Hallucinogens and Shamanism: A Brief Article North Dartmouth MA

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.

Monarch House
(508) 992-0800
252 County Street
New Bedford, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Halfway house
Types of Care
Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days)
Language Services
Cape Verdean, Creole, Creole, Portuguese, Spanish

Data Provided by:
High Point Treatment Center Inc
(508) 992-1500x27
888 Purchase Street
New Bedford, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient

Data Provided by:
Seven Hills Behavioral Health Inc
(508) 999-3126x223
26-30 32R Gifford Street
New Bedford, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Methadone Maintenance, Methadone Detoxification
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Adolescents, Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, Pregnant/postpartum women, Women, DUI/DWI offenders, Criminal justice clients
Language Services
Portugese, Spanish

Data Provided by:
Reflections Inc
(508) 991-7487
497 Belleville Avenue
New Bedford, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Halfway house
Types of Care
Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less), Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days), Outpatient, Partial hospitalization/day treatment
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired, French, Portugese, Spanish

Data Provided by:
Stanley Street Treatment and Resources
(508) 679-5222x3200
386 Stanley Street
Fall River, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Buprenorphine Services
Types of Care
Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less), Outpatient, Partial hospitalization/day treatment
Special Programs/Groups
Adolescents, Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, Persons with HIV/AIDS, Women, DUI/DWI offenders
Language Services
ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired, Arabic, Portugese, Spanish

Data Provided by:
Community Substance Abuse Centers
(508) 979-1122
10 Kilburn Street
New Bedford, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Detoxification, Methadone Maintenance, Methadone Detoxification
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, Persons with HIV/AIDS, Pregnant/postpartum women
Language Services
Portugese, Spanish

Data Provided by:
Steppingstone Inc
(508) 984-1880
979 Pleasant Street
New Bedford, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Halfway house
Types of Care
Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days)
Special Programs/Groups
Pregnant/postpartum women, Women

Data Provided by:
Harmony House
(508) 992-8948
234 Earle Street
New Bedford, MA
Hotline
(508) 992-7788
Services Provided
Substance abuse , Halfway house
Types of Care
Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less), Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days)
Special Programs/Groups
Criminal justice clients

Data Provided by:
Seven Hills Behavioral Health
(508) 679-0962x223
1402 Pleasant Street
Fall River, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Adolescents, DUI/DWI offenders
Language Services
Portugese, Spanish

Data Provided by:
Family Services Association of
(508) 678-7542
151 Rock Street
Fall River, MA
Services Provided
Substance abuse
Types of Care
Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups
Adolescents, Criminal justice clients
Language Services
Portugese, Spanish

Data Provided by:
Data Provided by:

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...

Click here to read the rest of this article from Sober Recovery


Featured Facilities