Increased amygdala responses after psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression
I can vouch for the antidepressant properties of psilocybin, as well as it's nearly miraculous efficacy at stopping cluster headaches.<p>If any of you are unaware of cluster headaches, they are also called suicide headaches, because the pain is so great that many people just kill themselves. The pain level has few peers, it's been compared to amputation without anaesthetic. For me, the bulk of the sensation is of one of my eyes being crushed while a hot poker is run through it. The cluster part comes from the fact that they occur in clusters that can last weeks, months, or years.<p>It is debilitating to know that at any moment you could suddenly, and with very little warning, start experiencing the worst pain of your life. I had panic attacks at the first hint of symptoms.<p>During my last cluster I took mushrooms, and it completely eradicated them. The literature I read said it could stop them for a year, but it's been almost 4 years now and I'm still clear of them. I'd prefer to dose again for peace of mind, but mushrooms are illegal and hard to find.<p>It was also very nice for my depression, I had an elevated mood for several months.<p>I wish it was legal, it scares me a lot less than the actual antidepressant medications, and it's the only effective treatment for preventing cluster headaches.