Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
December 1, 1998
R Doblin
29 citations
A long-term follow-up to the Concord Prison Experiment (1961–1963) examined criminal justice records of 21 of the original 32 prisoners who received psilocybin-assisted group psychotherapy. The follow-up found that earlier published claims of reduced recidivism were erroneous. The original researchers had emphasized the need for comprehensive post-release group support, but such services were not sufficiently provided. Whether a new program combining psilocybin-assisted therapy with post-release support could lower recidivism remains an open empirical question.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 1989
Oscar Janiger, Marlene Dobkin De Rios
29 citations
In a unique experiment from the late 1950s, artists drew and painted a Kachina doll before and one hour after ingesting LSD. An art history professor evaluated the works and found consistent style shifts: artists whose usual style was representational or abstract moved toward more expressionistic or nonobjective approaches. Other changes included larger size, involution, movement, altered figure/ground boundaries, more intense color and light, oversimplification, symbolic depiction, and fragmentation. Many artists judged their LSD-influenced works as more interesting and aesthetically superior, believing they were creating new meanings for an emergent world.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
August 8, 2018
Logan Neitzke-Spruill, Carol Glasser
27 citations
People who use psychedelic drugs for religious reasons or who identify with a religion tend to report more intense mystical experiences than those who do not. A survey of 119 participants recruited from psychedelic-related websites found that a majority were White males with some post-secondary education. The study measured participants' history of psychedelic use, the context of their use, and their scores on a Mysticism Scale. The results suggest that both religious identification and using psychedelics specifically for religious purposes are associated with higher mysticism scores.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2014
B. Sessa
26 citations
Psychiatry's reluctance to research psychedelic drugs for medical therapy overlooks compounds with great potential, while users who take them off-license are stigmatized as recreational abusers. Both psychiatrists and recreational users recognize the healing potential of these substances. Resolving this conflict is essential for the future of psychiatric medicine and psychedelic culture. Progress requires professionals to adapt to a conservative paradigm, enabling them to provide important treatments and elevate the profile of expanded consciousness in mainstream society.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 1, 2007
Casey R. Guillot
26 citations
Recreational use of MDMA (Ecstasy) may be linked to long-term mood problems due to its effects on serotonin. This review of 22 studies found that only three showed significantly higher depression scores in Ecstasy users compared to people who used cannabis or other drugs. Most studies had methodological flaws, and depression levels in Ecstasy users were not much higher than in the general population. The evidence for a specific link between Ecstasy use and depression is unconvincing, but using Ecstasy along with other illicit drugs is associated with higher depression. Possible causes include polydrug use, MDMA's effects on serotonin, other drugs' individual effects, combined drug effects, and preexisting depression differences.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
July 1, 1985
June E. Riedlinger
26 citations
A pharmacist argues against the emergency scheduling of MDMA (Ecstasy) as a Schedule I controlled substance, contending that the drug has legitimate therapeutic potential in psychotherapy and that its risks are not sufficiently understood to justify the most restrictive classification. The author reviews the pharmacology, clinical uses, and potential adverse effects of MDMA, and criticizes the scheduling process for lacking thorough scientific evaluation. The piece calls for more research and a more balanced regulatory approach that considers both the benefits and risks of the substance.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 18, 2023
Raman Sharma, Rachel Batchelor, Jacqueline Sin
25 citations
A systematic review of seven studies on psychedelic treatments for substance use disorder and substance misuse found positive results for measures of abstinence, substance use, craving, and withdrawal, but the data were scarce and covered a wide range of addictions (opioid, nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, and unspecified substances). Qualitative synthesis from three studies indicated that psychedelic-assisted treatments enhanced self-awareness, insight, and confidence. However, the review concludes that there is currently insufficient research evidence to suggest the effectiveness of any psychedelic (psilocybin, ibogaine, or ayahuasca) for any specific substance use disorder or misuse.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
May 28, 2022
Maja Kohek, Genís Ona, Michiel van Elk et al.
25 citations
Regular participation in ayahuasca ceremonies is not linked to relevant health harms. Compared to normative Dutch data, 377 participants (50.1% women, mean age 48.8 years) showed better general well-being, fewer chronic or lifestyle-related diseases, more physical activity, and a more balanced diet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they used less alcohol. Although they used more illegal drugs than the general population, they did not report associated harms. This evidence could inform drug policymakers in developing evidence-based public policies.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2023
Daniel J. Kruger, Oskar Enghoff, Moss Herberholz et al.
