Psychedelics alter neurochemical signals tied to hunger and mood in the hypothalamus
Posted: 7/24/2025Researchers have discovered that psilocybin—but not ketamine—triggers widespread changes in neuropeptide-related genes in the rat hypothalamus. These findings may help explain how psychedelics influence mood, appetite, and stress responses through deep brain systems.
Black Psychedelics: A Weapon for the Revolution
Posted: 7/23/2025We invite you to join us for an inspiring conversation at the intersection of psychedelics, Black liberation, and collective transformation. This Community Forum will explore how entheogens can support movements for racial justice, community healing, and radical imagination.
Cognitive tests suggest psilocybin impairs thinking—but the tests may not tell the full story
Posted: 7/21/2025People under the influence of psilocybin perform more slowly on tasks measuring attention and executive function. But a new study suggests the problem might not be the drug—it might be the traditional lab tests used to assess cognition.
More Than Serotonin: How Psychedelics Engage the Whole Brain
Posted: 7/19/2025Classical psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline are known for activating the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor, but a new study reveals their effects go far beyond. Researchers profiled 41 psychedelics against over 300 human receptors and found potent activity at serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic sites.
Press Release – Enrolling Now: Queering Psychedelics
Posted: 7/17/2025Queering Psychedelics is a nine-week live online course (July 28–Oct 6, 2025) exploring queer contributions to psychedelic healing. Taught by diverse leaders, it centers LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Indigenous voices. With justice-informed pedagogy, it offers tools for inclusive practice, spiritual growth, and cultural transformation. Scholarships available; $700 tuition.
How Psilocybin Effects Serotonin Receptors
Posted: 7/15/2025Forget everything you learned from D.A.R.E. Shrooms aren’t just trippy they’re brain-altering medicine. Here’s the neuroscience without the lab coat jargon.
Back to the Roots: Psychedelic Science Rebuilds After MDMA Denial
Posted: 7/14/2025Despite a smaller audience, the Denver (USA) event reaffirms the importance of psychotherapy in MDMA and psilocybin treatments for mental disorders. The FDA's August failure shook, but did not extinguish, faith in the potential of psychedelics for mental health, which is accumulating scientific evidence, legislative initiatives, and support from conservative politicians. Another positive sign was an openness to dialogue with Indigenous peoples.
Cultural Heritage and Pharmacology of the Eleusinian Mysteries
Posted: 7/14/2025Join us for a deep dive into the cultural, spiritual, and scientific legacy of the Eleusinian Mysteries, one of the most enduring ritual traditions of the ancient world.
Psilocybin Shows Promise as Anti-Aging Therapy
Posted: 7/9/2025Psilocybin, the active compound derived from psychedelic mushrooms, significantly delayed cellular aging and extended lifespan in a preclinical study. Researchers observed a 50% increase in the lifespan of human skin and lung cells and a 30% increase in survival in aged mice treated with psilocybin.
Workshop: Psychedelic Churches: From Legal Protections, to Ethics and Reciprocity (2025)
Posted: 7/9/2025As the use of psychedelic plant medicines becomes increasingly visible within spiritual communities, this workshop offers a critical and timely exploration of both legal protections and ethical responsibilities for churches and communities that incorporate plant medicines into their ceremonial practices.
Press Release – Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative (IRI) Receives $25,000 Grant
Posted: 7/9/2025The Entheon Foundation granted $25,000 to Chacruna Institute’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative (IRI), supporting grassroots Indigenous projects across the Americas. The funding recognizes IRI’s ethical approach to reciprocity in the psychedelic field, emphasizing Indigenous knowledge, justice, and equity amid rising commercialization. Chacruna advocates for inclusive, ethical psychedelic practices and dialogue.
Jonathan Ott, apostle for jurema and entheogens, dies at 76
Posted: 7/8/2025American chemist Jonathan Ott, who died on July 5th at 76, was a pioneering psychonaut. He coined "entheogen" and championed consciousness-altering plants like jurema-preta. A disciple of Schultes and Hofmann, he blended rigorous research with personal experimentation, profoundly influencing psychedelic studies and advocating for their spiritual and ecological significance.
Hallucinating Hierarchies: How Patriarchy Co-opts Psychedelics
Posted: 7/7/2025Psychedelics hold revolutionary potential, but patriarchal systems distort them for profit and control. True healing demands feminist values—reciprocity, inclusion, respect for Indigenous wisdom, and resistance to exploitation. Without challenging patriarchal power, Clancy Cavnar argues, psychedelics risk becoming tools of oppression rather than liberation. Liberation requires reclaiming psychedelics from capitalism’s grasp.
Feds Just Got Told: Dying Canadians Have a Right to Shroom Therapy
Posted: 7/5/2025Buckle up, bureaucracy. Magic mushrooms just scored a major legal win for the terminally ill and this time it's in Canada.
What Does Mindful Consumption of Cannabis Look Like?
