A Comparison of the Phenomenology of Hallucinogens and Schizophrenia From Some Autobiographical Accounts*

Most reviews comparing the phenomenology of hallucinogens and schizophrenia rely on scientists' summaries of research-subject interviews. Autobiographical accounts of both drug experiences and schizophrenia exist but are rarely compared directly. This paper identifies a gap: no review has compared the subjective phenomenology of drug experiences and schizophrenia using only first-person autobiographies. Previous work by Hoffer and Osmond drew conclusions from second-hand accounts; Kaplan edited autobiographical accounts from people with mental illnesses and drug experiences; Metzner collected autobiographical accounts of mescaline, psilocybin, and LSD experiences; Freedman reviewed autobiographical accounts of schizophrenia, focusing on the structure and process of schizophrenic thinking.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Over the years there have been many reviews of the phenomenology of hallucinogens and schizophrenia. The vast majority of these have been written by scientists who interviewed research subjects and subsequently extracted and summarized the experiences of these subjects. Comparisons of schizophrenia with drug-induced experiences have proven useful in directing further research aimed at increasing understanding of both phenomena. As Knauer and Maloney (1913) point out, Kraepelin employed this strategyin some of his studies. A somewhat different strategy involves the use of autobiographical accounts. Although a number of autobiographies describing drug experiences and schizophrenia have been written, reviews of these accounts are far less common. In fact, a comparison of the subjective phenomenology of drug experiences and schizophrenia relying exclusively on autobiographies seems to be nonexistent. Hoffer and Osmond (1967), who attach considerable significance to autobiographical accounts of drug experiences in understanding hallucinogens and schizophrenia, have drawn the bulk of their conclusions from second-hand accounts; Kaplan (1964) edited a series of autobiographical accounts by people with a variety of mental illnesses as well as an account from a mescaline experience and another with hashish; Metzner (1968) collected a wealth of autobiographical accounts of experiences with mescaline, psilocybin, and d-lysergic acid (LSD). More recently, Freedman (1974) has reviewed autobiographical accounts of schizophrenia including those told directly to another writer. Her effort focuses on the structure and process of schizophrenic thinking