STUDIES ON MESCALINE VIII: PSYCHODYNAMIC OBSERVATIONS
American Journal of Psychiatry September 1, 1958 DOI: 10.1176/ajp.115.3.239 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 124 |
| Population | Patients given mescaline |
| Intervention | Mescaline |
| Topics | Anxiety Mescaline |
| Keywords | Psychodynamics Aggression Psychotherapist Hostility Psychoanalysis |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Mescaline produces a state ranging from sleep to rage and normalcy to disorganization, with anxiety as a background, and can be understood through hostility-aggression, sexuality, and transference. |
Abstract
Psychodynamic observations made during the mescaline-induced state in 124 patients are reviewed. Mescaline produces a "state of being" in which the clinical spectrum can range from sleep to rage and from normalcy to thoroughly disorganized mental states. Anxiety is considered the background upon which the mescaline experience evolves. One may consider the mescaline-induced state under three headings: 1. Hostility-aggression, 2. Sexuality, and 3. The transference. Various recurring symbolic gestures were noted, and many were frequently of a sexual nature. The primary role of anxiety is reviewed and some theoretical concepts presented. Much further work remains to be done.