Psychedelic psychotherapy refers to psychotherapeutic practices involving the use of psychedelic drugs. As an alternative to synonyms such as "hallucinogen", "entheogen", "psychotomimetic" and other functionally constructed names, the use of the term psychedelic ("mind-manifesting") emphasizes the ability of psychedelic drugs to facilitate exploration of the psyche, which is fundamental to most methods of psychedelic psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a set of techniques intended to improve mental health, emotional or behavioral issues in individuals, who are often called clients. These issues often make it hard for people to manage their lives and achieve their goals. ... The word psychedelic is a neologism coined from the Greek words for mind, ψυχη (psyche), and manifest, δηλειν (delein). ... Many drugs are provided in tablet form. ... Hallucinogenic drug - drugs that can alter sensory perceptions. ... The word entheogen is a modern term derived from two Ancient Greek words, ενθεος (entheos) and γενεσθαι (genesthai). ...

History

Psychedelic psychotherapy in the broadest possible sense of the term is likely as old as humanity's ancient knowledge of hallucinogenic plants itself. Though usually viewed as predominantly religious in nature, elements of psychotherapeutic practice can be recognized in the entheogenic rituals of many cultures. Divisions Green algae land plants (embryophytes) non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses vascular plants (tracheophytes) seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongue ferns seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The word entheogen is a modern term derived from two Ancient Greek words, ενθεος (entheos) and γενεσθαι (genesthai). ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ... Cultural studies developed in the late 20th century, in part through the re-introduction of Marxist thought into sociology, and in part through the articulation of sociology and other academic disciplines such as literary criticism. ...

The use of psychedelic agents in Western psychotherapy began in the 1950s, after the widespread distribution of LSD to researchers by its manufacturer, Sandoz Laboratories. Extensive research into experimental, chemotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs was conducted worldwide over the next 10-15 years. Many studies found that the use of psychedelic drugs greatly facilitated psychotherapeutic processes, and proved particularly useful for patients with problems that were otherwise difficult to treat, including alcoholics, drug addicts, sociopaths, and psychopaths. The term Western World or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... D-lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called acid, LSD, or LSD-25, is a powerful semisynthetic psychedelic drug. ... Sandoz Laboratories was a Swiss pharmaceutical company, best known for inventing LSD in 1938 and later marketing it as a psychiatric miracle drug under the trade name Delysid. ... Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. ... Polish propaganda poster saying: Stop drinking! Come with us and build a happy tomorrow. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ... Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ...

In the mid-1960s, in response to concerns regarding the proliferation unauthorized use of psychedelic drugs by the general public (especially the counterculture), various steps were taken to curtail their use. Bowing to governmental pressure, Sandoz halted production of LSD in 1965, and in many countries LSD was banned, or made available on a very limited basis that made research difficult. By 1980 authorized research into psychotherapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs had essentially discontinued, worldwide. 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... In sociology, counterculture is a term used to describe a cultural group whose values and norms are at odds with those of the social mainstream, a cultural equivalent of a political opposition. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ...

Research and therapeutic sessions have nevertheless continued to be performed, in one way or another, to the present day. Some therapists have exploited windows of opportunity preceding scheduling of particular substances (e.g. MDMA, Salvia divinorum), or developed extensive non-drug techniques for achieving similar states of consciousness (e.g. Holotropic Breathwork). A handful of researchers, especially since the late 1990s, have succeeded in obtaining legal permission for research studies. For the most part, however, since the early 1970s psychedelic therapy has been conducted by an underground network of therapists who consider the potential benefits of psychedelic psychotherapy to be so great as to justify risking their careers and freedom by clandestinely conducting therapy sessions using illegal substances. ecstasy and religious ecstasy MDMA, most commonly known today by the street name ecstasy, is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family whose primary effect is to stimulate the brain to rapidly secrete large amounts of serotonin, causing a general sense of openness, empathy, energy, euphoria, and well-being. ... Binomial name Salvia divinorum Salvia divinorum (also known as diviners sage, ska María Pastora or simply salvia) is a psychoactive plant, a member of the sage genus and the Lamiaceae (mint) family. ... Holotropic Breathwork is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Stanislav Grof which allows access to nonordinary states of consciousness. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Methods

The effects of psychedelic drugs on the human mind are complex, varied and difficult to characterize, and as a result many different "flavors" of psychedelic psychotherapy have been developed by individual practitioners. Some aspects of published accounts of methodologies are discussed below.

Psycholytic Therapy

Psycholytic therapy involves the use of low to medium doses of psychedelic drugs, repeatedly at intervals of 1-2 weeks. The therapist is present during the peak of the experience and at other times as required, to assist the patient in processing material that arises and to offer support when necessary. The name, coined by Ronald A. Sandison, literally meaning "mind-dissolving", refers to the process of dissolving conflicts in the mind. Psycholytic therapy is historically the predominant approach to psychedelic psychotherapy in Europe. World map showing location of Europe When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ...

