And the irony is, that it becomes less and less enjoyable when you make a habit out of it.
If you manage to stay 'clean' for a few months, you'd be surprised how potent and psychedelic MJ can be. But it's psychedelic traits wear of quickly and you just completely forget about how much you used to enjoy it the first few times you did it.

Cannabis is over all a very safe plant. But it does have side effects with chronic use that people should be aware of. The good part is its very reversable and one can still use the substance and completely avoid these effects if its used properly. In fact thats one of the great things about Cannabis is one can use it ALOT and then say hey maybe this isnt for me and stop and go back to normal much easier then any other pscyho-active drug out there. Moderation is key with all things. Its almost like cannabis has built in mechanisms to get people to want to abuse it less!

Although with that being said SWIM puffs hard often and loves it But that is dependant on the type of cannabis some types make SWIM a paranoid mess others make SWIM feel great. Another interesting part of this plant that science is still trying to unravel. Anyway...

Wow SWIM was unaware about all the evidence against SSRI's! SWIM only knew how bad they were from personal experience. However SWIM still thinks that the brain is capable of curing itself of depression. Genetics may make people more prone to them then others and make it harder to deal with. SWIM was able to cure his mental issues without addictive drugs. Psychedelics hard work (because getting over any mental issue is hard work and if its not then well the method isn't working) some good advice from some caring people and of course time did the trick. If only this kind of thing got as much funding as SSRI's! Imagine where we would be then...

My friend's psychologist didn't even know what ayawaska or cactus were! But this NHS psychologist did say that he thought pharmaceutical anti-depressants were terrible, with little evidence of their benefit and documented increased suicide risk in some cases etc. He thinks that therapy is the only way to truly resolve psychological problems. This strengthens my view that pharms should only be used when the patient is already on the verge of suicide just to keep them alive (a gamble because in some cases the risk of suicide increases). A stopgap until the issues can be resolved through counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy as in the Feeling Good book I mentioned earlier. By the end of my friend's session his psychologist was taking frantic notes of the benefits of aya and cactus haha! He's a nice guy and pretty clued up on substances (my friend gets the impression that he's tried one or two himself in the past, but obviously not the types people talk about here) so hopefully that'll get him thinking about the benefits of entheogens... every positive write-up helps. Jung showed long ago that spirituality helps people overcome psychological difficulties- these ideas were adopted by others to form the Alcoholics Anonymous programme.

I met a psychologist at a party recently who hadn't got a clue about entheogen use for psychological problems. Amazing. We had an intelligent debate about psychology and entheogens for half an hour until I revealed that I had eaten 25g of cactus and was seeing patterns around her head! Apparently it didn't show

^^HAHA thats funny. But yes I think the general psychiatric community is unaware of this option but that is slowly changing.

Anti-depressants are fucking bullshit!!!

My friend got beat-up today by some asshole who is addicted to xanex... he started taking them because he was "sad".

I love this thread!

‹mydriasis› anyon ever start to trip from just handling lots of bak powder and maybe breathing it in lol?
15/12/2009 00:34:18 ‹TEO 'Coatl› oh before i leave
15/12/2009 00:34:28 ‹mydriasis› I feel funnny
15/12/2009 00:34:31 ‹TEO 'Coatl› VOMIT- DON'T BUY/SELL DRIED CACTUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
15/12/2009 00:34:36 ‹TEO 'Coatl› yes Myd
15/12/2009 00:34:47 ‹maxzar100› thats wierd
15/12/2009 00:34:47 ‹TEO 'Coatl› happens all the time and brings me to my point of all the convos today
15/12/2009 00:34:50 ‹TEO 'Coatl› your brain
15/12/2009 00:34:50 ‹maxzar100› maybe it is a placebo
15/12/2009 00:34:52 ‹maxzar100› shit
15/12/2009 00:34:55 ‹TEO 'Coatl› is EXTREMELY FUCKING POWERFUL
15/12/2009 00:35:03 ‹mydriasis›
15/12/2009 00:35:09 ‹TEO 'Coatl› i could make myself see things when i was having axiety attacks
15/12/2009 00:35:13 ‹mydriasis› only had this happen with mushrooms before really
15/12/2009 00:35:13 ‹RayOfLight› coatl are you really connected to the coatl soul complex
15/12/2009 00:35:17 ‹TEO 'Coatl› full blown images like i was tripping
15/12/2009 00:35:25 ‹TEO 'Coatl› if my mind can do THAT
15/12/2009 00:35:33 ‹TEO 'Coatl› it can do anything, including get me out of deppression
15/12/2009 00:35:37 ‹mydriasis› well I see things a lot sober but I deny them revelance haha
15/12/2009 00:35:43 ‹TEO 'Coatl› pharm companies tell us our minds are weak and imbalanced
15/12/2009 00:35:49 ‹mydriasis› *relevance
15/12/2009 00:35:53 ‹TEO 'Coatl› OUR MINDS ARE THE STRONGEST THINGS WE POSSESS!!!
15/12/2009 00:36:03 ‹mydriasis› I so agree
15/12/2009 00:36:21 ‹TEO 'Coatl› people need to realize that
15/12/2009 00:36:22 ‹mydriasis› rainbowsss
15/12/2009 00:36:34 ‹TEO 'Coatl› instead of "omg my brain is broken please give me drugs to help me"
15/12/2009 00:36:50 ‹TEO 'Coatl› your brain isnt broken, your fucking broken
15/12/2009 00:36:52 ‹TEO 'Coatl› fix yourself
15/12/2009 00:37:16 ‹TEO 'Coatl› ya know what made me stop having axiety attacks?
15/12/2009 00:37:31 ‹TEO 'Coatl› believeing that they couldnt hurt me
15/12/2009 00:37:43 ‹TEO 'Coatl› the moment, i had that revalation
15/12/2009 00:37:46 ‹TEO 'Coatl› they stopped completely
15/12/2009 00:38:01 ‹TEO 'Coatl› anti-ds just hinder us from realizing things like that
15/12/2009 00:38:21 ‹TEO 'Coatl› and they should only be used in the most insane situations, and then sparenly and with great care and thought

