“Ken Kesey, the author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and a source of inspiration in the counterculture movement, was first exposed to LSD and other psychedelic drugs as a part of the MKULTRA project while still a graduate student at Stanford university” (J. Francis Wolfe).…
LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide, is commonly regarded as one of the most powerful substances known to mankind. Its name is almost synonymous with the counterculture and the “hippy” movement of the 1960s. Though it is now listed as a Schedule I controlled substance, there was a time when LSD widely used and accepted without the harsh social stigma that it carries today (Jenkins).…
An interesting new development is taking place in pharmacological research. Neuroscientists are picking up where they left off in 1971 and continuing their research on the psychotropic effects of psilocybin, many of which have therapeutic value. There are many ways in which psilocybin works, yet its main mechanism of action seems to be reducing activity in the amygdala via its effects on the serotonergic system. It is through this mechanism that psilocybin has the ability to improve affect, with its effects lasting months after the drug's administration. This reduces the need to take antidepressant drugs on a daily basis. However, in certain circumstances psilocybin can increase negative affect. This is due to psilocybin's ability to enhance pre-existing affect and is easily controllable in a supervised therapeutic setting. In most cases, in addition to improving…
LSD-25 was first created in 1938 by Albert Hoffmann in the Sandoz chemical-pharmaceutical laboratories in Basle, Switzerland. It was synthesized from the twenty-fifth compound of Iysergic acid. When first tested on animals, scientists had no idea that the powerful chemical had such psychedelic properties until Albert Hoffmann himself, involuntarily tested the new chemical. This "involuntary" testing of the LSD is the first time it was ever tested on a human subject; it was a result of Hoffmann accidentally intoxicating himself with LSD-25 during a routine purification process with the chemical.(3) After the experience, Hoffmann wrote:…
Psychedelic, what are they? Where did they come from? What do they do? What are the short term and long term effects of hallucinogenic drugs. Do psychedelic show us a different perspective on the life we life we are living or does the drug just use more of our brain and we just can’t tell. Should these drugs even be taken if there going to make are the sense of self fade away.…
In the case of Damon, I choice the Biological, Psychodynamic and Sociocultural Approach to try and explain his behavior. I will describe these approaches and relate them to Damon’s case. I will start with psychodynamic approach.…
When the era of the sixties is brought up, the one thing that everyone thinks of is the era of drugs and revolutions. The topic of drugs is a very complicated one, drugs are not something that has recently sprung up. They have been around in every shape and form for centuries. In particular in the nineteen fifties and nineteen sixties, drugs like Lysergic Acid Diethylamide knew just as acid were being introduced to Americans. The 1960s was a time for revolutions, and drugs played a major role in this. New ways to consume and use drugs were created as people were forced to secretly buy and use them. The most intriguing part is how many scientists and psychologists were involved in the process of bringing LSD into the spotlight. The main purpose of…
Since the crucifixion of Jesus, opponents of Christianity have directly criticized the religion’s foundation, attempting to belie the historicity of Christ’s physical resurrection. Aiming to nullify Christianity and confute the prospect of supernatural intervention or divine involvement, skeptics and opponents of Christianity continually disseminate naturalistic alternatives, or conspiracy theories, to contradict the resurrection account. One popular notion reasons against the validity of witness accounts, postulating post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus were merely hallucinations, temporarily experienced by some of Jesus’ early disciples. This paper will examine this hallucination hypothesis, showing inconsistencies within the…
While the discovery of LSD was an important event that accidently started a new counter culture, the drug was not popularized until the 1960’s by individuals such as Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey. During this time period, LSD saw an increase in popularity due…
Langlitz, N. (2012). Neuropsychedelia: The Revival of Hallucinogen Research since the Decade of the Brain . California: University of California Press.…
3, 4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA), otherwise known as “ecstasy” is a “psychedelic amphetamine” that has gained popularity the past twenty years because of the feelings of comfort, empathy, and connection to others it provides for the user. MDMA is considered an illicit substance in the United States, as it is in most other countries. MDMA was first synthesized in the 1890s, and it wasn’t until the 1970s and ‘80s that it was used as a psychotherapeutic tool and also started to become available on the street. Its growing popularity resulted in it being made illegal in the United States in 1985; since then the drug’s popularity has continued to increase. The issue of MDMA’s neurotoxicity is very complex, including debate about what constitutes neurotoxicity, but almost all experts now agree that MDMA is a neurotoxin.…
LSD is one of the most potent drugs known and its effects can be felt after an oral dose of only 25]50 mg (0.025]0.050 mg). It is 100 times more potent than hallucinogenic mushrooms. The dose of LSD found on the street typically ranges from 50 to 100 mg (Bonson, K.2001). LSD is produced in crystal form in illegal laboratories, mainly in the United States. These crystals are converted into a liquid for distribution. It is odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter taste. An LSD trip can last up to 12 hours and the effects are unpredictable. Many LSD users have flashbacks, or…
I enjoy reading your essay, and I like the way that you wrote about the positive experience that your friend had when he took LSD under the supervision of an experienced friend, but I think that it should be better if it was under a doctor supervision to avoid any side effects. Also, I agree with you about this treatment can help fix problems that psychotropic simply can’t, but I always have concerned about getting any drug because it may help him get better but it’s in many cases must check in all the clients don’t have any physical problems or they do not have prior history of psychiatric problems before they take any…
Also, mind control is highly unsuccessful. Cults are believed to use mind control to gain members, but cults that do use a sort of mind control has less than four percent of their recruits stay for more than two years. The United States government has done testing on the effectiveness of mind control. "The CIA also experimented with brainwashing. Though not using Korean or Chinese techniques of torture, beatings, and group dynamics, the CIA did experiment with drugs (including LSD) and medical therapies such as electroshock in their research on mind control."(Passantino) LSD is an extremely strong hallucinogen, that heavily alters the state of mind of the individual that has taken it. It would be assumed that in this altered state of mind it would be easy to control a person because they wouldnt be able to tell a difference between reality and the hallucinations. This proves that people can not be brain washed, even with the assistance of mind altering drugs, even though they do become more likely to follow a suggestion when under the influence of LSD, Orwell made no mention of drugs being used to control people. There is one drug that does help with changing view points and understanding about past situations. The government is currently doing testing with ecstasy being used to treat PTSD. People that have gone through this treatment say that nothing has worked for them like this has. This treatment method gave them the ability to look back at their events and to move on with their lives. It has been reported that after just three doses the severity of their PTSD has bee decreased by over fifty percent. This drug could end up saving lives by altering the state of mind of a person and changing their view on a past experience. This seems to be the extent of what this drug…
I wanted to write about this drug in particular because it was so popular during the "hippie" era. I have seen paintings created by people who have taken LSD and they are so erratic and full of non-sense. It really is interesting to me. I have had friends who have taken LSD and described it as being a quite terrible "trip" if you are in the wrong environment. The way they depict LSD in movies an shows seems so hysterical! Although I would never try it out myself, there will always be something about the idea of LSD augmenting reality in ways unimaginable only known in the taker’s mind that will always intrigue me. I wonder what my mind would conjure up if I were to take it? Would you not be curious as well? What I want to find out is if somewhere in the medical field uses this drug in any way for therapeutic uses in this current generation or maybe even how the perception and sensations of using it feels like.…
