💧 The Shipibo healers fighting against exploitation

Happy Thursday, Friends! Thank you for Dropping In with us. We’re wading into the deep waters of spooky season, that special time of year when the veil between the spirit and human worlds grows thin. We hope you’re soaking up the rich auburn magic of the season.

Today’s featured story is an interview with Walter Ramiro López, a Shipibo-Conibo ayahuasca healer, who gave us the 4-1-1 on a lot of deeply illuminating info about the extinction of Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis (the plants that make the ayahuasca brew), psychedelic pharmaceutical companies extracting from the forest, why being called a “shaman” is offensive, and 11 ways he’s asking Westerners to show up as allies to help the Shipibo-Conibo people of Peru. It’s rare that an interview is so interesting that we publish it in full, but this one really exceeded expectations. You can find it below!

If you keep scrolling, you’ll find stories on why real pumpkin spice will make you TRIP, what a Datura journey is like (the TLDR: it’s harrowing), and why the “psychedelic renaissance” is a product of late-stage capitalism.

If you’re not doing anything on Sunday, we’re hosting a Mushrooms + Dia de los Muertos workshop focused on the relationship between death, psychedelics, and the ancestral realm. You don’t want to miss this conversation between Monica Cadena, Xochitl Ashe, and Darren le Barron. You can find out more here.

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Mary Carreón
Senior Editor

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Did you know getting off antidepressants is one of the top 3 reasons people start microdosing? 

With all the anecdotes, success stories, and compelling studies, many are hopeful and excited to finally see a realistic path out of perpetual medication. The problem is that sometimes people have been on pharmaceuticals for years, if not decades. Most are completely unprepared for the shockingly difficult effects of withdrawal. 

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Our Latest

A bad psychedelic trip can shake you to your core. A new study suggests there’s more to these experiences than just a head trip, with a psychological impact that can last years. Read the full story here.

Mainstream EDM festivals are the McDonalds of the electronic music world: broadly popular, highly commercialized, and not terribly nourishing. But the Real McCoy is still alive and well in The Underground Rave Scene. An experience centered around love, respect, and the ecstatic experience of losing (and rediscovering) yourself on the dance floor, a great rave is food for body and soul. Here’s how to find them.

In the chaos of our lives, we all could use a little guidance from time to time. Tarot offers a mirror for your own mind and can bring clarity to murky decisions. Curious? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Reading Tarot.

& More Must-Reads

• Pumpkin Spice is assaulting our taste buds at every turn. Pumpkin-spiced products now include vodka, deodorant, dog treats, spam, brooms, toilet paper, and, yes, even sex lube. But one of the core ingredients in Pumpkin Spice is actually a potent psychoactive plant. Check out these recipes for a psychoactive Pumpkin Spice experience.

• You’ve probably heard the term “conscious capitalism” before. From Whole Foods to Tom’s Shoes, it’s a growing movement to shift capitalism to more “sustainable” approaches to the global economic system. But does it actually change anything? Or is it just a re-brand of the existing paradigm? Read this thought-provoking piece by Alnoor Ladha.

• Sometimes the psychedelic world’s emphasis on trauma, healing, and mystical states of oneness can all feel a bit heavy. It makes you wonder… are we all taking life a bit too seriously? Are we missing the punchline? Explore laughter as a gateway to transcendence in this article:  The Great Cosmic Joke—Are You In On It?
  
  

Join Us

Mushrooms, Death, and Día de Los Muertos

Mushrooms literally feed on death. They transform decaying matter into new life. So it’s no surprise they have a powerful connection to the Mexican celebration of The Dead––Día de Los Muertos. 

Join us on October 27 for a workshop on death, the ancestral realm, and mushrooms. Monica Cadena will be joined by Xochitl Ashe and Darren le Barron, two devoted experts, and stewards of the mushrooms. 

This workshop is exclusive for DoubleBlind+ members. 

Get your free DB+ trial and join the workshop here

Learn with Us

🗣️ Ready to have “the conversation” with your mom? Here’s how to talk to your loved ones about psychedelics

👁️ You don’t need psychedelics to trip. Check out these 5 ways to tap into non-ordinary states of consciousness without the drugs

🌸 Meet the plant that produces one of the most powerful and controversial botanical compounds. Discover the wild, ultra-psychedelic world of “the scariest flower in the world”

DoubleBlind Digs

Here are today’s recommendations to help you live more psychedelically… 

1. These adaptogenic mushroom and CBD gummies from Plant People are THE BEST. There’s ones for stress, focus, sleep, immune health, and more. Get yours here.*

2. There is a world of difference between the industrial cacao you get at the supermarket and this 100% pure ceremonial-grade cacao. Experience the smooth, chocolatey, energizing goodness of Keith’s Cacao for yourself.*
   

3. Prepping for a psychedelic ceremony? Check out Shaman’s Market. Everything is fair and ethically traded and directly supports Indigenous populations. From sage and palo santo to drums, clothes, and tinctures, you’ll find everything you need here.*

*We may make a commission from purchases made through these links, but we only feature brands and organizations we trust. Proceeds help us keep our psychedelic journalism alive.

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Get Support For Tapering Off Antidepressants

Getting off antidepressants is more challenging than most people realize: mood swings, suicidal ideation, inability to focus, and worse. But with the right support, it doesn’t have to be so hard. 

If you or someone you know wants to get off antidepressants, go to Outro. They help people safely taper off antidepressants. Use the code DOUBLEBLIND to save $50 off your assessment.

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Watch Now

How to 30X Your Mushroom Harvest From Spore Syringes

If you want to massively expand the amount of mushrooms you can grow from a single spore syringe, check out our latest video collab with North Spore here.