24 citations
In a large online survey of 1,221 people who use psychedelics naturalistically, the most common source of information was their own experimentation and experiences (79.52%). Many also sought information from internet websites (61.67%), friends (61.02%), internet discussion forums (57.08%), books (57%), and peer-reviewed journal articles (54.55%). Few consulted their primary health care provider (4.83%). Scientific journals, psychedelic nonprofits, and university researchers were the most trusted sources; government agencies and pharmaceutical companies were the least trusted. Most participants felt popular media inaccurately stated psychedelics' benefits and risks and failed to distinguish between different types. The results indicate extensive information seeking outside mainstream health care.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2014
David E. Nichols
24 citations
The Heffter Research Institute, founded in 1993, is the only scientific organization dedicated to studying the medical value of psychedelics, focusing on psilocybin. Its first clinical trial examined psilocybin for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Subsequent studies include a UCLA trial for end-of-life distress in cancer patients, a Johns Hopkins study for anxiety and depression from cancer diagnosis, and a New York University trial nearing completion. A pilot study for alcoholism at the University of New Mexico is also finishing, with a larger two-site trial planned. Other ongoing work includes psilocybin for smoking cessation and effects on long-term meditators. The institute is planning a Phase 3 trial for distress in end-stage cancer patients.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
December 1, 2010
Frederick R Dannaway
24 citations
Burning substances for inhalation in enclosed spaces was likely the most primary method of altering consciousness in the ancient world. While much has been written about entheogenic plants, the literature on psychoactive incenses is deficient. From nomadic tents to Taoist meditation rooms, smoldering plant and resin fumes were used for invocation, banishment, and shamanic travel since humanity mastered fire. The text details primary "incense cults" and highlights commonalities and shared influences. It speculates that selective burning of substances like mercury and sulfur may have contributed to their lasting use and veneration in alchemy across India, China, Arabia, and Europe. A companion online database is planned.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2008
Ronald K Bullis
24 citations
The 2006 Supreme Court decision allowing a religious group to import, distribute, and ingest the hallucinogen hoasca for sacramental use sets a precedent for religious freedom with psychotropic substances. The article outlines the church's and government's arguments, explains the case facts and decision, and evaluates the likelihood of future religion-based exceptions for entheogen use, offering a profile of groups most likely to receive such exemptions.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2014
John Rhead
23 citations
A reviewer expresses initial excitement about a forthcoming two-volume work and, after obtaining a copy, reports being largely satisfied with it. The text is a brief, positive book review that does not describe the work's content, findings, or arguments.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2005
John R. Baker
23 citations
Many cultures have independently developed socially sanctioned frameworks for using psychedelic substances to foster religious experiences and spiritual insights, often designating certain substances as 'sacraments.' In modern societies where these substances are prohibited, use typically occurs underground and idiosyncratically, leaving individuals to interpret and integrate their experiences alone. This article contrasts the structured, communal 'sacrament' framework with more individualistic forms of psychedelic use, arguing that the former channels experiences in ways that increase the likelihood of personally constructive and socially integrative outcomes.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 1976
Paul Pascarosa, Sanford Futterman
23 citations
The peyote ritual of the Native American Church may offer therapeutic benefits for alcoholics, based on observations of participants. The ritual's structured setting, group support, and the psychedelic experience itself appear to contribute to reduced drinking and improved social functioning among some attendees. The authors suggest that the combination of spiritual context and pharmacological effects of peyote can facilitate introspection and behavioral change, though they note that outcomes vary and the ritual is not a universal cure. The observations indicate potential for integrating elements of such ethnopsychedelic practices into alcoholism treatment, but controlled studies are lacking.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2020
Ismael Eduardo Apud Peláez
22 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew from the Amazon, is used in religious, spiritual, and therapeutic settings, including addiction treatment. In former substance users from Catalonia and surrounding areas, those who took ayahuasca scored higher on Novelty Seeking and Self-Transcendence, as well as on traits Attachment, Impulsivity, Compassion, and Spiritual Acceptance, compared to a control group. Recovery may relate less to reducing Impulsivity and Novelty Seeking—typical in substance use disorder—and more to increasing Character dimensions, especially Self-Transcendence and Cooperativeness. Participants reported that self-reflective, prosocial, and transcendental ayahuasca ritual experiences helped reconstruct personal goals, gratifications, social bonds, and life direction.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2016
Laurie Cloutier-Gill, Evan Wood, Trevor Millar et al.
