The Heretic

At 9:30 in the morning, an architect and three senior scientists—two from Stanford, the other from Hewlett-Packard—donned eyeshades and earphones, sank into comfy couches, and waited for their government-approved dose of LSD to kick in. From across the suite and with no small amount of anticipation, Dr. James Fadiman spun the knobs of an impeccable sound system and unleashed Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68.” Then he stood by, ready to ease any concerns or discomfort. For this particular experiment, the couched volunteers had each brought along three highly technical problems from their respective fields that they’d been unable to solve for at least several months. It was the summer of ’66. At approximately 10 a.m., a courier delivered an express letter to the receptionist, who in turn quickly relayed it to Fadiman and the other researchers. When the FDA’s edict arrived, Fadiman was 27 years old, IFAS’s youngest researcher. Couldn’t they comprehend what was at stake? The !

The Mushroom/LSD Experience Explained & Explored Anyone that has tried a psychedelic drug know that it’s impossible to fully explain the experience to someone who hasn’t tried one. The entertainment industry completely misrepresents these experiences with dragons flying out of people’s faces and walls melting into nothing, which never occur even with strong doses. So, here is my best attempt at explaining the psychedelic experience. I’d like to start this off with an anecdote from Ram Dass, who was talking about working with a member of the anti-drug coalition on a book about LSD. “It was a picture of a guy on the floor, looking at some spilled Coca-Cola. The General Sensation While tripping, you realize that Shakespeare’s idea that “All the world’s a stage” was excitingly true. Furthermore, your appreciation for absolutely everything is exponentially magnified. The Visuals For the most part, you do not see things that are not actually there. Perception This also holds true for any object you look at. Rules for Tripping Happy tripping :)

Why psychedelic drugs might help cure anxiety and addiction, explained in 50+ studies Welcome to Show Me the Evidence, where we go beyond the frenzy of daily headlines to take a deeper look at the state of science around the most pressing health questions of the day. After years of struggling with treatments for his worsening cancer, Roy was miserable — anxious, depressed, hopeless. Traditional cancer treatments had left him debilitated, and it was unclear whether they would save his life. But then Roy secured a spot in a clinical trial to test an exotic drug. The drug was not meant to cure his cancer; it was meant to cure his terror. And it worked. It was not a traditional antidepressant, like Zoloft, or anti-anxiety medication, like Xanax, that led Roy to reevaluate his life. Psychologists and psychiatrists have been studying hallucinogens for decades — as treatment for things like alcoholism and depression, and to stimulate creativity. But that research is worth doing. Psychedelics may help. There’s still, however, a lot we don't know and are just learning.

Rick Doblin: Healing with Marijuana, MDMA, & Psilocybin Rick Doblin is the Founder and Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a non-profit research and educational group that he started in 1986 to develop medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana. Rick has a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and also studied under Dr. Stanislav Grof, becoming one of the first practitioners to be certified in Holotropic Breathing. Rick works to progress the research and education behind the benefits of psychedelics and marijuana primarily as prescription medicines, but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people. Enter your email address in the box on the right to receive a free copy of the Bulletproof Diet, the Bulletproof Shopping Guide, and much more! Leave your questions and responses in the comments section below. Click here to read the transcript. Click here to download a PDF of this transcript