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The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - Shehan Karunatilaka

Norton 388 pages Occasionally I read a novel that I want to bring to the attention of other readers who might also want to read it. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka is one of these, in part because it is unusual to read a book about brutality and death that is as full of life and humour as this one. It is a work of literary genius. I first heard of the The Seven Moons…

#Fernando Aramburu #Homeland #Madeleine Thien #Patria #Robert Musil #Shehan Karunatilaka #Shivantha Wijesinha #Sri Lanka #The Book of Records #The Man Without Qualities #The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (10)

Why You Might Want to Read Pollan’s Book Before You Dose. A Rather-Long Book Review. How to change your mind: What the new science of psychedelics teaches us about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression, and transcendence, by Michael Pollan (Penguin Press, May, 2018. Also available on Audible) Anyone who has read Michael Pollan’s writing knows that he not only brings an inimitable…

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#Book review #How to Change Your Mind #Michael Pollan #psilocybin #psychedelics

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (9)

Sobbing at the Symphony, an Amazing Film, and Other Trip Preparations As the date of my first (only?) psilocybin dose moves closer, I find myself suspended between the relative certainty of what is happening now and the mystery of what will happen afterwards. This feeling of suspension (or should I say “suspense”?) is no doubt attributable in part to the aura of unreality that accompanies…

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#antidepressant withdrawal #Fantastic Fungi film #Mendelssohn Choir #Michael Pollan #Ode to Joy #psilocybin #psilocybin research study #psychedelics #SSRI withdrawal #Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (8)

An Update: Antidepressant Withdrawal, Brain Zaps and Other Pre-Tripping Diversions When I was pregnant forty years or so ago, it seemed like the whole world was pregnant. Everywhere I looked there were baby bulges forcing apart the front openings of winter coats and women displaying the latest “maternity smock fashion.” I don’t notice pregnant women so much any more but these days, the same…

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#antidepressant withdrawal #brain zaps #Cymbalta #duloxetine #ketamine #MDMA #psilocybin #psychedelics #SNRI #tapering antidepressants #William Brewer

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (7)

I've now got the date for my psilocybin dose!

It’s Getting Real, and I’m Getting Nervous. I have been given a date for my first dosing of psilocybin! This news produced in me a curious blend of excitement and nervousness that continues whenever the issue pops into my head. (If you’re just tuning in, you can get the background on my upcoming adventure by reading the first post in this series.) I am disinclined to share the actual date of…

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#antidepressant tapering #dosing #psilocybin #psychedelics #resources #tapering

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (6)

The Meditation Connection A note to new readers: I have recently applied to be included in a Health-Canada-approved study into the use of psilocybin in the management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). I have survived the first few stages of the screening process and I hope to join the study in a couple of months. I will share the experience with interested readers here. In the meantime,…

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#consciousness #meditation #mindfulness #Sam Harris #Waking Up

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (5)

A Brief Aside about Microdosing A note to new readers: I have recently applied to be included in a Health-Canada-approved study into the use of psilocybin in the management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). I have survived the first few stages of the screening process and I hope to join the study in a couple of months. I will share the experience with interested readers here. In the…

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#Aldous Huxley #Ayelet Waldman #Brave New World #LSD #microdosing #psilocybin #psychedelics #Tim Ferriss

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (4)

A note to new readers: I have recently applied to be included in a Health-Canada-approved study into the use of psilocybin in the management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). I have survived the first few stages of the screening process and I hope to be admitted to the study. If I am, I intend to share the experience with interested readers here. In the meantime, how I got to this point is…

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Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (3)

A note to new readers: I have recently applied to be included in a Health-Canada-approved study into the use of psilocybin in the management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). I have survived the first few stages of the screening process and I really hope to be admitted to the study. How I got to this point will be the subject of this series of blog posts. By the time I’ve written a few of…

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#addictions #depression #ketamine #ketamine drawbacks #psilocybin #psychedelics #PTSD #Special K

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (2)

A note to new readers: I have recently applied to be included in a Health-Canada-approved study into the use of psilocybin in the management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). I have survived the first few stages of the screening process and I really hope to be admitted to the study. How I got to this point will be the subject of this series of blog posts. By the time I’ve written those, I…

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#Dan Harris #depression #Joseph Goldstein #Making Sense #meditation #Michael Pollan #psilocybin #psychedelics #Sam Harris #Tim Ferriss #Waking Up

Mary and the Mushroom: Psilocybin, Chronic Depression and Me (1)

I have recently applied to be included in a Health Canada funded study into the use of psilocybin in the management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). I have survived the first few stages of the screening process and I really hope to be admitted to the study. How I got to this point (including my decision against trying ketamine instead of psilocybin) will be the subject of my next few…

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#depression #ketamine #magic mushrooms #psilocybin

My First Sleep Test, Part 2: Thoughts on Sleep Apnea and Other Stuff

I’ve learned a bunch of things from the responses I received when I posted about my first experience with a sleep test.

First, I learned that I should have explained what a sleep test is — not everyone knew. A “polysomnography” or sleep study is primarily intended to determine whether or not the subject has sleep apnea. “Obstructive sleep apnea” occurs when your throat muscles relax when you…

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#APAP #BPAP #continuous positive airway pressure machine #CPAP #dementia #obstructive sleep apnea #Phyllis Diller #polysomnography #sleep apnea #sleep study #sleep test

My First Sleep Test: Hope It's my Last

My First Sleep Test: Hope It’s my Last

I’m sure a lot of readers have had sleep tests. I am far more sympathetic to you today than I was yesterday. I don’t know how long it will be before I get the results, but I hope I never need another “polysomnography” again.

I got to the hospital at 8 p.m. last night and checked in to the sleep lab. They attached wires everywhere, including to a fingertip, my neck, my legs, my chest, below my…

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#polysomnography #sleep apnea #sleep test

Thanks, but...

Thanks, but…

I think I’ll have to bail

I really do mean the “Thanks” part. I’m grateful to everyone who sent me messages of support. I wouldn’t have covered nearly as much ground as I had if you hadn’t been cheering me on. Also thanks to you, if intentions had been actions, I’d have covered a lot more territory.

But with two weeks ahead of me before my foot surgery, and a week of swimming and canoeing…

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#bailing #grateful

Slog Slog Slog

Week Two, Day Seven

Just a quick update tonight because we are out of town on a mini-holiday and it’s hard to focus on writing a blog post when you’re sitting on your hotel balcony looking out at a Muskoka Lake. Maybe by tomorrow I’ll have grown used to the change of scenery but after four months (!) of being mostly at home, it is a sweet break.

During Week Two (which ends today), running…

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#Muskoka #week 2

The First Week Is the Hardest, Baby. (Or maybe not.)

Week 2, Day 1

As Week 2 began, I was hoping that I would be able to announce how much easier the second week was than the first. The start was promising: it was a loteasier getting up early than it was last Monday. In fact, I set my alarm for eight (since it was a holiday and all) but I woke up at 7, so I got up. In spite of that, it was almost noon before I prodded myself out the door for my…

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#dementia and exercise #health benefits of exercise #running #week 2

Week One, Day Four

Run a Day, Walk a Day

My goal at the outset of this new regimen is to get out there every other day for a total of three runs a week. I have read that muscles need an opportunity to recover, and for that reason running every day is not recommended. (Those who offer such advice are probably talking to people who run five k in half an hour, which isn’t me. But I figure I might as well keep the…

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#exercise #running #Running Music #walking

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