Brainstorm

I know of people who are suicidal when coming down from an ecstasy trip. In the news (CO) a few years back, some guy on ecstasy put a chair in the middle of the highway and sat down, he was killed. I know of another guy that nearly jumped from a 13 story building when he saw a pool below, thinking... he might make it in, he was carefully talked down. In college, people would write, "you can not fly" on their hands, just in case they got that idea on LSD. You never know how someone will react. If you are by nature depressed, imaginative or in a bad place... bad trips, bad ideas and suicidal thoughts will also be enhanced with mind altering drugs! Be careful people. :)

I think these drugs may someday have their place in therapy... perhaps by experimenting with the chemical compositions and creating new drugs from them.

Thanks for a refreshingly mature write-up on the deeply fascinating topic of psychedelic medicine. Mainstream publications always tend to distort this issue with nonsensical judgmentalism and misinformation.

I agree with Evan that this is a refreshingly calm piece on a topic that normally inspires uninformed ranting. It's telling that every society on Earth that had access to hallucinogens considered them to be a sacred gift from the gods, yet in the United States, they are considered to be horrible substances, despite their extremely low toxicity, relative lack of addictive properties, and high therapeutic value. Fear mongering and incredibly disproportionate laws targeting peaceful hippies at Grateful Dead shows (for example) just show how paranoid and irrational drug laws are in the U.S.

I really like the idea that there are organizations out there questioning the the possible advantages of psychedelics. These substances are to be revered and respected.

Psychedelics and entheogens have been used throughout the ages in all faiths and had impact on art and music and shaped our cultures. I think the there are definitely applications for these compounds within the medical arena and spiritual/self exploration.

As for jumping off buildings, I am sure I don't need to quote Bill Hicks!

I applaud the effort to present a more balanced view. However, out of respect for the presenters who were diligent about providing credible, substantiated information for their listeners, I feel an obligation to address several key inaccuracies in the "Tripping at Horizons Psychedelic Conference" blog post. First, the title is misleading. Let's be clear that tripping was not on the agenda. As for audience members being encouraged to discuss personal experiences with psychedelics, unless I missed something, they were only invited to ask questions of the speakers. If they chose to divulge personal experiences, that was a spontaneous, unsolicited option.

The representation of the event as being "weird" or similar to a "hippy commune" is misleading as well and should also be addressed. The conference was held in a large church. Participants sat in rows of chairs. Speakers, at least two of whom were wearing suits, stood at a podium on a stage. Several organizations set up tables with displays and literature. In other words, the event was not much unlike most other conferences of similar size.

It is also incorrect to imply that LSD cured Bill Wilson of alcoholism. Here is a more accurate description (from Wikipedia) of his recovery and experience with LSD:

"In November 1934, Bill was visited by old drinking companion Ebby Thacher. Bill was astounded to find that Thacher had been sober for several weeks under the guidance of the evangelical Christian Oxford Group. Bill took some interest in the Group, but shortly after Thacher's visit, he was again admitted to Towns Hospital to recover from a bout of drinking. This was his fourth and last stay at Towns hospital under Doctor Silkworth's care. It was while undergoing treatment with the The Belladonna Cure that Bill experienced his "Hot Flash" spiritual conversion and quit drinking. According to Bill, while lying in bed depressed and despairing, he cried out, "I'll do anything! Anything at all! If there be a God, let Him show Himself!"He then had the sensation of a bright light, a feeling of ecstasy, and a new serenity. He never drank again for the remainder of his life. Bill described his experience to Dr. Silkworth, who told him, "Something has happened to you I don't understand. But you had better hang on to it".

"In the 1950s Bill experimented with LSD in medically supervised experiments with Betty Eisner, Gerald Heard,and Aldous Huxley. With Bill's invitation, his wife Lois, his spiritual adviser Father Ed Dowling, and Nell Wing also participated in experimentation of this drug."

For more information about the outcomes of LSD studies with autistic children, I would recommend reading the following sources:

Fisher, G. (1970). The psycholytic treatment of a childhood schizophrenic girl. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 16(2), 112-130.

Mogar, R. E., & Aldrich, R. W. (1969). The use of psychedelic agents with autistic schizophrenic children. Behavioral Neuropsychiatry, 1, 44-51.

Sigafoos, J., Green, V. A., Edrisinha, C., & Lancioni, G. E. (2007). Flashback to the 1960s: LSD in the treatment of autism. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 10(1), 75-81.

At this pivotal period of reexamination of the merits and risks of psychedelic use and abuse, let all of us engaged in the dialog strive for the highest standards of accuracy, balance, and objectivity in our reporting.

It's worth pointing out that the author introduced an error in this article regarding the presentation by Earth and Fire Erowid. "Spice" is not produced by Pfizer. The active chemical in Spice, CP 47,497, was originally discovered/synthesized by Pfizer during their research into prescription medications. Some other person or company took it upon themself to manufacture CP 47,497 and produce the product called Spice.

Anyone else try 2C-D? A truly remarkable psychedelic, one which could compare favorably with 2C-B. There are intense colors, and I feel that more would be too much.