AA, Bill Wilson, Carl Jung and LSD.
Robert McDonnell, John Moriarty, Ian Mc Cabe, Emily Higgins
The Journal of analytical psychology September 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/1468-5922.13027 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractBill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, advocated using LSD to help alcoholics grasp the spiritual aspect of the 12-step program, writing a letter to Carl Jung detailing his own LSD use and success in treating alcoholics. Jung died a week after receiving the letter, before he could respond. The article quotes Jung's previous hostile opinions on psychedelics and asks whether he might have changed his mind, as he did on groups, had he seen the documented success of LSD with recalcitrant alcoholics.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | LSD |
| Topics | Addiction LSD |
| Keywords | Alcoholics anonymous aa Aud Alcohólicos anónimos Alcolisti anonimi Alcooliques anonymes |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | Bill Wilson sought Carl Jung's advice on using LSD to help alcoholics, but Jung died before responding, prompting the question of whether Jung would have changed his negative views on psychedelics. |
Abstract
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an established resource for people suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA, in his second letter to Jung referred to its low success rate. One evidence-based alternative, dating back to the 1950s, is the clinical use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for treating AUD. Bill Wilson was a strong advocate of using LSD as a preparation for alcoholics who had difficulty grasping the spiritual aspect of the 12-step programme. Bill Wilson wrote a "secret" four-page letter to Carl Jung detailing his own use of LSD and the success two psychiatrists in Canada had in treating alcoholics and asked for his advice on using LSD to help alcoholics. Aniela Jaffé, a Jungian analyst and co-worker of Jung, replied to Wilson on May 29, 1961, "… as soon as Dr. Jung feels better and has enough strength to begin again his mail, I will show it to him." Jung died a week later. This article quotes Jung's previous hostile opinions on psychedelics and asks: Just as Jung overcame his negative views on groups when giving "complete instructions" on extending the 12-step programme of AA to "general neurotics", might he similarly have changed his mind when he saw the documented success of using LSD with recalcitrant alcoholics?