Peter Fraterdeus
Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:48:15 -0700
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/science/12psychedelics.html?src=me&ref=homepage
Very important reading about clinical uses for depression, anxiety, etc. This is the resumption of research which was quashed through political/religious/cultural repression of free inquiry (specifically in academia, to say nothing of the freedom to ones own choice of consciousness alteration) from the 1960s forward. The subtext, of course, is that if people start to find true inner states which remind them of the interconnection of all life, all consciousness, it's very hard to maintain a consumerist, right-wing, repressive politics. Doh. ;-) ---------- Excerpt below. Whole article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/science/12psychedelics.html?src=me&ref=homepage Hallucinogens Have Doctors Tuning In Again By JOHN TIERNEY Published: April 11, 2010 As a retired clinical psychologist, Clark Martin was well acquainted with traditional treatments for depression, but his own case seemed untreatable as he struggled through chemotherapy and other grueling regimens for kidney cancer. Counseling seemed futile to him. So did the antidepressant pills he tried. “It was a whole personality shift for me. I wasn’t any longer attached to my performance and trying to control things. I could see that the really good things in life will happen if you just show up and share your natural enthusiasms with people.” Nothing had any lasting effect until, at the age of 65, he had his first psychedelic experience. He left his home in Vancouver, Wash., to take part in an experiment at Johns Hopkins medical school involving psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient found in certain mushrooms. Scientists are taking a new look at hallucinogens, which became taboo among regulators after enthusiasts like Timothy Leary promoted them in the 1960s with the slogan “Turn on, tune in, drop out.” Now, using rigorous protocols and safeguards, scientists have won permission to study once again the drugs’ potential for treating mental problems and illuminating the nature of consciousness. After taking the hallucinogen, Dr. Martin put on an eye mask and headphones, and lay on a couch listening to classical music as he contemplated the universe. “All of a sudden, everything familiar started evaporating,” he recalled. “Imagine you fall off a boat out in the open ocean, and you turn around, and the boat is gone. And then the water’s gone. And then you’re gone.” Today, more than a year later, Dr. Martin credits that six-hour experience with helping him overcome his depression and profoundly transforming his relationships with his daughter and friends. He ranks it among the most meaningful events of his life, which makes him a fairly typical member of a growing club of experimental subjects. ... --- Peter Fraterdeus Exquisite letterpress takes time™ http://slowprint.com/ IdeasWords : Idea Swords Communication Strategy Semiotx.com @ideaswords _______________________________________________ ParlorTricks mailing list ParlorTricks@eiotx.net http://www.eiotx.net/mailman/listinfo/parlortricks