In the 60's psychedelics like acid were used to treat a variety of mental disorders with some success. This research was discontinued when LSD was made illegal in 1966. At this day research is scarce as it takes years to receive approval for these studies from the government. What do you think of the idea of using psychedelics in therapy?
In the 60's these psychedelics, and more recently extasy(mdma) were actualy used by the the therapists themselves, to open them up to the things the patients were saying, and to gain empathy. As for treating the patients, I always found it odd that in some cases- lsd and psilocybin have been proven effective in treating schitsophrenea and depression, while they have also been proven to spark schitsophrenea. Also it is advised that depressed people not take psychedelics because they will exagerate thier depression and they will have a bad trip. Funny that... I think more research needs to be done, And actualy there is an organisation called MAPS, which is doing research into the subject: http://www.maps.org/research/
I'm aware of MAPS. I may actually want to work for them someday. During some of the studies, yes the therapists also used psychedelics with the patients. But I'm not aware of any application of psychedelics in which only the doctor used them. Perhaps there is some potential benefit for that. There is a study being done in Charleston using MDMA for PTSD, but I don't think that involves the therapist, but instead the patient.
its true that positive results have come from the use of hallucinogens in psychotherapy but they have never been used to "treat" any disorder from wat ive heard. all use of these substances is and always has been strictly experimental. the benefits are almost always coincidence in these experiments. it has never been statistically acurate to any degree. its true that someone with depression or schizophrenia might benefit from this but its about a 50/50 chance. psychadelics are very unpredictable compounds and the effects of their interaction with the brain is absolutely amazing. the complete range of emotion and sensation is nothing short of a miracle and wat exactly is going on in the brain is beyond our present ability to understand.i just hope ppl will realize the potential for psychological evolution within my lifetime so we can finally start studying this phenomenon without so many restrictions.
I would say please keep it out of the hands of the doctors. Guru's and God only please. Psychedelics and science won't mix well. I say won't because they will, but it won't be pretty. (well from where I stand.) Still... please.
Thats an interseting point I hadn't considered much. Yes, you might be right that it is a matter of when and not if science and psychedelics combine. I'd be more interested to hear what you think science will change about the psychedelic experience and potential. Though I think you have to keep in mind that there is always going to be a clear difference between psychedelics and the experience they create whether or not they are in the hands of scientists. Psychedelics started out in the hands of scientists and they are the ones who actually made them possible. Also, I share the view that psychedelics are some of the most genuinely "holy" things mankind posesses. But psychedelics have been used for so many reasons. Alcoholism, Mental Illness, Finding God, Meditation, Getting High, and simply Tripping and finding out what all of the fuss is about. Please share more of your thoughts on how you think science will make a not so 'pretty' combination with psychedelics.
i believe that scientifically speaking psychadelics can help us understand quite a bit more about the biomechanics of our brain but this will mostly be future textbook information, however i agree that psychadelics most beneficial attributes comes from open minded individuals using them in the pursuit of spiritual explorarion. personally i think that if scientists start really studying thi chemical all that will happen is they will use it for mind control tactics. i agree 100% that these are for personal spiritual use or lead by a shaman. and psychadelics were around long before science was a concept and any scientist existed. shamans and ancient peoples have use these drugs for thousands of years. now lsd was made by a scientist but relative compounds have been here forever also.
I dont think its fair to say that psychedelics should not be used by doctors. Lsd and psilocybin have already been proven sucsessful in curing cluster head-aches, so there is potential use for them. However I dont think psychedelics should be used in trying to cure schitsophenea and depression, or as a cure for anything- simply because the results are varied and unpredictable. Also schitosphrenea and depression are unusual sicknesses and in fact the medicines we are using today arent even that effective. When you say psychedelics are for gurus and gods only- this is somewhat derogatory for doctors. We are all humans on this planet earth living and learning about life. If someone finds a different use for a book other than reading- like using a book for doorstop- who are we to say that they cant use it for that purpose, the same goes for psychedelics. Personaly, and I think most people will agree, I think the best use of psychedelics is for exploration, spiritual guidance and recreation. Its possible to try and use them in therapy- but it must be a personal choice, and the patient must know what they are getting into. If a patient did research into psychedelics, I think they would not choose to take the risk.