22 citations
A 37-year-old woman with a 19-year history of severe opioid use disorder, who had never achieved more than two months of continuous abstinence while on methadone, maintained an ongoing 18-month period of abstinence after a four-day ibogaine treatment. No safety issues were observed. The authors suggest that ibogaine may produce transformative experiences that lead to long-term remission in some treatment-refractory patients, but rigorous trials are needed to establish safety and efficacy.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2011
Donald R Wesson
22 citations
During the 1960s, mainstream culture and the hippie counterculture both embraced the idea of 'better living through chemistry,' but disagreed on which chemicals. Political activists believed they could change mainstream culture and succeeded, while hippies were largely alienated and focused on building a separate culture. The Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco was the epicenter of hippie enclaves. This paper presents a personal history of the evolution of the hippie counterculture, changing drug use patterns in the Haight-Ashbury, and the origins of the Phenobarbital Withdrawal Protocol (also called the Smith and Wesson Protocol) for withdrawing patients from barbiturates and other sedative-hypnotics.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 1, 2008
Robin Rodd
22 citations
The harmala alkaloids in Banisteriopsis caapi have drawn attention for their monoamine oxidase inhibiting properties, but this focus has overshadowed the plant's broader cultural significance among indigenous South American societies. Among the Piaroa of southern Venezuela, who use only the cambium and identify at least five varieties of B. caapi, the plant is valued for heightening empathy and has extra-shamanic uses as a stimulant and hunting aid. Given the psychopharmacological complexity of harmala alkaloids and the ethnographic evidence, future research should reconsider B. caapi's cultural heritage and potential as a stimulant and antidepressant-like substance.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
November 15, 2023
Anees Bahji, Isis Lunsky, Gilmar Gutierrez et al.
21 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 studies found that psychedelic-assisted therapies—psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ayahuasca—were well tolerated and produced large reductions in depression symptoms across various diagnoses. Psilocybin showed a large effect (standardized mean difference -1.92) and MDMA a moderate-to-large effect (standardized mean difference -0.71). However, the certainty of the evidence was low to very low due to small sample sizes, blinding issues, study heterogeneity, and publication bias. The results are promising but highlight the need for larger, more rigorous studies.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2023
Julian Urrutia, Brian T Anderson, Sean J Belouin et al.
21 citations
Combining psychedelic science, contemplative practices, and Indigenous and other traditional knowledge systems in integrative, community-based models of care could transform global health. Both contemplative practices and certain psychedelic substances reliably induce self-transcendent experiences that positively affect health, well-being, and prosocial behavior, and combining them appears synergistic. Traditional knowledge systems offer ethnobotanical expertise and time-tested practices. A decolonized agenda for psychedelic research requires collaborative engagement with traditional knowledge stewards to co-develop evidence-based integrative care accessible to their communities. Health systems could include Indigenous and traditional healers as stakeholders in designing, implementing, and evaluating community-based approaches for safely scaling psychedelic treatments.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
August 8, 2017
Tanida Brown, Wanda Shao, Shehzad Ayub et al.
21 citations
A physician with refractory bipolar depression chronically self-medicated with N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) augmented with phenelzine, leading to altered mental status, mania, and psychosis. The case explores DMT's potential therapeutic and recreational uses, its theorized mechanism involving agonist activity at 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C receptors, and the risks of self-medication, especially among physicians.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2007
Phil Dalgarno
21 citations
Salvia divinorum, a hallucinogenic plant native to Mexico, has been used by the Mazatec Indians in divinatory rituals to contact spirits of the dead, traditionally by chewing the leaves for visionary effects. Western drug cultures have adopted the plant since the mid-1990s, often smoking dried leaves for immediate effects. Qualitative data from 10 Salvia users, collected via email interviews with in-depth responses presented verbatim, show that effects vary between users and are sensitive to situational factors. Users familiar with the traditional ritualistic setting appear to have a fuller experience than those who are not.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 15, 2019
Matthew J. Baggott, Kathleen J. Garrison, Jeremy Coyle et al.
20 citations
The drug MDA, an entactogen similar to MDMA (ecstasy), produces longer-lasting emotional and physiological effects than MDMA. In a controlled experiment with healthy volunteers, a single oral dose of 1.4 mg/kg MDA increased heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones (cortisol and prolactin) to levels comparable to those from a 1.5 mg/kg dose of MDMA. However, participants' self-reported drug effects from MDA remained elevated for at least 8 hours, whereas MDMA effects subsided by 6 hours. Blood measurements showed that MDA and its metabolite HMA reached peak concentrations of about 229 µg/L and 92 µg/L, respectively. Because the two drugs had similar blood-level profiles, the longer duration of MDA's effects likely stems from differences in how it acts on the brain rather than from slower elimination.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 1989
P A Wright
20 citations
A common psychobiological process may underlie various altered states of consciousness (ASC) used by shamans, meditators, and mediums, but the shamanic state of consciousness (SSC) can be physiologically distinguished from possession trance states. A review of psychophysiological literature on trances and temporal lobe seizure conditions suggests that both SSC and possession trances involve hippocampal-septal stimulation, while possession states additionally involve the amygdala. This difference helps clarify the terms "shamanic," "shamanistic," and "mediumistic." The SSC appears to be physiologically and psychologically beneficial, and a genetic component likely influences one's ability to enter it and other ASC.