"So you want to be a psychedelic researcher?"

Found this article:

http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/research/research_psychedelic_article1.pdf

It's from 2006 and is a compilation from many of the pioneers in the field of (sanctioned) psychedelic research with a lot of tips and pointers for people who are interested in making a career out of researching psychedelics.

Doubt this will get many hits, but for those of you who are interested; enjoy!

 

i hit it

gotta say, it wasn't all that helpful.
but it was a nice effort

 

Tis not an easy field to break into, I suspect thats why... there's no real "golden nugget" of advice to be given in this area, only a few blurry pointers and the general suggestion to "make as many friends as possible," as connections seem to be the ultimate determining factor in whether or not one will have any success in entering this field.

But yeah I would agree.

The parts I found most useful were the lists of conferences/seminars on psychedelics and the list of recommended books, magazines and online articles to read...

 

that's pretty true of science in general.

i'm stressing about what to do next, when i get my PhD in about a year.
i've thought about trying to get a job in a lab that works on some aspect of serotonin. my graduate work doesn't relate very well though.

 

I read it, there were a fair amount of credited workshops for the Psychedelic Science Conference that was held recently in San Francisco. If I were to go back to school for a Masters it might be something I'd be interested in.

The article was kind of interesting however I feel these articles shoot themselves in the foot opening with the Timothy Leary rant, this is the second Psychedelic science article I've seen like that.

 

That's awesome man. You're so close I bet you can taste it... don't stress too badly, all your hard work is about to pay off in one way or another, sooner or later.

I'd really like to do research into some of the more obscure areas of psychedelia... for instance, the possible telepathy like phenomenon which can occur between two people in close proximity who are both under the influence of Ayuhuasca. Or perhaps something like the influence of psychedelics on art and the creative process, or maybe something like the recent psilocybin study from John Hopkins University in which they administered doses of psilocybin to terminally ill patients who were have anxiety/angst about death and dying. This stuff to me is a bit more fascinating than the more standard research into the pharmacodynamics of psychedelic compounds, however I would like to have a basic understanding of those processes as well just to have a more complete understanding of this thing.

I don't know if you guys have seen it yet, but here's a couple cool video testimonials from the volunteers in the recent John Hopkins psilocybin study with cancer patients:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kaXJbNXsqmQ

http://vimeo.com/49122729


The first one is especially interesting because the patient being interviewed is actually a doctor himself, which obviously lends a great deal of credibility and influence to what he is saying... and what he is saying is pretty powerful and awesome to hear, especially coming from a doctor.

I'm curious to know what size dose they gave these people... also interesting was that in the second video, the psilocybin prescription bottle stated that it was combined with Niacin. Anyone know why they might do this?


(I don't know why the videos aren't embedding)

 

1) It isn't really that obscure.

2) It is pseudo-science.
Though some observational experiments could be made. You can do them right now with your friends if you put some thought into that.

What do you want to research here and what is the point of it?

It would be like "the influence of forests on art and the creative process"

new stimulus = new ideas

This can be good, but also very dangerous.

Yet "standard" is more usefull.

Basic is not enough.


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I don't think you could use psychedelics as a single-time medicine applied for everyone having similar conditions. Imo you have to spend some time learning what they are and how they affect you. (both theory and practice).

They work differently for eveyone and imho with some practice individual can learn to get something out of a trip.

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After watching "The substance", I should add that I was saying this part in relation to taking psychedelics individually, alone. Without proper therapist.

 

You can estimate the dosage based on their describtion of experience.

http://www.lycaeum.org/mv/mu/LSD_niacin.html

 

I was just sort of thinking out loud.

I hear what you're saying though.

Though I must say I don't understand the snide, abrasive tongue-in-cheek attitude from the get-go...