LDS does what?!
The first time my sister told me she wanted to try LSD my immediate reactions were confusion and worry. When I asked her why, all she said was “just to try it.” I would have been a lot less worried about her psychedelic cravings had I known of their potential benefits -- if you use them right.
I revisited the topic two years later, in my first upper-division class, PSY 111: Intro to Biopsychology. It was there that the negative assumptions about psychedelics ingrained in me by both my parents and the media, like being addictive or messing up your chromosomes, were dissolved. But this was only an intro class. The class spent less than a day on psychedelics, teaching us that they did not in fact “fry your brain” as many (yes, me included) believed to be the case with LSD, and how they work in your brain. It turns out that when having a psychedelic experience, regions of the brain that wouldn’t normally share information start talking to each other, hence the hallucinations. This also explains why people report seeing music and hearing colors. So after doing some learning, I didn’t think of psychedelics as more than safe-ish recreational drugs.
A year later I found myself in the library listening to one of the founding members of the Psychedelic Club at UCSB as he told me about his first LSD experience. At first I thought it would be the usual story: weird hallucinations, synergistic powers, and a lack of appetite. I was wrong. They tell me of this insightful, life-changing experience that resulted in his depression being cured and a newly found desire to make friends, experience life, and be happy. I’m gonna be honest, I was a little skeptical. After all, this was my first time having a full conversation with this person. A quick Google Scholar search confirmed that in fact, psychedelics had shown positive effects in patients with depression, existential anxiety, and alcoholism.
Then and Now
Psychedelics have been used by non-Western cultures for thousands of years in spiritual rituals, as treatments, and for the general well being of their communities.
Mushrooms, used by the Mazatec people of Oaxaca
Peyote, used by peoples of Mexico and the American Southwest
Mescaline-rich plants, used in the Northern Andes, Peru
Ayahuasca, used in the Northwest Amazon
LSD and psychedelic mushrooms were only introduced to westerners in the 20th century, sparking a wave of psychiatric research. Psychiatrists tested and used LSD as treatment for anxiety disorders, depression, and pain relief. As it became accessible to the masses for recreational use, it also became a target of Nixon’s “War on Drugs” and was banned in 1968, halting further research initiatives.
We are now living in a psychedelic research renaissance, with increasing mainstream support. Recreationally, psychedelic trips have become a common part of the college experience and the main component of what Michael Pollan refers to as White Coat Shamanism, a type of guided and psychedelic-aided therapy. In clinical studies, the data shows favorable effects in the treatment of existential anxiety in cancer patients, cluster headaches, depression, and addictions. Since psychedelics can alter brain states and consciousness they could serve as a potential tool for understanding consciousness, brain and mental states, and aspects of personality disorders. With today’s brain imaging technology, neuroscientists would be able to look at which areas of the brain are the most active or dormant when someone is tripping.
So does that mean that a psychedelic trip at Sand’s Beach with my buddies will cure my senioritis, depression, or existential dread? Maybe. Maybe not. When studying their effect, researchers provide a highly controlled environment, the patient’s trip is guided by a therapist, and there is a follow up session to discuss the trip. Purpose also plays a major role; It is important that the patient is motivated and wants to be changed by the experience. And, regardless of how useful and fun psychedelics may sound, they do have some potential risks. Though rare, a bad trip might result in paranoia, psychotic episodes, and in extreme cases, psychological trauma. But given that the chances of having a bad trip are low if you are in a controlled environment (set, setting, trustworthy friends), you’re likely to have a fun new experience at Sand’s.
Is it legal yet?
With so many benefits, you might be wondering why they haven’t been approved for clinical use. Lack of support from the pharmaceutical industry (considering the low profitability of these out of patent drugs) and the wide spectrum of psychedelic experiences (depending on dosage, set, and setting) are two main reasons. In short, they can legally be used for medical and scientific research, but not prescribed or used recreationally in the US...Yet.
Psilocybin might soon be approved by the federal government for treating depression. And with voices like Michael Pollan’s suggesting they should be experienced by everyone to improve overall wellbeing, it’s time for the US to start reconsidering the legal status of other psychedelic drugs.
Images:
"Ruby by the Sea" by Anna Talamantes (cover image)
“Mushroooms” by James Jardine is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
"How Did We Get Here???" by swanksalot is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0