therapeutic effects of yagé via sigma-1 agonism

[entheogenic-gnosis]

http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v21n1/v21n1-56to58.pdf

MAPS PDF Dimethyltryptamine: Possible Endogenous Ligand of the Sigma-1 Receptor?

A little out of date, but informative none the less.

-eg

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.689.1660&rep=rep1&type=pdf

(DMT) Is an Endogenous Sigma-1 Receptor Regulator - CiteSeerX OFF

-eg

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

I think as time passes DMT researchers are going to become more and more familiar with the sigma-1 receptor...

Though it seems like there has not been a great deal of enthusiasm regarding DMT and this receptor site, but I feel there will be as we learn more...

-eg

 

[digitalvygr]

We talked a bit in other threads about breathwork and the possible links to DMT release from the lungs... well one of the powerful techniques in Pranayama is called Kumbhaka which amounts to basically just holding the breath for a long time.

Of course there is more to it, one might have done a lot of other techniques prior to starting kumbhaka, and often it is held in conjunction with very long inhales and long ehales, but to get to the point here... if DMT has a neuroprotective effect then it would make sense that the body would want to release it when the brain is undergoing oxygen deprivation.

And this can also explain a lot of the NDE experiences in cardiac arrest, if so. Again, only speculating, but my personal experiences with pranayama make me think that there is something to it.

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

We talked a bit in other threads about breathwork and the possible links to DMT release from the lungs... well one of the powerful techniques in Pranayama is called Kumbhaka which amounts to basically just holding the breath for a long time.

Of course there is more to it, one might have done a lot of other techniques prior to starting kumbhaka, and often it is held in conjunction with very long inhales and long ehales, but to get to the point here... if DMT has a neuroprotective effect then it would make sense that the body would want to release it when the brain is undergoing oxygen deprivation.

And this can also explain a lot of the NDE experiences in cardiac arrest, if so. Again, only speculating, but my personal experiences with pranayama make me think that there is something to it.

It seems that DMT May be the endogenous ligand for the sigma-1 receptor...which I could get into again, but will hold off for now...

I have been doing some breath work, but ultimately my heart rests with entheogens.

Another point I should make involves the fact that I don't actually use many of the compounds I research, even DMT and the true psychedelics are a very rare treat, but that's the beauty in these things, you don't need them often, there is lasting impact...

Neuroplasticity is an interesting point of research:

Abstract
Psychedelic agents have a long history of use by humans for their capacity to induce profound modifications in perception, emotion and cognitive processes. Despite increasing knowledge of the neural mechanisms involved in the acute effects of these drugs, the impact of sustained psychedelic use on the human brain remains largely unknown. Molecular pharmacology studies have shown that psychedelic 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT)2A agonists stimulate neurotrophic and transcription factors associated with synaptic plasticity. These data suggest that psychedelics could potentially induce structural changes in brain tissue. Here we looked for differences in cortical thickness (CT) in regular users of psychedelics. We obtained magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of the brains of 22 regular users of ayahuasca (a preparation whose active principle is the psychedelic 5HT2A agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)) and 22 controls matched for age, sex, years of education, verbal IQ and fluid IQ. Ayahuasca users showed significant CT differences in midline structures of the brain, with thinning in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a key node of the default mode network. CT values in the PCC were inversely correlated with the intensity and duration of prior use of ayahuasca and with scores on self-transcendence, a personality trait measuring religiousness, transpersonal feelings and spirituality. Although direct causation cannot be established, these data suggest that regular use of psychedelic drugs could potentially lead to structural changes in brain areas supporting attentional processes, self-referential thought, and internal mentation. These changes could underlie the previously reported personality changes in long-term users and highlight the involvement of the PCC in the effects of psychedelics.
Copyright

Long-term use of psychedelic drugs is associated with differences in brain structure and personality in humans - PubMed

Psychedelic agents have a long history of use by humans for their capacity to induce profound modifications in perception, emotion and cognitive processes. Despite increasing knowledge of the neural mechanisms involved in the acute effects of these drugs, the impact of sustained psychedelic use...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

-eg

 

[digitalvygr]

It seems that DMT May be the endogenous ligand for the sigma-1 receptor...which I could get into again, but will hold off for now...

I have been doing some breath work, but ultimately my heart rests with entheogens.

Another point I should make involves the fact that I don't actually use many of the compounds I research, even DMT and the true psychedelics are a very rare treat, but that's the beauty in these things, you don't need them often, there is lasting impact...

Neuroplasticity is an interesting point of research:

Yes, I have dug into the Sigma-1 receptor aspect in depth as well. I have noted some possible correlation between the recent discovery that sleep states are defined by levels of ionic balance in the brain, and the fact that DMT has been shown in some papers that DMT inhibits voltage gated sodium ion channels.

I agree with your approach, allows for more integration and time to apply lessons in life. This was part of what led me to yoga and meditation too.

Regarding breathwork, I think I had given you some of my experience with breathwork in other threads, but one thing I may not have said is that it will likely help to find a really authentic teacher to lead you through a very long breathwork session. I know how powerful it is but somehow I just never get around to doing long sessions on my own. But when I get led in a 3 hour session, that has been where the real magic has happened.

If we are to believe the Tibetan monk who smoked DMT and said it was as far as you can get in the bardo without actually dying, then there are ways to get your entheogens from within... so far Pranayama has been the closest thing for me and I have barely scratched the surface of it.