Early Psychedelic Investigators Reflect on the Psychological and Social Implications of their Research
Journal of Humanistic Psychology – October 01, 2006
Source: CrossRef
Summary
Before legal restrictions, early psychedelic research yielded over 1,000 clinical reports on profound psychological effects and therapeutic possibilities. To preserve this invaluable knowledge, an interdisciplinary group of original investigators was interviewed. Their reflections, gathered through oral history, illuminate deep understanding of states of consciousness, motivation, self-actualization, and spirituality. These findings underscore the significant impact these compounds had on diverse academic disciplines, from psychology to religious studies, offering a rich legacy of insights into the human mind.
Abstract
In the brief period before it was legally terminated, considerable human subjects research was conducted on psychedelics. More than 1,000 clinical reports documented a wide array of psychological effects and therapeutic possibilities. The findings held major implications for disciplines as diverse as psychology, psychiatry, neuro-science, anthropology, sociology, and religious studies. Psychological and psychiatric findings included insights into states of consciousness, the unconscious, and the relationship of different schools of psychology, motivation, self-actualization, spirituality, psychotherapy, and adjunctive therapies. With further human subjects studies virtually impossible, the original investigators clearly constitute an irreplaceable resource of information. An interdisciplinary group of surviving investigators was therefore convened and interviewed to obtain an oral history of the findings and implications of their research. This article provides a summary of their conclusions, of the psychological and social implications of their research, and of the impact their research had on diverse academic disciplines.