By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness is a valuable practice for improving the cognitive symptoms of depression, such as distorted thinking and distractibility. It helps individuals recognize these more subtle symptoms, realize that thoughts are not facts and refocus their attention to the present” – Margarita Tartakovsky Depression is epidemic. Major depressive […]
“Addiction tries to make a spiritual experience static. When we are in an addictive process, we want to hold on to the moment, not feeling the discomfort of the longing but attempting to maintain what we feel in an instant. Our spirituality becomes stagnate and the addiction leads us into a deep bondage with […]
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley Religion and spirituality have been promulgated as solutions to the challenges of life both in a transcendent sense and in a practical sense. On a transcendent […]
Yoga developed in India millennia ago as a deep spiritual practice. It developed as a contemplative practice that unified body and mind. Yoga was known to have physical benefits, but the most important benefit was seen to be spiritual development. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in has address to the United Nations proposing an […]
Mindfulness training has physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual components. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is even more complex as it contains yoga and body scan in addition to meditation. Because of the complexity and the variety of effects of these practices it is difficult to know which components are effective in promoting well-being and which are […]
Improve Major Depressive Disorder for Over a Year with Psilocybin By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “When we look within ourselves with psilocybin, we discover that we do not have to look outward toward the futile promise of life that circles distant stars in order to still our cosmic loneliness. We should look […]
Psychedelic Drug Treatments have Little or No Adverse Side Effects By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Flashbacks and psychosis can happen to anyone, but research has shown that they are more often observed in patients with a history of psychological problems.” – Buddy T Psychedelic substances such as peyote, mescaline, LSD, Bufotoxin, ayahuasca and psilocybin have […]
Improved Psychological Well-Being and Cognition is Reported by Adult who Engage in Microdosing of Psychedelic Substances By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “After a 40-year moratorium, the psychedelic renaissance has begun: rigorous scientific methods can now be used to investigate psychedelics as potential medicines and for “the betterment of well people”. – Thomas […]
Psychedelic Drug Experiences Strengthen the Interpersonal Components of Personality. By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “experience with psychedelic drugs was linked to increased positive affect and to personality traits that favor resilience and stability in the light of the ongoing crisis.” – Federico Cavanna Psychedelic substances such as peyote, mescaline, LSD, Bufotoxin, ayahuasca and psilocybin have […]
Placebo Effects are Strong in Research on the Effects of Psychedelic Drugs By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “in the right context, some people may experience psychedelic-like effects from placebos alone.” – Science News Psychedelic substances such as peyote, mescaline, LSD, Bufotoxin, ayahuasca and psilocybin have been used almost since the beginning of recorded history to […]