(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
The streaming service Altibox X has fully financed the new documentary series Vega Cinema in Oslo – in collaboration with Oslo Documentary Cinema – I take it upon myself to look for the cliché image of someone who has endured countless raves, preferably a thin cheerful type with dreadlocks and the Burning Man-style desert festival. I'm a little surprised by the healthy man with the groomed hipster beard and the otherwise folksy appearance who stands in front of the screen and welcomes us along for the ride. Pål, yes, that we call him by his first name suits his open and jovial demeanor.
Since 2017, he has wanted to dive into psychedelic experiences and change himself with a camera in tow. Own ground-breaking experiences with strong substances such as ayahuasca and wild mushrooms will be shared with the 550 Norwegian homes that have an Altibox X subscription. The series will surely shake the stigma attached to people's perception of who tests out psychedelics, and why. Pål is already poking at my perception, and I notice an ambivalence.
Ayahuasca ceremonies
It is not the breadth of the thematization of psychedelics which raises questions. Pål is a skilled researcher and includes a large type gallery of professionals and others who provide a good introduction to history, medical and recreational use. Possibly the interviewees' oppositions are tamed too strongly, perhaps so as not to deter the regular TV watcher. Drug debateone is characterized by strong emotions and steep fronts. Pal knows this well and acts accordingly. Raust stands up personally and gives the way forward a safe face and perspective. We closely follow his inward journey, hanging on to Amsterdam and 'magic mushroom' retreats and to the Amazon and ayahuasca ceremonies. Informative and straight to the point, the series takes us around. But still, something is jarring.
Pål is a skilled researcher and includes a large type gallery of professionals and others who provide a good introduction to history, medical and recreational use.
The producer lies alone, floodlit on a dirt floor in a tent in the Brazilian jungle, while a dedicated minicrew zooms in on his face and tries to capture ayahuasca-trippone on film. Pål regrets not staying with the villagers. The happy exclamations of the indigenous people from the fire dance outside tempt with their warm community and night darkness. His sweat is pouring, anxiety is coming. Pål is very tired after the four-day – for him – far too arduous and bumpy journey up to the arranged fast forward hallucinogenic awakening. As he suffers in close-up, I find myself wishing that the journey for all outsiders who wish to participate in ayahuasca ceremonies and the like could take much longer, so that the understanding of what one is embarking on sinks in. Significantly more of the preparations that the tribal people themselves go through before trip participation could provide better quality assurance. The forced double role as an actor in front of the camera takes Pål diametrically away from the protocol of the ceremony. The drink, he explains, should be consumed in the dark and as part of a collective experience. At the same time, he realizes his own delusion and fortunately rushes out to the others. It is also telling when a ritually integrated use of psychedelics among the indigenous population here becomes an effective and more detached trip tourism – which must also be documented by the camera.
Psychedelics and microdosing
The use of psychedelics has had a renaissance. Many, like Pål, seek an experience that can fill a void, when it comes to both community and spirituality. The Burning Man festival has also had its offshoots in Norway – moved to a new place with forested terrain every year. The participants of the festival we see in the series bring food, drink and psychedelics, camping in cars or tents. Alcoholic drink and the bustle of the city is abandoned. Sharing is more than a naive idea, the practice becomes easier if you belong to a subcultural milieu that is still in the gray area. Personal development via psychedelics and microdosing of fungi spread in different environments. Here it is up to the individual to ensure their safety and decide on suitable intake. A professional 'trip sitter' tells the story Psychonaut about those who want and take the advice to ensure that they have such a controller when they themselves surrender to substances that can take them to unwanted and difficult places.
Many, like Pål, seek an experience that can fill a void, when it comes to both community and spirituality.
Norwegian research communities also closely monitor psychedelic medication. Two professionals are with you while psychedelic medicine is taken. An American acquaintance told me that when he got ketamine against depression, he was only given a button to push and the staff would come running. The dose seemed too strong. He was glad the half-life was so fast, but since the clinic was private, the conversations with psychotherapy were also limited. Equally, a heavy depression that had been triggered by a life crisis was greatly alleviated, he experienced. The greater understanding that arose during the psychedelic medical session helped him through the personal loss and made it easier for him to accept it.
Sykehuset Østfold
MDMA ('methylenedioxymethamphetamine', known as 'ecstasy'), is a psychedelic substance that is currently on the drug list, but is now being investigated for use in psychiatric treatment. The series provides an insight into the research at Sykehuset Østfold, where they are currently carrying out the world's first study with MDMA- assisted therapy against depression.
Tor-Morten Kvam, senior physician and researcher, goes into detail about the ongoing pilot project. The 12 recruits will receive close psychotherapeutic follow-up before, during and after the two 90-minute medical sessions. That is three times before, after and between the two treatments – which need time to work deeply, preferably up to eight hours. While he describes how the psychedelic experience creates a neurological plasticity and security which means that the patient himself uncovers an inherent self-healing ability we all have. The individual works through various relationships and other traumas, but not necessarily in the order one would expect, preferably a little back and forth.