Psychedelic Therapy

Psychedelic therapy involves the use of very high doses of psychedelic drugs, with the aim of promoting transcendental, ecstatic, religious or mystical peak experiences. This approach differs strongly from the dialog-based processing of psychodynamic material upon which many other methodologies are based. As such, it is more closely aligned to transpersonal psychology than to traditional psychoanalysis. Psychedelic therapy is primarily practiced in North America. Transcendental in philosophical contexts In philosophy, transcendental experiences are experiences of an exclusively human nature that are other-worldly or beyond the human realm of understanding. ... ecstasy (drug) and religious ecstasy Ecstasy, from the Greek ekstasis, to be outside oneself, is a category of trance or trancelike states in which an individual transcends ordinary consciousness and as a result has a heightened capacity for exceptional thought or experience. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ... Transpersonal psychology is a school of psychology that studies the spiritual and transpersonal dimensions of humanity, and the possibilty of development beyond traditional ego-boundaries. ... Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods within the field of psychotherapy that work to elucidate connections among unconscious components of patients mental processes, and to do so in a systematic way through a process of tracing out associations. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west...

Developments from 1980 — present

Owing to the largely clandestine nature of psychedelic therapy in this period, little information is available concerning the methods that have been used. Individuals to have published information on psychedelic psychotherapy in this period include Stanislav Grof (LSD Psychotherapy), Ann Shulgin (TIHKAL, with Alexander Shulgin), Myron Stolaroff (The Secret Chief, about the underground therapy done by Leo Zeff) and Athanasios Kafkalides. Stanislav Grof (born 1931) is one of the founders of the field of Transpersonal psychology and a pioneer researcher on the use of altered states of consciousness (otherwise known as nonordinary states of consciousness) for healing, growth, and insight. ... Ann Shulgin (born March 22, 1931) is an author and wife of famous chemist Alexander Shulgin. ... TiHKAL is a 1997 book written by Dr Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin about tryptamines. ... Alexander Sasha Shulgin (born June 17, 1925) is a pharmacologist, chemist and drug developer. ... Myron J. Stolaroff (born August 20, 1920) is an author and researcher who is best known for his studies involving psychedelic psychotherapy. ... Dr. Athanassios Kafkalides was a Greek neuropsychiatrist. ...

References

• Stanislav Grof, LSD Psychotherapy, 1980. (3rd edn. MAPS, ISBN 096600194X [2001])
• Myron Stolaroff, The Secret Chief: Conversations with a pioneer of the underground psychedelic therapy movement, MAPS 1997. ISBN 0-9660019-0-7 (hardcover) ISBN 0-9660019-1-5 (paperback)

See Also

• Psychedelic
• Hallucinogenic drug
• Entheogen
• Psychotherapy
• Transpersonal psychology
• Stanislav Grof
• Humphry Osmond
• Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)

The word psychedelic is a neologism coined from the Greek words for mind, ψυχη (psyche), and manifest, δηλειν (delein). ... Hallucinogenic drugs or hallucinogens are drugs that can alter sensory perceptions, elicit alternate states of consciousness, or cause hallucinations. ... The word entheogen is a modern term derived from two Ancient Greek words, ενθεος (entheos) and γενεσθαι (genesthai). ... Psychotherapy is a set of techniques intended to improve mental health, emotional or behavioral issues in individuals, who are often called clients. These issues often make it hard for people to manage their lives and achieve their goals. ... Transpersonal psychology is a school of psychology that studies the spiritual and transpersonal dimensions of humanity, and the possibilty of development beyond traditional ego-boundaries. ... Stanislav Grof (born 1931) is one of the founders of the field of Transpersonal psychology and a pioneer researcher on the use of altered states of consciousness (otherwise known as nonordinary states of consciousness) for healing, growth, and insight. ... Humphry Fortescue Osmond (July 1, 1917 - February 6, 2004) was a British psychiatrist, known for coining the word psychedelic and his groundbreaking research in using psychedelic drugs in medical research. ... The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a non-profit organization that aims to assist scientists to design, fund, obtain approval for and report on studies into the risks and benefits of MDMA, psychedelic drugs and marijuana. ...

External Links

• History of LSD Therapy (Ch. 1 of Grof's, LSD Psychotherapy)
• Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
• Free online books about psychedelic psychotherapy at MAPS, including The Secret Chief
• Recent Psychedelic Research, summary at MAPS site
• Athanasios Kafkalides, psychedelic therapist and researcher : biography, information and writings
• Eleusis, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Center: Featuring the pioneering technique of Ketamine psychedelic psychotherapy