Psychosis and pharmahuasca

[burnt]

SWIM has come up with an interesting idea based on some experiences with a friend who had very positive results healing a psychotic condition with pharmahuasca. SWIMs friend described his normal mind state as a flood of voices. He has never been officially diagnosed as schizophrenic and his condition is still in question, but has nearly lost touch with reality a number of times. However after doing pharmahuasca this friend reported that the mental clarity after was like having his brain back. The flood went away for about a week until he had drank some alcohol.

Now here is my theory. Could people in certain psyhotic states or with certain psychotic conditions maybe have an overactive MAOI system (MAOI B i believe as thats the one predominant in the brain)? Has this ever been looked into? Too much MAOI means less monoamines in the brain which and for example amphetamine psychosis is caused by depletion of dopamine, also a condition of too little monoamines. Could an overactive MAOI system be assisting in precipitating mental illness? Could taking MAOI inhibitors change this even just once a week? I am sure research has been done on MAOI's and psychosis but has anyone heard of this kind of thing? Could by taking MAOI externally change the rate at which they are expressed in the brain (well lower their expression) and lead to a few days of relief from psychotic symptoms?

It could also be the other way around that psychotics or people who are more disposed to be psychotic has less active MAOI systems. Infact SWIM has found some papers that say there is evidence for this. How interesting...

SWIM thinks its more the MAOI then the DMT that did the helping but am not sure more tests are warranted. But in the mean time any ideas from anyone about this phenomenon?

 

[polytrip]

Never heard of treatment of psychosis with ayahuasca or MAOI's.
Nevertheless, some types of depression or psychosis are very alike and realy more like something in between a severe depression and psychosis. In these borderline cases, where the diagnose realy depends as much on the preference of the psychiatrist for one diagnose or the other, as on the condition of the patient, i can imagine that sometimes treatments that are known to be effective for depressions can work out very well.

 

[prottel]

Have you seen Kung Fu Panda? When Oogway stirred the water, it became agitated and hard to see through. When it calmed down, you could see clearly to the bottom.

Ayahuasca/pharmahuasca can help still the waters for a time. For some people these waves in the water contains voices, for other it contains an incessant need to think about certain things. This goes on and on and on.

After ayahuasca, and especially the hours after, it can be very still. A meditative state where there is no need to think about things.

Perhaps it could be something similar with your friend? His/her water has been calmed, but it is only on the surface, new waves will arise in time. But perhaps, with continued use, the generators of these waves will diminish in power...

 

[burnt]

Perhaps it could be something similar with your friend? His/her water has been calmed, but it is only on the surface, new waves will arise in time. But perhaps, with continued use, the generators of these waves will diminish in power...

Yes thats what SWIM is wondering. Could it even just be the MAOI responsible and not the DMT? Once a week administration may help but this will require time to figure out. Either way SWIM thinks its fascinating such a positive result could come from this mixture of substances.

 

[prottel]

Could it even just be the MAOI responsible and not the DMT?

Yes, it is possible. For SWIM, the combination of caapi and DMT is more calming for the hours after, compared to caapi alone. But quite a few people on the ayahuasca forum uses caapi as an antidepressant.

I remember one post by anonymous were he tried microdosing caapi for a few weeks. One thing he mentioned was that he felt his mind calm down.

[quote="Anonymous from aya forum]If this is a real effect I attribute it to the mindfulness mentioned above. Interestingly, I have been able to more successfully maintain a mindful, present state than in the past. It is almost as if I was able to learn something of the present, focused state that I experienced and have been able to replicate it. As an example, it is my habit to often eat lunch quickly at my desk and then to take by lunch hour walking alone and in quiet. Recently these walks have been very meditative and cognitively quiet. Thought continues but assume less primacy, and in general I have felt much more grounded than in the past. [/quote]

Here is the link: http://forums.ayahuasca.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=7724&start=75