whatever can help calm the jitters and make it easier to relax into the experience. Just don't do anything that involves too much coordination or dealing with traffic :)
Re:The Yale Manual for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy of Depres... by pmoriarty on Saturday January 02, 2021 @12:16PM (#25614308)
A safety tip about that:

Before taking whatever it is you're taking be sure to thoroughly investigate its physical effects and learn about the precautions you should be taking, and what to or not to do.

For example, MDMA, which is sometimes sold on the street as Ecstacy or Molly (and sometimes other drugs are sold under those names, which is yet another danger) can interfere with the body's temperature regulation ability, so when you take it and start dancing and get hot you might not be able to cool off as effectively... which is one reason why people can die from it, especially if they're dancing a lot in already hot environments (like at an outdoor festival on a sunny day or in a hot club with poor ventilation), or when they don't drink enough water, or drink too much water.. any of these can kill you, and people have died from just this.

DanceSafe's recommendations for MDMA are to drink one pint of water an hour.

Below are some fantastic videos from Emanuel Sferios, the founder of DanceSafe, that he gave at UC Berkeley about MDMA (and general recreational drug) safety, which I highly recommend everyone watch. You could save your life or that of a friend by learning what's in these videos.

So, everyone, please EDUCATE YOURSELF and stay safe!

[1] - Part 1 - The History of MDMA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZY-ZFJnWbg

[2] - Part 2 - Tips for Safer Use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgUPKYrpBvY

[3] - Part 3 - Pharmacology and Medical Use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHduGGB5kJU

[4] - Part 4 - The Need for Drug Policy Reform https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTSiyQHm2s4

[5] - Part 5 - Heather Brooks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8s-nhlaACw

[6] - Part 6 - Joseph Pred https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wolzUE3lPk

[7] - Part 7 - Question & Answer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rovaoVjLnOk

[8] - Prohibition Fatalities and MDMA Complexities: Interview With Emanuel Sferios, the founder of DanceSafe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHKYogJ8Yxs

Re:The Yale Manual for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy of Depres... by retrac on Saturday January 02, 2021 @01:36PM (#25615115)
To add to that, it's probably sensible to not engage in particularly strenuous activities like weightlifting or very intense aerobic training on MDMA. It is still an amphetamine-class stimulant on top of its other effects, with the hypertension and increased heart rate.
Re:The Yale Manual for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy of Depres... by danenania on Saturday January 02, 2021 @12:30PM (#25614433)
Yes, good points!
Re:The Yale Manual for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy of Depres... by p1mrx on Saturday January 02, 2021 @10:54PM (#25619261)
> doing something expressive with the body like dancing, chanting, singing, or playing an acoustic instrument during difficult experiences

A VR motion game like Beat Saber might work better in a clinical setting, because it'd be weird for a patient to dance or chant with a therapist, and the other options require considerable skill.