Psychedelics: Naturally Occurring Hallucinogens

Historically, before some substances have had the chance to be outlawed by the government, they have been used in the field of medicine. Cocaine was a local anesthetic, MDMA was used in therapy for people with depression, and more famously, marijuana still has a use in the treatment of various diseases today. Natural psychedelics, like mushrooms and DMT, hold similar potential for use in therapeutic sessions due to the effect they have on the mind.

Here, the term 'psychedelic' will refer to naturally occurring hallucinogens, mainly psilocybin and DMT. Psilocybin is the main constituent in 'magic' mushrooms, which causes users to have an altered state of mind; often resulting in bouts of laughter and a feeling of profound happiness that lasts up to eight hours. It was men like Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert who brought psychedelics to Western culture by founding the Harvard Psilocybin Project. As a result, countless young minds were introduced to hallucinogens and other drugs. However, like most mind-altering substances, psilocybin-containing mushrooms were banned by the government in 1971 by the U.S. Psychotropic Substances Act and labeled a Schedule I drug, meaning that there is no suitable use for this plant, medical or otherwise. Many people see the classification of 'hallucinogenics' and immediately overlook any possible use for the drug.

The state of mind that these mushrooms induce is what has fascinated researchers for years. So many people have used these psychedelics and come away better for it. Well-known author Aldous Huxley penned the books The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell, in which he introduces the reader to the literary world of psychedelics. Countless musicians and artists claim to have taken psy...

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...e structure and guidance. A large majority of his patients reported in having an increase in quality of life as a result of the therapy. The second form, psychedelic therapy, was more commonly used in the U.S. and uses much larger doses to promote a transcendental experience. More widely used in North America, this treatment focuses less on psychoanalysis and more on transpersonal psychology, which emphasizes self-development and peak or mystical experiences. The interesting thing about psychedelics is that a part of the mind remains alert of the experience. The subject is able to remember his experiences very vividly and is able to identify faults in himself. Aided by the deeply introspective state attained by the patient, the therapist assists him/her in developing a new life framework or personal philosophy that recognizes individual responsibility for change.