Hallucinogens and Shamanism: A Brief Article Cullman AL

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.

Lighthouse Inc
(256) 739-2777
925 Convent Road NE
Cullman, AL
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days)

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Cullman County Treatment Center
(256) 739-5595
1912 Commerce Street NW
Cullman, AL
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Methadone Maintenance
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Pregnant/postpartum women, Women

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Aletheia House
(205) 595-1114
4246 5th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days), Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Persons with HIV/AIDS, Pregnant/postpartum women, Women, Residential beds for clients' children, Criminal justice clients
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired

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Chemical Addictions Program Inc (CAP)
(334) 290-3800
35 Wysteria Place
Millbrook, AL
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient

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Bradford Health Services
(800) 873-2887
386 Saint Lukes Drive
Montgomery, AL
Hotline
(334) 244-0702
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient, Partial hospitalization/day treatment
Special Programs/Groups
Adolescents

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Bridge Inc
(256) 775-8301
402 Arnold Street NE
Cullman, AL
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Adolescents

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Bridge Inc
(256) 845-7767
100 7th Street NE
Fort Payne, AL
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired

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Central Alabama Veterans
(334) 727-0550
2400 Hospital Road
Tuskegee, AL
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Detoxification
Types of Care
Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less), Outpatient, Partial hospitalization/day treatment
Special Programs/Groups
Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, Persons with HIV/AIDS, Women

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Aletheia House
(205) 324-6502
201 Finley Avenue West
Birmingham, AL
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Criminal justice clients

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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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