Will be used for mind control? Look up MK-ULTRA. ghost of a rat, I'm not sure how much know about using psychedelics for mental disorders. But I think using them for things like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia are one of the most interseting possibilities. Yes, LSD has unpredictable reactions in people but it is possible to somewhat control the setting and conduct of the experience that the individual has so that what they experience during that time can be very beneficial. There was a study done in Switzerland using LSD for people with mental disorders and it had some quite amazing results. I don't have the link handy. But all of that information is available on MAPS website. Also you said that they shouldnt be used because the medicines we use today arent even working. But thats exactly the reason I think we should pursue psychedelics. Psychedelics, while they can be somewhat risky because of the 'bad trip" possibility, they also have A LOT less side effects...
I think hallucinogens could be beneficial for therapy of an individual in the right setting by helping to break down protective barriers of the mind. Acceptance of drugs in culture is far from where it needs to be at to make this kind of therapy an everyday solution to these special issues. In the way of treating a disorder such as schizophrenia I have not heard of hallucinogens being used on the patients. I have heard that some of the early developers of LSD began circulation of the drug among psychologists as a way of understanding their patients. I have read that LSD can be used on people suffering from alcohol addiction but I am unsure of how it works. The use of X by therapist trying to feel empathy for their patients appears reasonable from my perspective. From my interactions with people who specialize in therapy has led me to believe that persons in that field would be more open to the use of drugs than any other occupation. I cant speak for all but just based on my experience I have came to that conclusion.
yes psychadelics have amazing potential for just about anything involving the operation of the mind but the fact that we really dont know anything about the mind in its natural state its a little to early to say they are beneficial. the range of possibilities with this chemical is endless just because a few studies have been done with "interesting results" does not mean that we should jump to conclusions. this is the problem with every scientific study. ppl have a vested interest in the outcome so they look for the results they want to show everyone and not the unbiased truth. if we are to study these drugs it will be decades before we actually understand them and even longer before we should use them in treatments. the people doing the studies have to keep an open mind and basically act as if theyre studying something of no interest like corn starch. positive results mean nothing.thousands of positive results among less than a hundred negative means we are starting to get somewhere. the fact that no real documented research has been done outside a few groups of psychologists basically just tripping with patients and talking about their life means that nobody can really make any hypothesis good or bad. this is the scientific approach now spiritually these types of drugs have been used since the dawn of mankind and there are cultures that have persisted from ancient times to now based on the use of these sacrements. i have more to say but i got 2 go to work see u later peace.
Through the reading and research I have done, I know that is not fair to say that these tests have only been done in a few group of psychologists. Check out MAPS... they have a long long list of research and results done with psychedelics. But I agree that this may take along time to actually come to the place where we can start implementing 'psychedelic therapy'.
Sources for my position: http://www.psychedelic-library.org/thermenu.htm http://www.psychedelic-library.org/rschmenu.htm Also... simply google studies by: Timothy Leary, Oscar Jangier, Myron Stolaroff, and Stan Grof There is considerable basis for more legitimate research and eventual implementation of these drugs.
I wont continue doing this but I wanted to see if there is any more discussion or anything anyone has to say on this topic. (So this post is to put it at the top)
I can say that every mind is unique in this universe. By beeing unique, that means that there is not even one exactly the same one. Mind is like finger print, like tigers and zebras stripes..... That means that there will be no 2 minds reacting on the drug exactly the same, so we can not say that it should be used 100% for everybody, but that is why we have fucking doctors to recomend or not to recomend or forbid from case to case. Why should be the thing forbiden for millinos who enjoy benefits of the drug because of a few cases that somebody couldn't handle it for any reason? On the other way, sciece is there to prove that something is like this or like that, and if science does not aprove (or can't prove) something, that is illigal. Who are scientists to forbid use of something that mother Earth is giving to us, and on the other side they do aprove things witch are killing our mother Earth (check just global warming, not mentioning other destructable things) and their habitants? Who and why have the right to play God?
