Hallucinogens and Shamanism: A Brief Article Bellingham WA

The use of psychoactive drugs was studied in the 1960s by Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert who looked at LSD and psilocybin who studied shamanic teachings and practices around the globe. These shamanic traditions involve non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by a variety of methods including ingesting hallucinogenic plants, but also drumming, fasting, wilderness vision questing, use of sweat lodges and others.

Sea Mar Visions
(360) 647-4266
1603 East Illinois Street
Bellingham, WA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Detoxification, Halfway house
Types of Care
Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less), Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days)
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Pregnant/postpartum women
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ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired, Spanish

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CCS Recovery Center
(360) 676-2187x105
2806 Douglas Avenue
Bellingham, WA
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Adolescents, Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, Pregnant/postpartum women, Women, DUI/DWI offenders

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Belair Clinic
(360) 676-4485
1130 North State Street
Bellingham, WA
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Substance abuse
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Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
DUI/DWI offenders

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Advanced Choices
(360) 752-3262
2505 Cedarwood Avenue
Bellingham, WA
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Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
DUI/DWI offenders

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Saint Joseph Hospital/ Ferndale Branch
(360) 715-6400
2376 Main Street
Ferndale, WA
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Substance abuse , Detoxification
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
DUI/DWI offenders
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired

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Sea Mar Substance Abuse Program
(360) 734-5458
4455 Cordata Parkway
Bellingham, WA
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Adolescents, Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, DUI/DWI offenders
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired, Spanish

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Saint Josephs Hospital
(360) 715-6400
809 East Chestnut Street
Bellingham, WA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Detoxification
Types of Care
Hospital inpatient, Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, DUI/DWI offenders
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired

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Whatcom Community Detox
(360) 676-2205x5
2030 Division Street
Bellingham, WA
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Detoxification
Types of Care
Outpatient
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired, Spanish

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Westcoast Counseling and Treatment Ctr
(360) 647-7577
1200 Dupont Street
Bellingham, WA
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Pregnant/postpartum women, Women, DUI/DWI offenders
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired

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Nooksack Tribe''s Genesis II
(360) 966-7704
6750 Mission Road
Everson, WA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Detoxification, Halfway house
Types of Care
Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days), Outpatient, Partial hospitalization/day treatment
Special Programs/Groups
Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, Women, Residential beds for clients' children, Men, DUI/DWI offenders

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Hallucinogens and Shamanism: A Brief Article

In the western area, many drugs are highly refined and attempted excessively or habitually, in ways that are addictive and harmful. However, in traditional societies powerful mind-active plants are consumed ritually for therapeutic purposes or for transcending normal, everyday reality. In this article I will look in detail at the ritual use of mind-active drugs for therapeutic mind-expansion as part of shamanic traditions in comparison to the modern abuse of pharmaceutical drugs as part of drug addictions and dependencies.

The use of psychoactive drugs was studied in the 1960s by Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert who looked at LSD and psilocybin who studied shamanic teachings and practices around the globe. These shamanic traditions involve non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by a variety of methods including ingesting hallucinogenic plants, but also drumming, fasting, wilderness vision questing, use of sweat lodges and others.

Metzner notes that indigenous people have a profound knowledge of plants and herbs and their effects on the body and mind and are well able to distinguish harmful from beneficial medicines. For this reason the vision-inducing plants that have a tradition of shamanic usage are much more likely to be safe, in contrast to newly discovered and synthesized drugs, the use of which may often involve unknown long-term risks.

Western psychotherapy and indigenous shamanism use similar psychoactive substances for healing and obtaining knowledge (call...

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