Hallucinogens and Shamanism: A Brief Article Pittsfield 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.

Berkshire Medical Center/Hillcrest
(413) 442-1400x9137
165 Tor Court
Pittsfield, MA
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(413) 442-1400
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Substance abuse , Detoxification, Halfway house, Buprenorphine Services
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Hospital inpatient, Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less)
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Clinton Hospital
(978) 368-3732
201 Highland Street
Clinton, MA
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Roxbury Comp Comm Health Center Inc
(617) 442-7400x430
435 Warren Street
Roxbury, MA
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Gandara Residential Services For Woman
(413) 540-9881
507 Appleton Street
Holyoke, MA
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Substance abuse , Halfway house
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Gandara Center Inc
(413) 781-2234x104
33 Arch Street
Springfield, MA
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Brien Center
(413) 499-0412
333 East Street
Pittsfield, MA
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(413) 499-0412
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Arbour Counseling Services
(781) 932-8792x312
500 West Cummings Park
Woburn, MA
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(781) 932-0114
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Substance abuse , Detoxification, Buprenorphine Services
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Outpatient, Partial hospitalization/day treatment
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Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders
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Bay Cove Human Services
(617) 479-9320
Long Island Health Campus
Quincy, MA
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Detoxification, Methadone Detoxification
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Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less)
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Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, Persons with HIV/AIDS
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ASL or other assistance for hearing impaired, French, Spanish

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Victory Programs Inc
(617) 522-2936
170 Morton Street
Jamaica Plain, MA
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Substance abuse
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Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less)
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Persons with HIV/AIDS
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Portugese, Spanish

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Tecumseh House
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107 Fisher Avenue
Roxbury, MA
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Substance abuse
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Outpatient

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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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