MEDICALS USES FOR HALLUCINOGENS by Rich Hartman Is a substance a danger to the public even if it is not a psychological or physical danger to the individual? The government seems to think so. It has banned hallucinogens, even though these drugs have helped generate numerous scientific breakthroughs. Psychology and science would benefit from the legalization of hallucinogens for research. Before the banning of hallucinogens in 1966, psychologists had used them with notable results. In the early 1940's both mescaline, the psychoactive agent in peyote, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) became very significant in the field of experimental psychology. Rumored that they could produce model schizophrenic psychoses, many psychotherapists started to take them rather seriously. The standard position became that nobody could call himself qualified to treat schizophrenia unless he had experienced the world of schizophrenics firsthand. This world became quite easy to experience by simply taking mescaline. "Mescaline, when taken under the proper guidance, could produce a wide variety of abnormal states: catatonia, paranoia, delusions of persecution and grandeur, hallucinations, religious ecstasy, homicidal and suicidal impulses, apathy and mania" (Stevens 88). To use a Freudian term, "mescaline shattered the unity of the ego" (Dunlap 116). Soon after the discovery of mescaline, Sandoz, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, synthesized a new hallucinogen called LSD. They marketed it under the trade name of Delysid. The distribution literature contained the following information: SUGGESTED APPLICATIONS a) Analytical psychotherapy, to elicit release of repressed material and provoke mental relaxation, particularly in anxiety states and obsessional neuroses. b) Experimental studies on the nature of psychoses: By taking Delysid himself, the psychiatrist is able to gain insight into the world of ideas and sensations of mental patients. Delysid can also be used to induce model psychoses of short duration in normal patients, thus facilitating studies on the pathogenesis of mental disease (Hoffman 47). The literature also offered the following precautions: Pathological mental conditions may be intensified by Delysid. Particular caution is necessary in subjects with suicidal tendencies and in those cases where a psychotic development appears imminent. Delysid should only be administered under strict medical supervision. The supervision should not be discontinued until the effects have completely worn off (Hoffman 49). By the late fifties, LSD therapy had gained popularity because of its remarkable results. Fifty percent of chronic alcoholics exposed to just one LSD session quit drinking permanently. Several advances with autistic children also came about (Stevens 214). Two schools of thought developed. One saw LSD as a facilitator for traditional therapy and became known as psycholytic therapy. The other, psychedelic therapy, involved giving the patient a massive dose and using subtle cues to try to produce a moving, transcendental experience. At first, psycholytic therapy had a larger following, but soon psychedelic therapy got more and better results. With the patient's eyes closed, the mind would begin to project a three dimensional movie in the inner visual field. Some of these "films" consisted of remembered childhood incidents, while others contained Freudian symbolism (Stevens 227). The patients seemed particularly sensitive to their environment. If the therapist acted cool and detached, the patient would respond with hostility and hurt feelings. However, if the therapist seemed warm and gentle, they would develop a bond unseen in traditional therapy (Dunlap 46). Meanwhile, research on the effects of LSD continued. Studies of people who had taken LSD under controlled settings revealed the following: 78% felt an increased ability to love, 69% felt an increased ability to communicate and understand others, 69% felt that they were able to handle hostility better, 71% felt an increase in self esteem, 83% thought that they had brushed up against some "higher power" or "absolute reality" (Stevens 319). People who had a transcendental experience while on LSD had second thoughts about settling for a secure corporate job and leaned toward something more contemplative. Personality tests revealed that as long as six months after LSD therapy, people showed significant positive changes in self perception and self approval areas (Dunlap 79). One of the most interesting aspects of LSD is its effect creativity. In 1962, Dr. William Janiger conducted a study of over 800 people, including Cary Grant, Aldous Huxley and Jack Nicholson. The results of the tests on artists proved most interesting. Dr. Janiger gave each artist a doll and asked him to paint it. He then gave the artist a dose of LSD and asked him to paint the doll again. The LSD inspired paintings seemed more abstract, symbolic and emotional. They tended to cover all available space on the canvas. The artists claimed that the LSD seemed to relieve inhibitions and dramatically altered the way that they perceived the world. ("Acid Test" 16). Further research revealed the three stages of the LSD "trip." The first, termed evasive maneuvers, is what the earlier psycho-therapists had confused with schizophrenia. During this stage, so many new ideas and thoughts rush through the mind that it can produce overtones of panic. The symbolic perception stage comes next, with Freudian hallucinations that seem to work off repressed thoughts. Last comes the immediate perception stage: "the single reality in which the infinite and eternal are understood" (Stevens 19). While others studied LSD, Harvard psychologist Dr. Timothy Leary began to study psilocybin, or hallucinogenic mushrooms. In one experiment, he gave the drug to 175 people. Over 50% the people claimed to have learned a great deal about themselves, and felt their lives had changed