The pattern he describes reminds me of innovative non-linear interactive games I myself have worked with to promote engagement and secure attachment in young people.
International large, controlled studies with –MDMA-assisted therapy against post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shows that two out of three of those who received MDMA got rid of so many symptoms that they no longer qualify for a PTSD diagnosis. Østfold Hospital was also involved in such research studies.
‘War on drugs’
Psychedelics as the 50's miracle cure for mental disorders came to an abrupt halt Nixons 'war on drugs'. The President's tightening of American drug legislation was meant to hit the peace-loving left and the African-American population. The many protests of the Vietnam War had aroused discontent.
Fear propaganda gave the impression of much higher figures than the real ones when it came to substance abuse.
Fear propaganda that gave the impression of much higher figures than the real ones when it came to drug abuse and consumption was very effective in garnering votes. Several American presidents followed suit: Carter and Reagan also received rewards for this policy. The number of citizens who were imprisoned for non-violent drug-related offenses skyrocketed – today they account for the lion's share of imprisonments. At the same time, American convictions have always been skewed: a large seizure of the white rich population's preferred recreational drug cocaine gives the same sentence as a fraction of a pauper's crack. 500 g of one up to approx. 5 grams of the other. The statistics on offenses against income, education and ethnicity speak for themselves. Legalized 'drugs' are the pharmaceutical industry's cynical pursuit of profit and under-communicated addiction and fatal side effects – this has created drug addicts on an alarming scale like the big drug cartels.
Addiction and escalating consequences apply to both illegal and legal substances.
Here at home, the abstinence movement among the workers early on did a lot to improve the quality of life by reducing alcoholism among those with the fewest resources. Now it is the legacy from here that is one front in the drug debate. Ironically, they share their aversion to alcohol with its most ardent advocates cannabis and other substances. Clumsy scare propaganda against, among other things, cannabis has often tempted several young people to actually try this type of drug, but scared the adults with little knowledge. Today's many TV series and films often sensationalize drug use. Both the NRK series Exit and Netflix' Euphoria has, for example, glorified the consumption of drugs, such as cocaine.
See also https://www.ayahuascanorge.no
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The Directorate for Medical Products
Chief physician Sigurd Hortemo at the unit for the correct use of medicines, Directorate for medical products#, lines up on the phone. He supplements the information from the series Psychonaut by drawing a larger overview map. Hortemo says that there is great interest in investigating the potential for medical use of psychedelics, both nationally and in Europe. Innlandet Hospital (Hamar) organized in February this year one conference for several hundred participants, about the use of ketamine against depression. And The The European Medicines Agency# (EMA) recently organized a two-day workshop in Amsterdam where an attempt was made to lay the framework for further development and use.
It is challenging to design good studies, says Hortemo: "One challenge is that it is difficult to blind the use of psychedelics – both the participants and the testers understand who is receiving active medicine. The second challenge lies in the fact that psychedelics are not given alone, but are often combined with conversations both before and after the treatment and support during the trip. Such measures are challenging to standardize."
Hortemo is committed. He highlights the opportunities that open up where you have previously stood with your back against the wall when dealing with patients with severe depression, and where you have not been able to help with approved medicines.
We ask Hortemo to elaborate more:
"One of the theories is that the use of psychedelics in conjunction with psychotherapy can break previously stuck patterns, or help the patient to make contact with experiences that have been repressed," he replies. "Some patients who previously could not be helped have benefited from this experimental treatment."
« ketamine is an approved drug for anesthesia. It is possible for private individuals to use ketamine in the treatment of depression."
"It is good that the potential of the medical use of psychedelics is now being explored. It is probably the case that the 'war on drugs' was a brake block for further medical testing for a long time," says Hortemo.
Sykehuset Innlandet's trial of ketamine now also includes older patients with depression. How does the Directorate react to the fact that several private clinics now also offer ketamine treatment against depression? We ask Hortemo:
"Ketamine is an approved drug for anesthesia. It is possible for private individuals to use ketamine in the treatment of depression. What is crucial is that you have routines that ensure that the patient receives proper examination, treatment and follow-up."
The USA, Canada and Australia have legalized its medical use MDMA. How is it possible that MDMA-assisted therapeutic treatment can be expected to be approved in Norway? we ask, and Hortemo concludes:
“We know that the FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] is considering an application to approve MDMA by PTSD. Whether MDMA is approved in Europe depends on a company being able to present good studies that document efficacy and safety."
Furthermore, Hortemo states that several clinical studies are underway to obtain documented data for the medical effect of various types of psychedelics. He nevertheless warns against a tendency to let enthusiasm run ahead , the prediction results. As with other medicines, we have to wait for large and well-conducted studies that demonstrate efficacy and safety.
