Im sure you guys are all aware of the sad passing of Albert Hoffman yesterday (the scientist who first synthesised LSD).
You may or may not be aware that the swiss government gave the go ahead for new medical research to be carried out on this fascinating substance last December, new clinical trials on alleviating the anxiety of cancer patients is due to start this year.
LSD was used as a psychiatric drug for over 10 years before it was made illicit, and was shown to be very successful in helping people overcome alcohol addiction, indeed the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous was a patient of LSD therapy and an avid fan.
There is also some evidence for the beneficial effects of LSD on autistc children.
Anecdotal evidence points towards LSD being an effective treatment for cluster and migraine headaches.
So, what do you guys think?
Is there any place for LSD in 21st century medicine?
LSD are the tears of jebus himself, its fantastic stuff in the low microgram range. I wouldnt recommend using it if you were susceptible to suggestion though, or even schizophrenic/bipoolar etc.
How has LSD effected you?Originally Posted by bobdezon
Back in my timothy leary days I thoroughly enjoyed the stuff, never had a hallucination etc. Just a very pleasant experience. The random avenues of thought opened up to you under its influence are amazingly complicated, but also conversely quite simple.
Yes, but what i meant was how did it effect you personally.
In what way?Can you cite an example?
Like can you give an account of an experience and relate how it has helped you, did you find it made you more, insightful, creative, mystical, happier etc etc and why you think it did this
Well, It starts off just being fun. You find the most mildly comical situations hilarious but not for the reasons they are supposed to be. You see a erm? deeper reason as to why its funny. The brain just seems to make bizarre randomised connections that fit. I would imagine its like how an idiot savant can see the world, they function at a level beyond us, but only in specific areas.
Creative, I cannot really comment about. I did not find myself being more creative except in maybe thought processes. Its quite easy to make strange connections between previously seemingly unconnected things.
It certainly made me happier, but then I was happy before I tried it. Happiness returned to normal levels after its effects wear off (8 hours approx) I think it could possibly have applications as an anti depressant in small regulated doses.
What I like most about it (or did, it has been a LONG time since I last tried it) is the strangest most bizarre otherworldy experiences seem to happen, and all the time. I have experienced things I have a hard time explaining rationally. I cannot say these experiences were real although they certainly seemed to be at the time. Ive never seen a hallucination (I think?) that left physical evidence afterwards, and Ive had that happen. Ive never experienced a hallucination that seemingly defied the laws of physics, but yet Ive also seen that happen.
I have been present with people not under the influence (of anything), who have witnessed the results of this too. This is why I cannot rationally explain some of the things I have witnessed. Its like your not quite fully in this reality as we know it, and sometimes you bring a souvenir back. Its like your an observer, or you are conducting an experiement on a controlled situation. Its really hard to explain unless you have experienced something similar yourself at some point.
Sometimes you see something that is real, and yet the connection you make with it literally blows your mind. Like the time I seen a postman with no arms. (he didnt really have any arms btw)
One of my deepest regrets is that I never tried it. Know plenty of people who have though, and at least one says it sorted his head out.
I had one experience with mushrooms where I felt a whole load of stuff got rearranged. I closed my eyes, and once all the visual stuff was cut off (colours, shapes changing, trails, that kind of thing), my mind just went into this swirling mass of thoughts and associations. I remember "coming back up" to opening my eyes- it felt like mentally coming back up from diving in a pool. Layers and layers of thought I had to push up through to get back to being conscious of myself, my surroundings, the outside world.
I don't remember what thoughts I had, just that they were constant and flowing and that I felt some things got sorted out in there. No idea of the truth of it. If you could play back the free-association of thoughts it may well be utter gibberish. *shrug*
Edit: I also have no idea how long it went on for. Could have been 2 minutes or an hour, I had no clue.
Possibly; but the evidence of benefit to date has been gathered in poorly designed trials by 'believers', so it's not a case of the jury being out, there is as yet no evidence to present.
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