for the better. Over 90% wanted the experience again (Hoffman 232). In a psilocybin study at a maximum security prison, hardened criminals began to talk about love, ecstasy and sharing (Stevens 413). A recently developed drug is MDMA, or Ecstasy. MDMA acts like an empathogen rather than a full-fledged psychedelic. An empathogen alters mood, not consciousness. Psycho-therapists have compared one good MDMA session to two years of traditional therapy ("Ecstasy" 96). They claim that it tends to eliminate anxieties and defenses. This elimination allows people to achieve insight into their emotions ("Trouble" 86). MDMA has proved very effective in the curing of phobias ("MDMA" 34). In addition to the psychological benefits, hallucinogens have helped scientists understand how the brain works. When these drugs first appeared, they shocked the scientific community. "If what we thought of as reality was so fragile that it could be shattered by 250 millionths of a gram of LSD, then how did our conception of reality relate to the brain" (Hoffman 59)? Science simply did not have the vocabulary to discuss hallucinogens, so many terms came from Zen Buddhism and Hinduism. Eventually, however, science caught up. Theories about the brain sprung up everywhere. The most widely accepted was that the brain has "reducing plugs" which screen out millions of impulses every second. Hallucinogens removed some of these plugs, it seemed (Huxley 87). Psychotherapists developed maps of the unconscious which allowed them to guide patients through their sessions (Stevens 222). They also developed a four level model of the unconscious. The sensory storehouse of images and colors existed on the first level. The next level contained the recollective-analytic domain of psychotherapy. The symbolic level, predominantly mythical, followed. On the highest level, the unconscious has an integral confrontation with reality, which some have perceived as God (Dunlap 93). With the invention of computers, research on the brain became much easier. "Man can only understand his inner workings in terms of external, mechanical models that we build" (Stevens 73). Dr. Timothy Leary developed his theory of the eight circuit brain, with each circuit acting as a "mini-brain." Four exist in the left half of the brain, and four exist in the right. Number one contains the bio-survival circuit, which sees the world in terms of black and white, right and wrong. Number two contains the emotional circuit, number three contains the dexterity-symbolism circuit and number four contains the socio-sexual circuit. Only alcohol affects the first four. Number five contains the neuro-somatic circuit, affected by marijuana. Both mescaline and psilocybin affect number six, the neuro-electric circuit. Number seven contains the neuro-genetic circuit, affected by LSD. Number eight contains the neuro-atomic circuit, not affected by anything until recently. "Vitamin K," a brand new psychedelic still in the experimental stages, affects this circuit ("Dr. Timothy Leary" 228). Contrary to popular belief, these hallucinogens have proven to have no harmful side effects. After 68 studies, the federal government has concluded that pure LSD, when ingested in moderate doses, causes no damage to chromosomes, causes no detectable genetic damage and contains no carcinogens (Stevens 129). Most psychotherapists agree on these five points about hallucinogens: a) They are safe. Very large doses may be given without detectable tissue damage. b) They are effective in therapy. c) The patient remains conscious and cooperative. d) They may be given repeatedly. There is no evidence of addiction and the effects wear off in about twelve hours. e) Patients usually like the experience if given the proper dose (Stevens 129). The dangers of hallucinogens come when they are taken illegally. When psychotherapists in the 1960's conducted LSD sessions, a dose of chlorpromazine was always on hand. This would rapidly negate the effects of the drug in case anything went wrong. Under controlled settings, the psychotherapist could guide the patient. When taken illegally, however, the user is on his own and may experience a "bad trip." Also, much of today's illicit LSD contains little or no LSD, but amphetamines, or, more commonly, PCP. Often misclassified as a hallucinogen, PCP is medically described as a deliriant ("New Medicines" 68). Because it is easy and cheap to make, PCP often gets sold to an unknowing buyer as LSD or mescaline. All research on mescaline, LSD and psilocybin came to a halt on October 6, 1966, when the FDA placed them on a Schedule 1 drug classification. MDMA was placed on Schedule 1 in July of 1985. This is the same class as marijuana, heroin and cocaine. "Schedule 1 is supposed to be reserved for drugs that have no medical use, are addictive and destructive to human tissue, and cause social destruction, diseases and accidents" ("New Medicines" 67). Ironically, the dangers of alcohol outweigh those of all the drugs on Schedule 1 combined ("Trouble" 102). With all of the evidence considered, it would seem that hallucinogens should be taken off of Schedule 1 and place back into Schedule 3, which would allow for continued research and scientific experimentation. WORKS CITED "Acid Test." Omni November 1987: 16. "Dr. Timothy Leary." Rolling Stone 5 November 1986: 226-28. Dunlap, Jane. Exploring Inner Space: Personal Experiences With LSD. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961. "Ecstasy." Newsweek April 1965: 96. Hoffman, Albert. LSD: My Problem Child. Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher, 1983. Huxley, Aldous. The Doors of Perception. New York: Harper & Row, 1971. "MDMA." Discover August 1986: 34. "New Medicines for Moods." Changing Times August 1985: 67-69. Stevens, Jay. Storming Heaven. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1987. "The Trouble With Ecstasy." Life August 1985: 86-102. 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