Evolution Retreats is not only working to be the destination in Jamaica for legal, guided psilocybin experiences and post-trip processing in a luxury resort setting – we’re also here to provide education, the latest research on mycotherapy (psilocybin mushrooms and more), and to be advocates for the powerful world of psychedelics and the possibilities for transformation therein.
We were delighted to recently come across reporting on the CNN website covering the largest study of its kind on the use and efficacy of psilocybin for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression – a malady that currently afflicts an estimated 100 million individuals globally. These people, from all walks of life, are not affected positively by anti-depressants and suffer with debilitating symptoms and even suicidal ideation. Researchers are hoping to find new treatment options to help this population, and psilocybin is looking promising as one such resource.
As the article explains:
“A single dose of a synthetic version of the mind-altering component of magic mushrooms, psilocybin, improved depression in people with a treatment-resistant form of the disease, a new study found.
The randomized, double-blind clinical trial, which authors called ‘the largest of its kind,’ compared results of a 25-milligram dose to a 10-milligram and 1-milligram dose of a synthetic psilocybin, COMP360, that was administered in the presence of trained therapists.
Results of the study, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, found ‘an immediate, fast, rapid-acting, sustained response to 25 milligrams (of COMP360),’ said study coauthor Dr. Guy Goodwin, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
‘This drug can be extracted from magic mushrooms, but that is not the way our compound is generated. It’s synthesized in a purely chemical process to produce a crystalline form,’ said Goodwin, who is the chief medical officer of COMPASS Pathways, the company that manufactures COMP360 and conducted the study.
Experts in the field found the study findings promising.”
We find it promising as well!
We do wish to point out that Evolution Retreats doesn’t support the idea that psilocybin needs to be “synthesized” and sold in a pharmaceutical package. We don’t support corporate attempts to “reinvent” psilocybin. The molecule is perfect as-is, it doesn’t need editing. The “betterment” of a naturally occurring compound, honed and polished by evolutionary processes over tens of thousands of years, is a laughable jest – yet another corporate attempt to restrict the free market. The only reason corporations are trying to “reinvent” psychedelics is because they want to have exclusive rights to the compounds and to their therapeutic results, thus creating an abundant and completely isolated market for themselves to control. (GMOs, anyone?) Luckily for us, and for you, markets do not work this way.
Even with the caveats that this study was conducted using a synthetic version of psilocybin as opposed to the natural version that we cultivate for our psychedelic retreats, and that the study was conducted by the company that is manufacturing the synthetic psilocybin – it is still very exciting and offers future hope for individuals with serious depression issues. Bravo, keep it coming! At least Big Pharma paid for the encouraging study!
Please read the full CNN article and watch their video by following this link.
Interested in learning more about Evolution Retreats and our use of “magic mushrooms” for personal transformation? You can lean about our approach and how we work with all our guests, meet our guides and facilitators, or get started with the application process by completing our form. Thanks for reading!
Steve is the Executive Director of New Pathways Clinic, our sister company that provides Ketamine treatments for treatment resistant psychiatric conditions in Cleveland, OH. Motivated by his own success in achieving remission for multiple psychiatric diagnoses through various psychedelic therapies, he opened New Pathways Clinic and partnered with Evolution Resorts to help others struggling achieve mental wellness. His goal is to make sure the Evolution Resorts provides the same level of care to its patrons that can be expected from future psychedelic clinics in America once psilocybin is authorized by the FDA as a medicine for depression and other mental health conditions.
Ever since he graduated from Ohio State with a major in Psychology, he has not stopped pursuing knowledge about new treatments available in the realm of mental health. As a vigorous consumer of research publications, he will always be ready to answer any questions anyone has about psychedelic therapies or alternative options for treatment in the United States. Steve will ensure Evolution Resorts continues to update its procedures to match the most up to date science on psilocybin therapy.
