From the Director’s Desk: Forecasting the Future of Mental Health – The Potential Path Forward with Plant Medicine and Psychedelics

My Fellow (and Future) Nobodies,

2024 heralds not just a new year but also a pivotal moment in emerging treatments of mental health disorders. As most of you are well aware, mental health rates have skyrocketed over the last few decades, with as many as 1 in 5 people in the U.S. currently suffering from a mental health disorder.?

Even more frustrating is the fact that traditional therapies for depression, like SSRIs, carry significant risks and side effects along with their potential benefits. And while over one-third of individuals with treatment-resistant depression may experience remission, the remainder still grapple with lingering symptoms.

The realm of plant medicine and psychedelics, long revered for its touted healing capabilities, is now breaking through the barriers of traditional mental health treatment protocols, offering new hope and revolutionary approaches to healing.

This isn’t sci-fi or black magic. The use of plant medicines dates back thousands of years, way before today’s modern medicine approaches and techniques were developed. But even though they’ve been around far longer, we’re just beginning to scratch the surface of how and why they work.?

Fortunately, times are changing.?

The F.D.A. has recently granted specific psychedelics breakthrough research status for their high potential and early promises in treating some of the most complex mental health disorders.

Breakthrough F.D.A. Designations – Fast Tracking Nature’s Plant-Medicine Remedies and Healing Properties

In an unprecedented move back in 2018, regulatory bodies like the F.D.A. approved “breakthrough therapy” designations to plant-based medicines like psilocybin and non-traditional psychedelics like MDMA and Ketamine, acknowledging their potential to significantly improve treatment outcomes for specific mental health disorders like major depressive disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and treatment-resistant depression, respectively.?

This change in regulatory tone has opened the doors for both private and public funding of plant medicines to investigate the treatment of an array of mental health disorders, some of which haven’t had adequate treatment alternatives for decades.?

From the outset, it seems contradictory that we would be exploring plant medicines and psychedelics as treatments for substance abuse disorders and addiction, as the war on drugs has been an aggressive campaign against all drugs except those federally legalized and socially accepted, like alcohol and caffeine.?

However, the research is promising in this field, showing notable changes in functional brain changes, personality shifts, and people’s unhealthy addictive habits.?

Even more exciting is the discovery that in many of these situations, simply administering one dose or participating in a single clinical psychedelic-assisted therapy session could alleviate years of symptoms and leave patients in a vastly improved state of mind for months and even years.?

This recognition is not just a win for alternative medicine; It’s a transformative step towards integrating these ancient remedies into mainstream mental health care, offering faster paths to approval and clinical use for those suffering for far too long.?

But we must take note that there is no single silver bullet in healing or medicine, and just like traditional forms of care, plant medicines and psychedelics can also have potential side effects.?

To educate the masses about these potential medicines, we must tell the entire story about the benefits and the potential risks. It’s about harm reduction and finding ways to optimize clinical outcomes.?

They’re not mutually exclusive.?

These reasons are why one of the first companies we chose to build at Nobody Studios is Webdelics, the #1 Psychedelic Platform in the World.??

Webdelics – The #1 Psychedelic Platform in the World

It has been estimated that as of 2020, medical knowledge doubles every 73 days, making it nearly impossible to keep up with the latest publications and research.?

More importantly, the average person needs help understanding the medical jargon published in these research papers. Sadly, this makes it nearly impossible to comprehend the scientific breakthroughs published in the plant medicine space.?

And herein lies the reason why we’ve created Webdelics.?

Webdelics was created to break down these barriers and educate the masses about this quickly evolving area of interest. And while we’re still very early in this journey, we’ve seen some significant shifts in the public’s view of plant medicines and psychedelics as a whole.?

According to a 2022 Verywell Mind survey, nearly 50% of Americans support the legalization of psychedelics for mental health use. And 1 in 3 people stated that they would be open to psychedelic-assisted treatment if prescribed to them by a doctor or once granted approval by the F.D.A.?

What’s even more convincing is that research by Roland Griffiths found that a high percentage of individuals who have undergone psychedelic experiences report them as being among the most significant and spiritually profound moments in their lives.?

Why? Let’s take a look at the literature.?

