Re:Study suggests mechanism through which psychedelics may a...
by pmoriarty on Wednesday April 13, 2022 @05:44PM
(#31020684)
"A good analogy to me would be someone who keeps coming into the ER with bullets in their body every couple of months (maybe in a conflict zone like Ukraine), but where the case is construed in terms of the pain the bullet causes, rather than the fact there are bullets in their body and the person is in a situation where they keep getting shot at."
Interesting analogy, but if my body was ever riddled with bullets and I was taken to the ER, I'd definitely want the doctors to treat the damage the bullets made, remove them from my body, and relieve the pain.
If the ER ignored the bullets in me and assured me they'd instead be sending a police car to the neighborhood in which I was shot then I'd yell, "no! please treat me first!"
There's a lot to be said for symptom relief. Of course, the underlying causes should also be addressed, and there is evidence that psychedelics allow therapists to do just that. In particular, MDMA appears to allow patients to face and deal with their trauma without the pain and aversion that trying to face their trauma ordinarily causes. It also allows many to forgive themselves or their family, to experience love for the first time, and resolve family issues. This is treating the cause, not just the pain.
Of course, traumatising external circumstances must also be changed, when possible. I believe psychedelics can help here too, by making people aware of them (psychedelics often have the effect of opening people's eyes to just how screwed up our society is) and by making people more empathetic and connected to others and to nature.
They will not magically solve all our problems, but they can play an important role in helping us to solve those problems ourselves -- if they are used constructively and in the right context.
Interesting analogy, but if my body was ever riddled with bullets and I was taken to the ER, I'd definitely want the doctors to treat the damage the bullets made, remove them from my body, and relieve the pain.
If the ER ignored the bullets in me and assured me they'd instead be sending a police car to the neighborhood in which I was shot then I'd yell, "no! please treat me first!"
There's a lot to be said for symptom relief. Of course, the underlying causes should also be addressed, and there is evidence that psychedelics allow therapists to do just that. In particular, MDMA appears to allow patients to face and deal with their trauma without the pain and aversion that trying to face their trauma ordinarily causes. It also allows many to forgive themselves or their family, to experience love for the first time, and resolve family issues. This is treating the cause, not just the pain.
Of course, traumatising external circumstances must also be changed, when possible. I believe psychedelics can help here too, by making people aware of them (psychedelics often have the effect of opening people's eyes to just how screwed up our society is) and by making people more empathetic and connected to others and to nature.
They will not magically solve all our problems, but they can play an important role in helping us to solve those problems ourselves -- if they are used constructively and in the right context.