Thank you for such an interesting article, and the added links. I've never used anything, but eventually might be interested if there are any benefits to microdosing for hand tremors caused by Essential Tremor.
I will add that I lost my husband of 22 years several years ago, and while utterly devastating, in hind sight I think it's a needed grief to deal with naturally. A wise friend told me in those first weeks "You can't go around the pain, you can only go through it."
If you've never taken psychedelics of any sort, I would strongly recommend a guided journey. There seem to be many different types of 'guides' available in a variety of settings--from medicinal to avant garde. I've recommended it to friends who were going through extreme times. In my youth, my roommate and I would do it once a year, in summer when it was warm out, and we called it our 'spring cleaning.' It cleaned out the cobwebs. We didn't overdo, took smaller doses.
Hey Debbie.... answer to your three questions: No, No, No. You need to report out more on this. Maybe it's a thing among an aging population and I'm clueless. Marijuana was a big thing in my youth, in the 1970's and I tried it, once. When balloons did not fall from the ceiling and my life did not improve immediately, I dismissed it as no big whoop, and went back to my Marlboro and beer. Fast forward to elder years and I many years of living without smokes or booze and you have opened a new conversation I hope you write about further. The grief of losing the love of your life, combo soul mate, travel buddy, and mischief maker is a real gut punch and there's so very little to draw from as we navigate the rest of our days. Intellectually you think you'll know what to do but the reality is very different.
I became a psychonaut in my 70s (in Oregon, of course)… trauma healer and imagination booster… and if you love art in any form, whether making or enjoying others’… it can be a BIG or natural event, but be with a pro or guide at first. I found psychedelics very informative when done carefully.
I am all for mushrooms, or whatever works to erase fear, doubt and uncertainty about death and dying. I have suggested to numerous others to look at VSED and to know that there are ten states and D.C. that have legalized medical assistance in dying. Here's the link to VSED, used by several whom we knew including Scott Nearing at 100. https://compassionandchoices.org/our-issues/vsed/
Loved listening to you and Steven, think I restacked it so others can find it. I remember when Oregon was the first state to make what is now called MAID legal and I thought then, how progressive. I had met Mark Hatfield who I admired as a progressive political leader. At the time this all began I thought that it was better than Jack Kevorkian's practice although I believe he had good intentions. It is rather fascianting about only 9,000 people having availed themselves of MAID and Julie's recognition about the injustice and inequities. Thanks, Debbie.
I resonate with the use of psilocybin in fear of death circumstances but am less familiar with its use in grief which seems more complicated and harder to study. Grieving the loss of our youth? Perhaps But the complicated grief of losing multiple family members with the associated anger, frustration, love, and disappointment? Not sure that psilocybin could be counted on to smooth that out.
Sam, I will look more into this. Plus I will make clearer where / how you can legally do a mushroom trip in the U.S. Dr. Bree mentions becoming part of a university study in the podcast episode.
Hope that is accessible! I think anticipating fear too much can be unhelpful and for me, feels a bit like controlling in anticipation. My absolutely beloved husband didn't die but he did leave us out of the blue after nearly 30 years of marriage and nothing could have prepared me for that grief. And surprisingly, honestly, I have somehow (thanks to incredible friends and support) come through to the other side - and it's actually sunny here! Always look forward to reading your Substack.
Weellll ... in general I think we human beings are always searching for magic substances we can ingest that will fix us. Which is not to dismiss the very real powers of medicines to deal with our various chemical deficiencies, infections, etc. But I'm really wary about things that fool with our brains, especially if they're not legal and/or haven't been produced and tested in a way where you can be sure what you are getting, its purity and dosage. (Can you tell I have some background in pharmacology?)
I am terminally ill and what I want more than anything is to be fully present every single day I have left. Grief is part of my life. It's hard and I'm alone with it. Not married, no children, 66 years old. I'm also a writer, a personal essayist, which demands clear consciousness. I spent two years living a blurred life of alcohol abuse. Not the same thing, I know. But the detachment from the reality that I know sounds frightening.
I have a friend who participated in the Hopkins study. She said it was the best experience of her life, that depression was lifted and she found a kind of depth of life's meaning. Once the study ended, however, so ended the benefits. Would she continue if she could? Absolutely.
I'm manic depressive so take psychotropic medications, but their intent and, in fact what they do is help me maintain manageable levels of emotions, which is different than what my friend experienced. I'll stick with what I know. With more than one foot in the grave it's best that stand steady on the other one.
![[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/e_trim:10:white/e_trim:10:transparent/h_72,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb939748d-5d80-4d0f-867c-2ed252ac633c_1344x256.png)
![[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_36,h_36,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb1d7636-a0e5-44ef-846d-a6df558eff16_1280x1280.png)
Thank you for such an interesting article, and the added links. I've never used anything, but eventually might be interested if there are any benefits to microdosing for hand tremors caused by Essential Tremor.
