-Part 1: background. This paper should address the background surrounding research into psychedelics in a treatment setting along with how related factors influenced changes in legislation (e.g. treatment of other disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Different psychedelics investigated in such research. How political climate, along with unethical research practices, may have contributed to changes in law enforcement surrounding the drug. Worth mentioning demonisation in the media, based on truth and lies, and how it’s thwarted further potentially beneficial research into something with possibly great potential for healthcare). Finally, why is research important despite fears of psychedelic abuse? Possibly worth eluding towards an assessment of pros and cons of further research.
-Part 2: Mechanism of psilocybin Talk about the physiological mechanisms explaining how and why the chemical (psilocybin) does what it does. Hopefully, this will lead into some form of explanation for why this is relevant to the neurological mechanisms behind addiction. Think about differences between chemical addiction and habitual addiction (addiction vs drug dependence?). Think about mechanisms surrounding the development of addiction, maintenance of addiction, and withdrawal making breaking addictions difficult. –Psilocybin as a serotonergic agonist, role of serotonin, etc –mindfulness aspect? Link to mindfulness research in addiction treatment –Improved learning via neurogenesis/plasticity, reference cognitive strategies like CBT and how coupled with this neural plasticity may improve rate and ease of cognitive adoption of positive thought strategies, stuff like that (maybe more relevant in another section?) Research into BOLD responses, etc.
-Part 3: Mechanisms of addiction Talk about mechanisms of addiction here maybe, then link back to insights on the mechanisms of psilocybin and how they interact beneficially? Not sure but sounds like a good idea maybe. Good to talk about biological stuff in the brain, but referencing more abstract behavioural findings like mindfulness and stuff like that probably an important thing to consider (say, if magic mushrooms are only beneficial to people because they feel as if the situation they’re in is a lot more important because of the astonishing and spiritual feeling headspace, can talk about the benefits of spirituality in treating addiction based less on a biological action but more of a thinking about the problem and feeling as if they have power over it angle, maybe reference self-efficacy and stuff like that. Alcoholics anonymous 12 step program is a good starting point for talking about spirituality).
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