This is not really new, after all a host of religions across the globe use some such drugs in various ways with special success in tackling alcoholism and existential anxiety in general. Also independent researchers such as the "father of LSD" Albert Hofmann have for long defended their usefulness in psychotherapy. But still it's good to see that the same line of thought keeps reappearing once and again in spite of the institutional demonization of psychedelics. As reported by News Daily today, Franz Vollenweider and Michael Kometer, argue that drugs such as LSD or Psylocibes (magic mushrooms) have a lot of potential in psychotherapy, with the additional advantage that they would be used only for short periods, at low doses in combination with psychotherapy.
Psychedelics can give patients a new perspective -- particularly when things like suppressed memories come up -- and then they can work with that experience.
Mental illnesses...... are serious, debilitating, life-shortening illnesses, and as the currently available treatments have high failure rates, psychedelics might offer alternative treatment strategies that could improve the well-being of patients and the associated economic burden on patients and society.
But Big Pharma surely prefers to have them taking their mostly useless (and potentially harmful) products for life, regardless of outcome.
Albert Hofmann, best known as the discoverer of LSD (d-lysergic acid diethyilamide), has died at the venerable age of 102, apparently of a heart attack. His wife Anita preceded him by few months.
Two years ago his 100th birthday was celebrated at global level with the Basel LSD International Symposium, where he was one of the lecturers and showed to be in great shape.
Hofmann, first sythetized LSD in 1938, but in that occasion it was set aside with just minimal testing. He synthetized again the drug on April 16th 1943, accidentally ingesting a minimal ammount and being therefore the first human ever to experience the drug, even if mildly. Three days, on April 19th, later he decided to test it again on himself, taking 250 micrograms of the substance. That day he really had a good trip, while riding back home on his bycicle and the day has passed to history as Bycicle Day.
In 1958 he sythetized psylocibine and psilocine, the active components of "magic mushrooms" (genus Psylocibe). He also studied olioluqui, finding chemicals related to LSD in it.
Enlightened by his psychodelic experiences, he became a resolute defendant of these substances, specially his "problem child", LSD, the only known drug able to act in such ridiculously tiny ammounts. He was very upset about the demonization and total ilegallization of this substance that he (and many others) considered a blessing, a gate to the other half of reality, a hidden half that the reactionary policial forces of the world want to banish or keep hidden - because they intuitively know how much at risk is their socio-psychological control, the illness they feed on like the rotten parasites they are.
We will miss you, Albert, but over anything we will always be in debt with you for your fascinating discoveries, for your scientifical breach of the doors of perception. People like you are who make Humankind and Life really worth it.
Enjoy!
________
Other obituaries/biographies:
- Hofmann Foundation
- Erowid: Albert Hofmann
- International LSD Symposium 2006: Albert Hofmann
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