Episode 144 - Why The Best Treatment for PTSD May Be An Illegal Drug

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Psychedelics, maaaaan! Gateway to the inside of your miiiiiiiind! Enemy of the maaaaan, maaaaan! Also, a thing that's been around for so long in human history, we don't even have an accurate date for when our ancestors started doing them. They've just been, for all we know, a common way to explore, escape and seek spiritual oneness for hundreds of thousands of years.

 

Some great stuff has been conceived of while on psychedelics: while on LSD, Francis Crick conceived of the double-helix shape of DNA, Steve Jobs cites LSD as one of the major influences of his life's work, and some biblical scholars think the Bible may have been written with the aid of some magic mushrooms. So why does the government hate the stuff? Especially as more research is coming out that says that psilocybin (the active ingredient in mushrooms) does wonders for the terminally ill and MDMA may be the key to curing PTSD.

 

On this week's podcast Jack O'Brien enlists the help of comic Shane Mauss and Cracked editor Robert Evans to find out. First Jack and Shane examine some of the medicinal effects of psychedelics, from mushrooms to DMT to MDMA, and talk about how America's war on drugs is prohibiting important research into these areas. Later, Robert Evans calls in to discuss how some ancient cultures got high and how an individual's reaction to drugs may not be chemical, but cultural.

 

Also, make sure to come see our THREE live shows this October!

 

First, at 9pm on Thursday, October 6th at the UCB Sunset Inner Sanctum, Jack O'Brien and Daniel O'Brien take a behind-the-scenes look at America's most under-appreciated profession: teachers. Along with the cast of TruTV's 'Those Who Can't' and some real-life teachers who would like to remain anonymous, they'll take a look at the secret and alcohol-fueled lives of the people who we entrust to mold the minds of our nation's youth. Tickets are FREE, but it's first come, first serve, so make sure to arrive early. More info is available here: https://goo.gl/XcGndb

 

Next, at 7pm on Saturday, October 8th at the UCB Sunset Theatre, Jack O'Brien and Nick Mundy co-host a sequel to last year's Halloween episode. Cracked's Tom Reimann and comedians Eric Lampaert, Anna Seregina and Ryan Singer guest to share more real-life stories of death, disappearance and potentially the great beyond. Tickets are $5 and available here: https://goo.gl/wTyocv

 

Finally, you can see us on Saturday, October 29th at the Now Hear This podcast festival in Anaheim, California. We're on an amazing lineup with other podcasts like WTF with Marc Maron, Doug Loves Movies, I Was There Too and Superego. Use promo code CRACKED to get 25% off 3-day GA passes. Tickets and information available here: https://goo.gl/R8gzMX

 

Footnotes:

 

Shane's Website: https://goo.gl/QvIFeB

 

Shane's Podcast, 'Here We Are': https://goo.gl/S4FgA5

 

Robert's Book, 'A Brief History of Vice': https://goo.gl/LcVmEv

 

Business Insider: Yes, Bayer Promoted Heroin for Children: https://goo.gl/z4LC0K

 

Scholarly Article: The Five-Factor Theory of Personality: https://goo.gl/MiUTBo

 

The Big Five Personality Test: https://goo.gl/13RfI0

 

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS): MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy: https://goo.gl/T71TtO

 

MAPS: Ego Death & Psychedelics: https://goo.gl/QlJb8L

 

Kids Take the Marshmallow Test: https://goo.gl/HR1uK1

 

Natural History: Epigenetics and the Dutch Hunger Winter: https://goo.gl/ywxsto

 

The New Yorker: The Trip Treatment: https://goo.gl/aLu7bR

 

Sebastian Junger, 'Tribe': https://goo.gl/W8bVWY

 

Cracked: 4 Awful Ways Our Ancestors Got High: https://goo.gl/2anEd8