Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2002
Rick Doblin
98 citations
The FDA and the Spanish Ministry of Health have concluded that the risk/benefit ratio is favorable under certain circumstances for clinical studies investigating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Both agencies have approved pilot studies in chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients who have failed to obtain relief from at least one course of conventional treatment. These studies, the...
Brain research. Brain research reviews
March 2000
George K. Aghajanian, Gerard J. Marek
The serotonin (5-HT) hypothesis of schizophrenia arose from early studies on interactions between the hallucinogenic drug LSD (D-lysergic acid diethylamide) and 5-HT in peripheral systems. More recent studies have shown that the two major classes of psychedelic hallucinogens, the indoleamines (e.g., LSD) and phenethylamines (e.g. , mescaline), produce their central effects through a common...
Neural Networks
2000
J R Peláez
Pattern completion in a neural network model of the thalamus and a biologically plausible model of synaptic plasticity are the key concepts used in this paper for analyzing some cognitive disorders that involve hallucinations of several kinds: visual hallucinations in the Charles Bonnet syndrome and psychedelic drugs consumption, somatic hallucination in phantom limbs, cognitive hallucinations...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
December 1, 1998
Ralph Metzner
140 citations
Western psychotherapy and indigenous shamanic healing systems have both used psychoactive drugs or plants for healing and obtaining knowledge (called "diagnosis" or "divination" respectively). While there are superficial similarities between psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and shamanic healing with hallucinogenic plants, there are profound differences in the underlying worldview and...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
1998
P L Delgado, F A Moreno
The serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmitter system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Blockade of 5-HT reuptake appears to be an important initial neurobiological event in the therapeutic mechanism of action of antiobsessional drugs. However, for reasons that continue to be poorly understood, clinical...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 1997
Betty Grover Eisner
129 citations
The future use of psychedelics as an aid to therapeutic change is bound to come. The best source of information on how to use these extraordinary drugs is clearly a detailed description of the successes (and failures) of those researchers who have used these compounds to bring curative, creative and growth-potentiating experiences to their patients. A study of their work is recommended in order...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
April 1, 1996
Karl R. Hanes
52 citations
Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Research Unit, Mental Health Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja)
1996
Pablo López de Osaba
Psilocybin is investigated as a fast-acting antidepressant used in conjunction with psychotherapy. Intact cognitive functions, including memory, are one of the basic conditions of effective psychedelic-assisted therapy. While cognitive and memory processing is attenuated on various domains during psilocybin intoxication, the effect of psilocybin on the consolidation of memories learned outside...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
1994
Thomas J. Riedlinger, June E. Riedlinger
39 citations
CNS deficiency of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) has been implicated as a biochemical basis in some forms of depression. Existing drug modalities for treating depression include some with serotonergic effects. Studies suggest that psychedelic drugs are also serotonergic. This may indicate a role for psychedelics in the treatment of depression. Such treatment has already been attempted using...
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
July 1, 1993
Thomas J. Riedlinger
6 citations
Before gaining notoriety as a promoter of the psychedelic drug experience, Timothy Leary established impressive credentials in the field of interpersonal psychology and was developing a humanistic form of psychotherapy he called "existential-transactional." This article plots the evolution of his work in these areas, from publication of his classic Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality (1957),...