Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie
June 1, 2005
Erika Dyck
88 citations
LSD research in psychiatry is often linked to CIA-funded experiments, but in Saskatchewan, psychiatrists Humphry Osmond and Abram Hoffer conducted widespread therapeutic trials after World War II. Initially drawn to LSD for its ability to produce a "model psychosis," they used it to hypothesize a biochemical basis for schizophrenia. Drawing on hospital records, interviews, and private papers, this historical analysis shows these trials were a fruitful branch of psychiatric research alongside early psychopharmacological agents like chlorpromazine and imipramine. The experiments ultimately failed for two reasons: the shift toward randomized controlled trials, which the Saskatchewan researchers did not adopt, and the criminalization of LSD due to its association with counterculture movements.
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie
February 1, 1983
A Seltzer
7 citations
Three cases of spirit possession were examined for shared psychodynamic roots. The spirits appeared to function as culture-bound defense mechanisms and problem-solving efforts in people with unresolved conflicts around anomic anxiety, dependency, sexual identity, and aggression. Symptoms were interpreted as attempts at conflict resolution. The psychodynamic process is described as a transitional phase in psychic development, between externalizing and internalizing intrapsychic distress, and between collective and individual ego solutions to life stress. Therapy is aided by understanding myths, customs, and culturally significant healing methods.
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie
March 1, 1979
J E Runions
6 citations
Mystical experiences occur across a wide range of conditions—epilepsy, toxicity, organic brain syndromes, major psychoses, hysterical dissociative states, and in apparently normal persons. The experience can significantly impact personality. The author warns psychiatrists against two common errors: reductionism, which defines mystical experience solely in pathological terms, and speculation without adequate philosophical or theological tools.