Psychedelic Psychology
Keaton Jones
April 28, 2010
Psychedelic Psychology The usage of psychedelic drugs has a very long and extensive history. It is estimated that psychedelic mushrooms have been eaten for as long as one million years in certain parts of Africa, long before the invention of writing (1.) There have been countless numbers of findings of mushrooms drawn on cave walls and even temples devoted to “mushroom gods” (1.) They have been used by shamans, kings, priests, warriors, ordinary people- you name it. In more recent years, the usage of LSD has come into play. LSD, like mushrooms, is highly psychedelic and can cause huge changes in one’s personality and outlook on life (2). Although people abuse psychedelics for recreational purposes, they have true medicinal value and potential. First off, it is very important to understand that most psychedelics, when used correctly, are in no way dangerous to your physical body (3). You could take mushrooms, LSD, or DMT everyday for the rest of your life and you would have no physical damage done. However, taking drugs everyday is a terrible idea and will inevitably be very conflicting with your day-to-day tasks. That is why moderation is incredibly important and psychedelics should only be taken when you have a purpose to take them. When LSD was still legal in the 1950’s and 1960’s, it was used to enhance psychotherapy (2.) Many psychiatrists that used it found it to be extremely effective. In one study 56% of psychiatrists found LSD to be effective and had continued to use it in their profession (2). LSD had especially high success rates in the treatment of alcohol. In multiple studies, LSD had over a 50% success rate of treating alcoholism, nearly five times greater than that of Alcoholics Anonymous (2). Most importantly, “the root of the therapeutic value of the LSD experience is its potential for producing self-acceptance and self-surrender” (2.) This is very important, because LSD forces the user to face their own issues
April 28, 2010
Psychedelic Psychology The usage of psychedelic drugs has a very long and extensive history. It is estimated that psychedelic mushrooms have been eaten for as long as one million years in certain parts of Africa, long before the invention of writing (1.) There have been countless numbers of findings of mushrooms drawn on cave walls and even temples devoted to “mushroom gods” (1.) They have been used by shamans, kings, priests, warriors, ordinary people- you name it. In more recent years, the usage of LSD has come into play. LSD, like mushrooms, is highly psychedelic and can cause huge changes in one’s personality and outlook on life (2). Although people abuse psychedelics for recreational purposes, they have true medicinal value and potential. First off, it is very important to understand that most psychedelics, when used correctly, are in no way dangerous to your physical body (3). You could take mushrooms, LSD, or DMT everyday for the rest of your life and you would have no physical damage done. However, taking drugs everyday is a terrible idea and will inevitably be very conflicting with your day-to-day tasks. That is why moderation is incredibly important and psychedelics should only be taken when you have a purpose to take them. When LSD was still legal in the 1950’s and 1960’s, it was used to enhance psychotherapy (2.) Many psychiatrists that used it found it to be extremely effective. In one study 56% of psychiatrists found LSD to be effective and had continued to use it in their profession (2). LSD had especially high success rates in the treatment of alcohol. In multiple studies, LSD had over a 50% success rate of treating alcoholism, nearly five times greater than that of Alcoholics Anonymous (2). Most importantly, “the root of the therapeutic value of the LSD experience is its potential for producing self-acceptance and self-surrender” (2.) This is very important, because LSD forces the user to face their own issues
Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_mushrooms#As_medicine (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lsd#Psychological (2) http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/lsd/dangers.htm (3) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=psychedelic-healing (4) http://csp.org/psilocybin/Psilo20060712-PsychiatricTimes.pdf (5)