Journal of Drug Issues
January 1, 1992
Charles Grob, Marlene Dobkin De Rios
49 citations
In three tribal societies—Australian Aboriginal males, Tshogana Tsonga females, and Chumash youth—adolescents ingest hallucinogenic plants during initiation rituals as part of a managed, short-term socialization process led by elders for religious and pedagogical purposes. This contrasts with abusive drug patterns among American adolescents. The analysis highlights hypersuggestibility as a cultural technique used to normalize youth in these societies, in contrast to the pathological drug ingestion patterns seen among American adolescents.
JAMA network open
June 3, 2024
Amy L McGuire, I Glenn Cohen, Dominic Sisti et al.
41 citations
A consensus statement from a 2023 meeting of 27 experts identifies 20 points of consensus across five ethical issues for integrating psychedelic medicines into mainstream medical practice: reparations and reciprocity, equity, and respect; informed consent; professional boundaries and physical touch; personal experience; and gatekeeping. The meeting included clinicians, researchers, Indigenous groups, industry, philanthropy, veterans, retreat facilitators, training programs, and bioethicists. The statement focuses on government-approved medical use in the US and abroad, emphasizing that policymakers must address challenges ahead while acknowledging the hopeful moment.
Archives of General Psychiatry
March 1, 1990
Charles Grob
34 citations
A letter to the editor critiques a study that attempted to assess serotonergic neurotransmitter damage in MDMA users by measuring serum prolactin response to an intravenous L-tryptophan challenge. The study found a blunted rise in prolactin levels among MDMA users, but this result was not statistically significant. The letter argues that even a significant result would not imply causation and highlights a methodological limitation: subjects were not adequately screened for use of other psychotropic drugs, and toxicology screens were not performed. Three subjects (33%) admitted to marijuana use, raising concerns about confounding factors.
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
January 1, 2023
C Bree Johnston, Maria Mangini, Charles Grob et al.
33 citations
Psychedelics such as psilocybin and MDMA show promise for treating mood disorders, PTSD, prolonged grief, and psychological distress from serious illness in older adults, and may aid dementia patients or promote personal growth in healthy seniors. Both compounds act on the 5HT2A receptor and can be safely given to healthy adults under controlled conditions, but they raise blood pressure and heart rate, posing risks for older adults with cardiovascular disease. Few older adults or those with multiple health conditions have been included in clinical trials, limiting generalizability. More research is needed on safety and efficacy in this population.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
April 1, 2004
Huston Smith, Charles Grob, Robert Jesse et al.
29 citations
Huston Smith revisits his influential article on whether drugs have religious import. Drawing on personal experience, he discusses how psychedelic experiences have shaped religious traditions and contemplative practices, citing the ancient Vedic tradition, the Eleusinian mysteries, and the contemporary Native American Church. He reflects on why the 1960s psychedelic movement failed to produce lasting social change, critiques current drug policy and culture, and emphasizes the role of elders in society.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
March 1, 2022
Harriet de Wit, Anya K Bershad, Charles Grob
11 citations
The psychological processes by which mind-altering drugs improve mood or behavior remain poorly understood. Controlled laboratory studies using well-defined psychological constructs can help reveal how these drugs produce therapeutic benefits, but substantial methodological differences exist between clinical studies of therapeutic outcomes and laboratory studies of underlying mechanisms. Using MDMA as an example, this review examines differences in expectancies, social and physical context, participant characteristics, pharmacological factors, and outcome measures between studies with and without psychiatric participants. It describes challenges and opportunities in translating laboratory findings to clinical settings and identifies ways to bridge the gap between these research approaches.