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STUDIES ON MESCALINE VIII: PSYCHODYNAMIC OBSERVATIONS

Herman C. B. Denber

American Journal of Psychiatry September 1, 1958 DOI: 10.1176/ajp.115.3.239 (opens in new tab)

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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.

Comparable studies

Other narrative reviews on mescaline, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Study of a New Schizophrenomimetic Drug—Sernyl 1959 Review
Hallucinogens and Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor-Mediated Signaling Pathways 2017 Review
Hallucinogens in Mental Health: Preclinical and Clinical Studies on LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine 2020 Review
Legal highs: staying on top of the flood of novel psychoactive substances 2015 Review
Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine 2017 Review

Citations in the library

Cited by 3

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