The Return of Psychedelics: A Measured Approach
Psychiatric News April 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1176/appi.pn.2021.4.9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Enthusiasm Psychotherapist Mainstream Backlash Psychoanalysis Law |
| Key points | Argues that psychedelic research, initially promising for serious refractory disorders in the 1950s and 1960s, was suppressed for decades by a cultural and political backlash and draconian laws, and that substantial rigorous study only resumed in the 21st century amid limited funding and faint mainstream interest. |
Abstract
After decades of quiescence, psychedelics are back and making quite a ruckus. In the 1950s and 1960s, a flurry of cutting-edge psychedelic research engendered real enthusiasm among clinicians, suggesting potential treatment efficacy for a range of serious refractory disorders. But a cultural and political backlash led to the imposition of draconian laws, effectively sidelining psychedelic research for decades, until scientists slowly began to again explore their potential. Even then, limited funding and only faint interest from the mainstream meant that substantial and rigorous psychedelic studies did not resume until the 21st century.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on psilocybin for anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics as Medicines: An Emerging New Paradigm General population | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Taking Psychedelics Seriously | 2018 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Virtual Reality as a Moderator of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Heffter Research Institute: Past and Hopeful Future | 2014 | Historical analysis | |
| Out of the box: A psychedelic model to study the creative mind | 2018 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |