The way that the medical profession avoided the therapeutic use of psychedelics because of what’s referred to below as “negative connotations” has always boggled my mind. Now they seem to be taking a second look at the matter, my only has to be “what took you so long?”
“LONDON - Mind-altering drugs like LSD, ketamine or magic mushrooms could be combined with psychotherapy to treat people suffering from depression, compulsive disorders or chronic pain, Swiss scientists suggested on Wednesday. Research into the effects of psychedelics, used in the past in psychiatry, has been restricted in recent decades because of the negative connotations of drugs, but the scientists said more studies into their clinical potential were now justified. Research into the effects of psychedelics, used in the past in psychiatry, has been restricted in recent decades because of the negative connotations of drugs, but the scientists said more studies into their clinical potential were now justified. The researchers said recent brain imaging studies show that psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ketamine and psilocybin -- the psychoactive component in recreational drugs known as magic mushrooms -- act on the brain in ways that could help reduce symptoms of various psychiatric disorders. The drugs could be used as a kind of catalyst, the scientists said, helping patients to alter their perception of problems or pain levels and then work with behavioral therapists or psychotherapists to tackle them in new ways. "Psychedelics can give patients a new perspective -- particularly when things like suppressed memories come up -- and then they can work with that experience," said Franz Vollenweider of the Neuropsychopharmacology and brain imaging unit at Zurich's University Hospital of Psychiatry, who published a paper on the issue in Nature Neuroscience journal.” (Click here for more)
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A hospital near my hometown was famous for its LSD ward.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother went in for depression and came out very happy indeed. She also started wearing very colorful cloths. This is a link for info on the LSD ward.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powick_Hospital
They lost me at "suppressed memories," which has been shown a thousand times to be a complete load of crap.
ReplyDeleteReally? Those suppressed memories that people with PTSD have are a complete load of crap?
ReplyDeleteIf you've ever been seriously or even moderately injured you might understand the concept. One does not recall the full intensity of physical pain from previous injuries, those memories are suppressed.
Yes, I'm afraid they are crap. And yes, I have been severely injured, several times.
ReplyDeleteThe reason you don't recall those memories is not because you've "repressed" them, but because there are circumstances under which you are unable to form memory.
Really, there is zero debate about this outside of fringe science today. It's bullshit and worse, it's a species of bullshit perpetuated by those who make money off it at the expense of people in need.