Posted: 7/1/2025We are delighted to invite you to Chacruna’s upcoming Community Forum, which will explore the evolving landscape of cannabis use in today’s society.
Course: Queering Psychedelics: Intersectionality, Healing, Spirituality and Liberation
Posted: 7/1/2025July 28th – October 6th, 2025, 10:30am-12pm PDT / 1pm-3pm EST REGISTER HERE Price $700 USD CE Credits Pending Approval Scholarship Application Course Description Psychedelics have encompassed a colorful history of […]
From Hype to Integration: Rethinking Psychedelic Media in 2025
Posted: 6/27/2025Public acceptance of psychedelics as therapeutic tools has grown, shifting focus from legitimacy to integration, Brad Burge argues. Challenges include outdated healthcare frameworks, regulatory systems, and media oversimplification. Integration requires ethical, inclusive structures, cross-ideological coalitions, and responsible storytelling. The task now is embedding psychedelics within systems that were never designed to accommodate them.
Press Release – Enrolling Now: Roots of Psychedelic Therapy
Posted: 6/23/2025The Chacruna Institute’s 16-week online course, Roots of Psychedelic Therapy, offers a justice-centered, interdisciplinary exploration of sacred plant medicines. Running July–October 2025, it includes 28 CE credits and features global experts on Indigenous traditions, ethics, and psychedelic therapy. Ideal for professionals seeking cultural fluency and ethical grounding.
Sacred Not Synthetic: How Indigenous Cultures Mastered Psychedelics Millennia Before Your Ketamine Clinic
Posted: 6/21/2025Psychedelics aren’t a Silicon Valley innovation. While tech bros hawk $500 microdosing starter kits and venture capitalists race to patent molecules ripped from ancestral lands, Indigenous cultures have woven these substances into spiritual and communal survival for over 5,000 years.
Denver Conference Comes Out in Defense of Psychedelic Therapies
Posted: 6/21/2025At Psychedelic Science 2025, Rick Doblin acknowledged setbacks in MDMA therapy approval but remained optimistic. Despite MAPS' struggles, he emphasized continued progress. Experts like Rachel Yehuda defended the necessity of psychotherapy alongside psychedelics, warning that excluding it undermines treatment. Broad access remains limited by cost, policy, and regulatory challenges.
Crafting Psychedelic Playlists: Music, Silence & the Flow of the Trip
Posted: 6/21/2025Music can make or break a psychedelic experience. It can soften the come-up, deepen the peak, or gently guide the return. In some sessions, music is performed live. In others, it’s pre-recorded playlists that shape the inner landscape. If you’re using playlists, you’ve got two options: 1. Use a pre-made playlist. 2. Build your own. […] The post Crafting Psychedelic Playlists: Music, Silence & the Flow of the Trip appeared first on Maps of the Mind.
The Enchanted Science of Jurema: DMT at the Root of Afro-Amerindian Rituals in Brazil
Posted: 6/20/2025In this interview, Marcelo Leite reflects on his shift from science journalism to exploring the sacred use of Jurema in Northeastern Brazil. He documents its overlooked spiritual traditions, colonial repression, and complex syncretism. His new book blends science, religion, and philosophy, advocating for respectful dialogue between researchers and Indigenous communities amid Brazil’s evolving psychedelic landscape.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy linked to reduced depression in people with bipolar disorder, small study finds
Posted: 6/17/2025A pilot study involving psilocybin-assisted therapy found possible antidepressant effects for people with bipolar II disorder. The treatment appeared well-tolerated, with no signs of mania or psychosis, offering cautious optimism for future bipolar depression research.
Embrace Pleasure: How Psychedelics Can Heal Our Sexuality — An Interactive Workshop on Sex, Psychedelics, and Pleasure Activism
Posted: 6/16/2025Friday, October 3rd from 9:30am to 12:30pm PDT Register here Price: $150 CE Approval Pending Scholarships Available The past two decades have seen a proliferation of research on psychedelic medicines for […]
Workshop: Ecology, Spirituality and Psychedelics
Posted: 6/16/2025Monday, October 6th from 9:30am to 12:30pm PST / 12:30 a 15:30 EST Register here Price: $100 CE Approval Pending Scholarships Available Spiritually-integrated and ecologically conscious psychedelic care supports social justice. […]
Single-dose psilocybin therapy shows promise for reducing alcohol consumption
Posted: 6/15/2025Early results from a pilot study indicate that psilocybin-assisted therapy could be linked to lower alcohol consumption and improved psychological outcomes, though larger controlled trials are needed to determine whether the psilocybin itself is responsible for these changes.
Understanding Ayahuasca: A Comprehensive Guide
Posted: 6/14/2025Forget your grandma’s chamomile tea Ayahuasca is the Amazon’s ultimate soul-shaking brew paired with nature’s most intense hallucinogen. You'll differently be taken for a ride.