I will add that I lost my husband of 22 years several years ago, and while utterly devastating, in hind sight I think it's a needed grief to deal with naturally. A wise friend told me in those first weeks "You can't go around the pain, you can only go through it."
If you've never taken psychedelics of any sort, I would strongly recommend a guided journey. There seem to be many different types of 'guides' available in a variety of settings--from medicinal to avant garde. I've recommended it to friends who were going through extreme times. In my youth, my roommate and I would do it once a year, in summer when it was warm out, and we called it our 'spring cleaning.' It cleaned out the cobwebs. We didn't overdo, took smaller doses.
Hey Debbie.... answer to your three questions: No, No, No. You need to report out more on this. Maybe it's a thing among an aging population and I'm clueless. Marijuana was a big thing in my youth, in the 1970's and I tried it, once. When balloons did not fall from the ceiling and my life did not improve immediately, I dismissed it as no big whoop, and went back to my Marlboro and beer. Fast forward to elder years and I many years of living without smokes or booze and you have opened a new conversation I hope you write about further. The grief of losing the love of your life, combo soul mate, travel buddy, and mischief maker is a real gut punch and there's so very little to draw from as we navigate the rest of our days. Intellectually you think you'll know what to do but the reality is very different.
Sign me up, please
Fascinating topic but for me quite daunting. I remember an interview with Dr. Roland Griffiths, a pioneer in all this I think you'll find interesting if you haven't already seen. https://www.google.com/search?q=tara+brach+talk+mushrooms&oq=tara+brach+talk+mushrooms&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigAdIBCTI0Mzc0ajFqN6gCFLACAQ&client=ms-android-telus-ca-revc&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5088fd91,vid:6F_VV-2mQPY,st:0
I became a psychonaut in my 70s (in Oregon, of course)… trauma healer and imagination booster… and if you love art in any form, whether making or enjoying others’… it can be a BIG or natural event, but be with a pro or guide at first. I found psychedelics very informative when done carefully.
I am all for mushrooms, or whatever works to erase fear, doubt and uncertainty about death and dying. I have suggested to numerous others to look at VSED and to know that there are ten states and D.C. that have legalized medical assistance in dying. Here's the link to VSED, used by several whom we knew including Scott Nearing at 100. https://compassionandchoices.org/our-issues/vsed/
Gary, I’m planning a post on MAID (medical aid in dying). I did a fascinating podcast episode on the topic: https://debbieweil.substack.com/p/s6-ep8-steven-petrow-on-his-sister
Loved listening to you and Steven, think I restacked it so others can find it. I remember when Oregon was the first state to make what is now called MAID legal and I thought then, how progressive. I had met Mark Hatfield who I admired as a progressive political leader. At the time this all began I thought that it was better than Jack Kevorkian's practice although I believe he had good intentions. It is rather fascianting about only 9,000 people having availed themselves of MAID and Julie's recognition about the injustice and inequities. Thanks, Debbie.
I resonate with the use of psilocybin in fear of death circumstances but am less familiar with its use in grief which seems more complicated and harder to study. Grieving the loss of our youth? Perhaps But the complicated grief of losing multiple family members with the associated anger, frustration, love, and disappointment? Not sure that psilocybin could be counted on to smooth that out.
Sam, I will look more into this. Plus I will make clearer where / how you can legally do a mushroom trip in the U.S. Dr. Bree mentions becoming part of a university study in the podcast episode.
Hope that is accessible! I think anticipating fear too much can be unhelpful and for me, feels a bit like controlling in anticipation. My absolutely beloved husband didn't die but he did leave us out of the blue after nearly 30 years of marriage and nothing could have prepared me for that grief. And surprisingly, honestly, I have somehow (thanks to incredible friends and support) come through to the other side - and it's actually sunny here! Always look forward to reading your Substack.
Weellll ... in general I think we human beings are always searching for magic substances we can ingest that will fix us. Which is not to dismiss the very real powers of medicines to deal with our various chemical deficiencies, infections, etc. But I'm really wary about things that fool with our brains, especially if they're not legal and/or haven't been produced and tested in a way where you can be sure what you are getting, its purity and dosage. (Can you tell I have some background in pharmacology?)
I am terminally ill and what I want more than anything is to be fully present every single day I have left. Grief is part of my life. It's hard and I'm alone with it. Not married, no children, 66 years old. I'm also a writer, a personal essayist, which demands clear consciousness. I spent two years living a blurred life of alcohol abuse. Not the same thing, I know. But the detachment from the reality that I know sounds frightening.
I have a friend who participated in the Hopkins study. She said it was the best experience of her life, that depression was lifted and she found a kind of depth of life's meaning. Once the study ended, however, so ended the benefits. Would she continue if she could? Absolutely.
I'm manic depressive so take psychotropic medications, but their intent and, in fact what they do is help me maintain manageable levels of emotions, which is different than what my friend experienced. I'll stick with what I know. With more than one foot in the grave it's best that stand steady on the other one.