Drug

Entheogens

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er a new therapy is adopted, occasional mistakes are not uncommon during the initial phases. The medical use of hallucinogenic substances was no exception. However, our knowledge base and expertise on essential practical procedures has grown considerably since the pioneering days of psycholytic therapy.
Having learned from initial errors, we can now prevent problems and avoid mistakes. Psilocybin as the Drug of Choice Following its initial isolation and discovery of its chemical structure, psilocybin quickly joined the group of hallucinogens used in therapeutic settings. The alkaloid was considered to be quite safe, based on existing toxicological data. H. Leuner still considers psilocybin the most effective alkaloid for use London as a pharmaceutical aid in psychotherapy, despite recent progress in developing other substances designed for therapeutic applications, such as the substituted phenethylamines like MDMA. Psilocybin's reputation as a substance well suited for psychotherapeutic applications is related to its extremely low toxicity. Most importantly, dosages below the 10 mg threshold can be measured with accuracy. This is significant, because dosages of up to 10 mg are not only known to be therapeutically efficient, but effects within this dosage range can always be brought under control. The states of consciousness induced by psilocybin last only five hours, on average, and thus can be more conveniently utilized than altered states caused by LSD, whose effects persist for much longer time periods. LSD should be considered a more difficult substance to work with, due to the possible emergence of unwanted symptoms in a small percentage of users and the prolonged process of "coming down" when symptoms subside. Unlike other hallucinogens, psilocybin also has the advantage of almost never inducing "hangovers" the day after experimental sessions.
It is important to note in this context that all authors stress that hallucinogens are no substitute for lack of skills on the part of the therapist and that the usage of these substances should remain limited to carefully selected cases. Usage of hallucinogens "merely" shortens the duration of psychoanalytic treatment, as problem conflict areas surface faster and with greater clarity, mediated by the process of selfexploration and discovery

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that is the essence of psychedelic experiences. Repressed patterns of normal behavior and reactions must be gradually reconstructed within the therapist-patient relationship. The capacity for emotional immersion into one's own problems under the influence of a psychoactive substance is provoked and amplified by the emergence of memories, as well as the elimination of the Me/You boundary. As this process unfolds, the therapist gains valuable insights into existing psychopathologies and psychodynamics. Still, in addition to providing proper guidance for the patient, the therapist must also be able to separate

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ed and large numbers of studies were conducted, primarily with LSD. These investigators sought to discover the receptor binding sites for hallucinogenic compounds in the brain and to understand the mechanisms underlying the genesis of psychedelic visions. Today, we still lack a sound theoretical framework able to explain the relationship between chemical compounds and the manifestation of their psychoactivity. Even though basic research is certainly important, its methods, unfortunately, are often a function of a rather one-sided pharmacological approach to investigating the effects of psilocybin, LSD and mescaline - an approach that is, in fact, too narrow Magic to address the remarkably unusual nature of these substances and their effects. Misunderstandings between pharmacologists and toxicologists on the one hand and psychiatrists and psychologists on the other can often be traced all the way back to the 1950's, creating a legacy of disputes and arguments that have yet to be resolved. S. Grof undertook the tedious task of analyzing 5,000 experimental LSD protocols in an effort to isolate "absolute" symptoms that are reported or occur all of the time. His results were negative. According to Grof, hallucinogenic substances are non-specific triggers causing a sequence of altered states of consciousness, which do not fit the syndrome labeled "toxic psychosis". Rather, it is the individual's personality, along with the experimental setting that significantly shape the nature of the psychedelic experience.

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This view is shared by a majority of experts with considerable experience in conducting psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy. Even "real" somatic symptoms, such as nausea or vomiting, can often be controlled through psychological intervention techniques administered by trained professionals. A Plethora of Names The broad range of possible experiences inspired the use of labels other than "hallucinogens", with widely differing semantic connotations: entheogens, psychedelics, illusionogens, psycholytics, psychomimetics, psychodysleptica, psychoemetics and others.
"Phantastica" (Lewin) is the oldest label ever used to describe this class of substances. This term successfully evokes dream-like, fanciful aspects of the experience, as well as the potential for euphoric and dysphoric emotional overtones. More recent terminology often says more about semantic biases of those who use the labels than about any factual, objective characteristics of the alkaloids they refer to. Accordingly, official antidrug propaganda since the 1960's has disparaged "psychedelics" as excessively glamorous and too positive a label, as the term was popular among Timothy Leary's fans and supporters. When used in low doses or for the first time, these substances are most likely to bring about a kind of magical transformation of surroundings, with a heightened ability to perceive subtle differences along the color spectru