War is horror.
But it does provide us useful insights and technologies.
Same with big pharma and such

i dont like it, but that is just i

Depression is a complex issue. Personally I would never touch over the counter meds, but I think for some people they can provide a support. Cannabis is certainly not suitable as an anti depressive for everyone...noooooo sir. I think it could make things a lot worse for some people...

Life style changes can definitely help...good diet, fresh air and nature, sunlight, and aerobic exercise (encourages growth of new neurons, raises serotonin, dopamine and endorphin levels). Exercise should not be underestimated...the mental improvement it brings is just as much a part of the health benefits as the increase in physical fitness and well being it provides).

Supplementing with 5HTP, a natural precursor to seretonin may be a non toxic, natural way of maintaining seretonin levels.

Also, I think responsible use of ayahuasca, kambo and Iboga in particular could assist some people with depression. Iboga is very effective at revealing negative life patterns...it could provide the levity to get one out of a rut, give one a little kick up the bum to get them moving, and then afterwards, you get this subtle but tangible lift from the effects of the nor-Ibogaine, which provides you with a long-term anti depressive boost lasting months to put your necessary life changes int action. I have spoken to Rick Doblin the head of MAPS (top dude is Rick, met him at Boom festival last summer) about research on Iboga/Ibogaine. Right now only this single facet (drug addiction/detox) of what I consider a very multifaceted plant/chemical is being studied...I strongly suspect it could be assist in treatment of depression, OCD, PTSD, neuroses etc.

What's kambo?
never heard of it, but you mention it along with ayahuasca and ibogaine...makes me a bit curious.

Kambo, or sapo, is the powerful skin secretion of the Giant Monkey frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor, a photo of which is my avatar on here.

This quite amazing frog lives in the tree canopy, has no known predators due to its very potent venom, and unlike most frogs doesn't jump, it walks. The Matses Indians and other tribes that use it mimic its call to attract it, it comes down, and they catch it and tie its legs to little sticks and gently tease out some of its venom. It is VERY bad form in the Amazon to harm or kill the frog, as this angers the animal spirits, and the frog is released unharmed after the venom is extracted. This practice is arguably a lot more sustainable than chopping down and killing ayahuasca vines.

The myth goes that the elder shaman of a tribe drank ayahuasca with the intention of healing his tribe, who were all sick. In his visions, the hands of the great spirit showed him this specific frog (there are many very similar species in the Amazon), and he was instructed to use for healing.

The Indians use it for dispelling 'bad energy', which we might call depression, dispel laziness, to improve luck, and prior to hunting trips, as it enhances senses, reduces need for food or sleep, and changes the way we smell so allowing hunters to become 'invisible' (smell wise) to the animals they hunt apparently. Lazy or misbehaving children are threatened with kambo to keep them in line as well apparently!

Scientists are looking at the various peptides in the venom secretions as a potential treatment for stroke and hypotension, and its potential immune system boosting effects.

An article on kambo on ayahuasca.com;

http://www.ayahuasca.com...he-spirit-of-the-shaman/

I have had 3 kambo session now, administered by a very special Brazilian man, who works with the Santo Daime and has a background in biochemsitry. Each time the dose is increased slightly, and the body seems to assimilate more, through burns on your skin (on arms for me, legs for women). VERY intense, and entirely unpleasant but short term effects (short term pain, long term gain) The sense of clarity and focus it provides...and the synergy with the vine...is incredible. And on the immune side of things, I haven't had any of the usual winter colds or flu this year.

And weirdly, two weeks before my first session, the frog very clearly visited me in a dream and welcomed me to work with it...

I just thought it would be appropriate to add that I have experienced consistently lasting freedom from depression since I began work with Ayahuasca over two years ago (doing a full ceremony minimum once every two weeks). The work feels like a combination of chemical activity, and dredging up really deep issues from the past (and then forgiving myself, finding compassion, etc.). Plant-talk-therapy.

The other major source of relief has been in DRASTICALLY cleaning up my diet--preservatives and really denatured/greasy/unnatural things will bring on awful states of anxiety.

Then, being more physically active. Doing the work (post-visionary sessions) and making peace with certain members of family, just thanking them for all the good they have done for me and moving on... It took a lot of time, effort, and trust, but finding a career path where I am true to my heart and can follow my passion... Lots of lifestyle changes! But Ayahuasca is really what lit the fire under my ass and got me moving to do these things. She has shifted my thought process into being much more grateful, and proactive.

Proactive is an important word... Suicidal feelings, in many ways, are just outcries of extreme feelings of helplessness...

It has been a lifelong battle, eating disorders at age 11, I nearly gassed myself at one point... I never wanted to take any prescription meds (it would have felt so empty to my spirit).

I'm so happy I finally got it sorted out for good (literally )!

I am so grateful to have had the experience of working with Ayahuasca...

That's interesting stuff.