Canadian Medical Association Journal
September 8, 2015
Kenneth W. Tupper, Evan Wood, Richard Yensen et al.
189 citations
Clinical research worldwide is again investigating psychedelic substances as treatments for addiction, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This renewed interest follows a period of research that ran from the 1950s until it was terminated, and the abstract indicates that current studies are exploring these substances' therapeutic potential for those conditions.
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs
January 1, 1977
William A. Richards, John Rhead, Francesco B. Dileo et al.
95 citations
In a 1977 study of dipropyltryptamine (DPT)-assisted psychotherapy with cancer patients, the occurrence of a peak experience during a drug session was associated with better therapeutic outcomes. Among 128 patients, those who had a peak experience showed greater reductions in anxiety, depression, and pain, and improved quality of life compared to those who did not. The authors suggest that the peak experience may be a key variable in the effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapy for this population.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
October 1, 1976
Richard Yensen, Francesco B. Di Leo, John Rhead et al.
51 citations
Ten neurotic outpatients (five men, five women) received up to 75 hours of psychotherapy over 2 to 6 months, with 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) administered as an adjunct in two to four sessions. The drug was well tolerated with no serious side effects. Pre- and post-treatment psychometric assessments, including the MMPI, Wittenborn Psychiatric Rating Scales, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, showed significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive traits, along with improvements in well-being and self-actualization. No patient worsened. A 6-month follow-up using the same measures plus a Social History Questionnaire supported these improvements.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
October 1, 1985
Richard Yensen
20 citations
LSD and similar drugs produce psychological effects too powerful and unique to be studied as ordinary psychotropic compounds. Researchers' theoretical expectations strongly influence the subjective effects and treatment outcomes. Double-blind controlled studies are inappropriate for LSD because neither active nor inactive placebos can create an effective blind. Studying human consciousness requires recognizing that measurement methods can alter the processes under investigation, analogous to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle in physics. Current research tools may be so crude that results primarily reflect the effects of measurement itself. Despite these challenges, the need to advance understanding of the human mind demands continued responsible study of these substances, potentially learning from societies that have integrated them into their social order.