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research continues into the effects that psychedelic drugs have on brain cell connectors ... seems promising

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  https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/06/scientists-identify-neural-fingerprint-of-psychedelic-drugs-in-the-brain the published paper ... https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04287-9 Abstract Psychedelic drugs are re-emerging as promising scientific and clinical tools. However, despite a rapidly expanding literature on their therapeutic value, the neural mechanisms underlying psychedelic effects remain unclear. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of acute psychedelic effects, conducted independently by several research groups, have so far yielded fragmented and sometimes inconsistent findings. Here, to help facilitate greater convergence, we conducted a ‘mega-analysis’ integrating 11 independent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets across five psychedelic drugs (psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, mescaline,  N , N -dimethyltryptamine and ayahuasca) from research groups spanning three continents and five countr...
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an unenthusiastic assessment of the effects of cannabis on common mental disorders ...

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/16/cannabis-inot-effective-treatment-for-common-mental-health-conditions-review ... and another discussion of some research into this issue ... https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/marijuana-eating-disorder-sufferers  
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cannabis and anxiety, etc ...

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in my life, i've heard a lot of people claim that cannabis elevated their spiritual awareness and their well-being ... i was sceptical, and became even more so as time slid by and i saw a succession of nice people falling over the edge of the world ... it is becoming increasingly evident that using cannabis won't necessarily free you from your doubts and anxieties ... so please don't ever believe it will offer you some kind of escape ... https://neurosciencenews.com/cannabis-mental-health-anxiety-depression-30199/
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I asked Chat GPT if Pulcinella was a kind of shaman ... i was given a string of useful perspectives

  You said: In historical Italy, was the Pulcinella a kind of shaman ? ChatGPT said: Short answer:  no, Pulcinella was not a shaman  — but he  does  contain elements that can feel “shamanic” in a symbolic or archetypal sense. Who is Pulcinella? Pulcinella is a stock character from the  Commedia dell’Arte , emerging in  16th–17th century Naples . He later evolved into characters like  Punch  (of Punch and Judy) in England. He is typically: A masked figure with a hooked nose Hunchbacked or pot-bellied Cunning, chaotic, crude, and witty Socially ambiguous (sometimes servant, sometimes master) A trickster who bends rules and disrupts order Was he a shaman? Historically speaking:  no evidence suggests Pulcinella functioned as a ritual healer, spirit mediator, or religious figure , which are core traits of shamans. Shamans: Enter trance states Mediate between human and spirit worlds Perform healing or divination Hold sacred or ritual authority...
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