Beyond LSD: A Broader Psychedelic Zeitgeist during the Early to Mid-20thCentury
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs – March 06, 2019
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
The prevailing view that LSD's 1943 discovery solely fueled the 1950s-1960s psychedelic research boom is incomplete. A broader zeitgeist in the history of psychology paved the way. Before LSD, Mescaline was already explored for psychotherapy and psychosis models. Psilocybin, another hallucinogen, also emerged. Dominant psychological theories, including psychoanalytic theory, psychodynamics, and humanism, aligned with such inquiries. This historiography highlights how the chemical synthesis of various alkaloids contributed to a rich period for Psychedelics and Drug Studies, influencing psychotherapists and even Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies, beyond just one drug.
Abstract
During the 1950s and 1960s, there was a tremendous surge in research into the effects of psychedelic drugs. When discussing this period of research, the discovery of the psychoactive properties of LSD in 1943 is often presented as the main, and sometimes only, driving force of the boom in research. This "Great Person," or "Great Chemical," historiographical lens fails to acknowledge other factors that were fundamental in setting the stage for the research. In particular, other psychedelic drugs, such as mescaline, were already being probed for their uses in psychotherapy and as models for psychosis before the effects of LSD had been discovered. Psilocybin and other classical psychedelics had also been discovered by Western researchers around the same time as the synthesis of LSD. Additionally, many of the dominant zeitgeists (e.g., pharmacological, psychoanalytic, and humanistic) in psychology during this period were congruent with psychedelic research. This article argues that while the discovery of LSD may have been a catalyst for psychedelic research in the 1950s and '60s, there was a broader psychedelic zeitgeist that deserves acknowledgement for setting the stage.