• A study performed at Johns Hopkins Medicine in 2022 found that psilocybin treatment for major depression could be effective for up to a year in most of the patients studied. This research highlights the therapeutic potential of psilocybin, administered with supportive psychotherapy in a clinical setting, to offer significant and lasting improvements in depression symptoms.
• Research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry highlighted ayahuasca’s potential in treating depression and PTSD, noting its ability to alter consciousness and promote profound psychological insights and emotional processing, even after six months following a controlled setting in a supervised ceremony.?
• A groundbreaking study in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse found that ibogaine, derived from the African iboga shrub, showed significant efficacy in treating opioid addiction, reducing withdrawal symptoms, and lowering relapse rates. These findings held true 12 months after the initial administration of ibogaine.
• There’s also evidence that a long-used dissociative anesthetic, Ketamine, has therapeutic properties in acutely treating treatment-resistant depression symptoms. We’re seeing clinics all over the U.S. providing these treatments for patients.?

It’s easy to see why these medicines are having such a significant impact on people’s perceptions and quality of life.?

It’s also why we believe that building WebDelics is the key to helping people worldwide make educated decisions about the space to potentially overcome their mental health issues with non-traditional therapies.?

When used appropriately, we believe plant medicine and psychedelics could make the world a healthier and happier place.?

Webdelics is Nobody Studio’s Commitment to Plant Medicine and Treating Mental Health Disorders

As you’ve seen, at Nobody Studios, we’re not just observers of this emerging evolution; We’re active participants in forging this path toward innovation.?

Webdelics was one of the first Newco’s to be built by the studio and has been quickly gaining traction over a short period of time.?

One of the most exciting moves we’ve made recently is bringing in a highly experienced C.E.O., Jennifer Pereira! Jennifer has an extensive background in private equity, is a serial entrepreneur, and has been featured in Forbes for her conscious approach to building technology through shifting culture and providing ethically emerging solutions.?

As C.E.O. of Webdelics, she’s on a mission to build the #1 decentralized psychedelics platform advancing health and human potential. And we couldn’t be more excited to have her join us!?

Jennifer has already made her mark on this quickly scaling company, and we are 6-8 weeks away from a complete rebranding of our website, content, and overall marketing strategy.?

The groundwork for this growth was laid by our highly talented Idea Sorceress Chiara Burns, one of the original thought leaders behind our plan of creating SEO-optimized content to help educate the masses. That strategy set us up for success, as our content is now organically ranking on Google’s 1st and 2nd pages.?

Luckily for us, these ideas quickly turned into reality when we attracted Leigh Bergin, our Editor-In-Chief and resident psychedelic expert, who has more knowledge about this space than anyone else we’ve ever encountered in both academia and industry. And by having a world-class podcast host and loving personality like Scott Mason, we’ve already topped the charts, listed in the Top 5% of podcasts globally.?

Cap that off with bringing in the bright minds of Steve Elfrink, a psychedelic somatic interactional therapist and marketing expert who brought Lasik surgery to the world, Karl Schlegel, a brilliant business strategist and thought leader, and Mike Mumola, an innovative visionary and master networker currently building out a web of relationships globally; it’s easy to see that we’re building a team of A-list talent. On top of that, we also have a world-class advisory board full of Ph.D. researchers, industry experts, leaders in the non-profit sector, and individuals who are supporting veterans in finding much needed relief for their unanswered mental and physical health issues.?

As you can tell, this team is quickly preparing itself for explosive growth in 2024!?

At Webdelics, The Future’s So Bright, We Gotta Wear Shades – We’re Also Looking for Sponsors!

As we embark on this journey, our commitment to pioneering the integration of plant medicine and psychedelics into mental health treatment is at the core of what we’re building at Webdelics.?

We believe in the power of these natural remedies, backed by scientific research and the emerging understanding of neuroscience, to help transform the lives of those suffering from mental health disorders.

As a result of our progress, we’re actively pursuing paid sponsorships for our website, podcast, and content to increase our revenue and build our team.

We’re specifically looking for personal connections to retreat centers, clinics, and companies in the psychedelic space that are aligned with our ethics and values and focus on educating the masses about this quickly emerging industry.?

So, if you’re interested in supporting our efforts at Webdelics, follow our podcast, share our content on social media, and spread the word!?

And if you think what we’re doing at Webdelics is exciting, wait until you see what we have cooking in the Health and Wellness Idea Lab at Nobody Studios.?

These next few months are going to be full of a lot of exciting updates to share!?

Health is Wealth!

P.S. We’d love to hear how plant medicine and psychedelics have impacted your mental health journey. Webdelics is collecting people’s stories about plant medicine, and we would love to hear from you.?

Here’s the link for you to submit your experience:?

https://www.webdelics.com/share-your-psychedelic-story

P.P.S.Follow Nobody Studios on LinkedIn and visit our website for the latest studio updates. Your next step towards a healthier life is just a click away!

Health is Personal. Health is Wealth. Health is YOU.