Psychedelic Drugs Research

Document Type:Research Paper

Subject Area:Management

Document 1

On the grounds of lack of scientific evidence that prove effectiveness of a particular alternative remedy procedure, a number of otherwise helpful but unrecognized medications have been rendered unfit or even illegal for application in any medical context (Christine). It is on these grounds that the psychedelic drugs have been rendered unfit for medicinal application. Psychedelic drugs are those psychoactive drugs whose major function is to alter the thought procedure of the human mind. These drugs are thought to induce psychedelic experiences through serotonin receptors agonism hence leading to thought and visual/audio changes of the user. Compared to other psychoactive substances such as stimulants that induces energized effects and opioids that cause relaxed euphoric feelings, psychedelics tend to change the normal conscious experiences that is sometimes compared to abnormal forms of consciousness such as near death experiences, trance, religious ecstasy, meditation, and dreaming among others (Issues & Controversies).

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The third type of psychedelic drug is known as Psilocybin which occurs naturally as psychedelic prodrug compound that is found in most of the mushroom species that are collectively referred to as psilocybin mushrooms. The effects of this psychedelic drug are mostly related to those of LSD, mescaline and N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT or N,N-DMT) in addition to spiritual experiences, distorted sense of time, nausea as well as panic attack in its extreme reactions. The term psychedelic is derived from two Greek words, psyche which means mind and soul and delein meaning to manifest. Therefore, the term means soul-manifesting which means that psychedelic drugs are capable of accessing the soul as well as developing psychological potentials of a human being. Hence, the drug has found both religious as well as medical application from the ancient times to the present due to its perceived ability to promote mental as well as physical healing.

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The case of the two American women, Thelma Moss and Adelle Davis is one of the primary source account cases of trip whose outcome of application of the recommended doses of psychedelic drugs proved positive in curing their moods disorders and restoring confidence in their personalities. “After visiting a psychologists who administered doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the women’s minds were removed from their normal states and taken into the world of fantasy by the hallucinogenic effects of this psychedelic drugs after which they were guided out of this hallucinatory state by the their therapists. After the two women were successfully guided out of their drug state, they were found to have regained their normal states by discovering their personalities; Davis discovered her spiritual healing and peace while Moss came to her sexual awareness”( Cook ,79).

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The discovering of the personalities by the two women after they took the recommended doses of LSD and guided out of their drug state by their psychologists is one of the proves that psychedelic drugs are as useful as other drugs that have been used for treating similar disorders. All that is needed is carefulness and keen monitoring and guidance to the victims to enable them come down from their hallucinatory world. “The start of approving the psychedelic researches by the FDA in the late 1990s revealed the public’s appreciation of researches on the possible effects of these drug substances on the welfare of human mind and the general body. As Sean confirms, it is after this period that the discovery and appreciation of the usefulness of the psychedelic hallucinogens started gaining root in the public sphere especially after several researches whose results were positive.

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This is confirmed by the 2001 case where Francisco Moreno leading a team of researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson to test the impacts of controlled psilocybin therapy on the patients of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The concluding results of this investigation were positive and this and other few cases were the turning points of appreciation of the medical usefulness of psychedelic drugs. ”(Issues & Controversies). This positive effects of psychedelic drugs which are mainly hallucinatory in their effects can be realize only if they are taken in the medical setting and under controlled situations, a fact that most of the medical practitioners and other relevant officials are not availing to the public (Lopez). “This fact has not been popularized especially in the public domains since the policy makers are never comfortable in revealing the crucial facts about the hallucinogens to the public.

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The political will not only in US but in other countries are also far from supporting the legalization of hallucinogens despite of their wide uses. ” (Lopez). The public therefore is not aware of the facts and possibly the medical merits that hallucinogens can confer especially to those struggling with various mental disorders. ”Any person of reputable character and the courage to venture into researches on the possible importance of psychedelic has to do it with care especially on their reputations in the public domains”(Sean). This paints a dark picture of any possible chance of the public to realize the importance of psychedelic drugs in their communities. However, following various experts’ analysis and global accounts of the medical value that psychedelic drugs haveS, the popularity of these drugs has started to regain roots in the public domains supported by a body of growing evidence on the effectiveness of hallucinogen in curing several mental conditions across the globe.

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“The first ever clinical investigation of medical uses of psilocybin in the United Kingdom was performed by Robin Carhart-Harris of Imperial College London in treating drug-resistance depression. The results of his investigation rekindled hopes of possible medical uses of psychedelic drugs since 5 out of the patients showed remarkable improvement in their health conditions after a period of treatment ”(Sean ). “The outcome of several sessions of psychedelic therapy with drug-free medical sessions was positive indicating the usefulness of psychedelic drugs in the medical field. ”(Kenneth, Evan, Richard and Mathew). This disapprove the earlier claims that alternative medications involving the use of psychedelic drug substances is ineffective and abusive, a factor that led to the states’ outlawing of the psychedelic-related medications. These and many other cases of successful application of psychedelic –related medications for treating various disorders particularly those related to the mental states of human beings have proved the effectiveness of psychedelic hallucinogens hence calling for the re-examination of the methodological designs, existing ethical structures and clinical protocols that regards the use of psychedelic drug substances in the health sectors.

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