Psychedelic Therapy Essay

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Pages: 12
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Jacob Schebler
Psychedelic Therapy and The Dying
From the time of their discovery psychedelic compounds and their possible benefits have sparked great interests in great minds. It was once believed that agents like LSD-25 would be the future of psychiatry and psychotherapy, and eventually that it would change not only the lives of the people receiving the medication in a clinical setting, but change the lives of countless people throughout the world. This new substance when used to treat alcoholism, depression, and in some instances even catatonia had proven to be quite efficacious. Until research was halted because of the designation of these agents as Schedule 1, meaning having no medical benefit and a high risk of abuse, the possibilities seemed far reaching and invaluable. While cocaine and heroin sat as Schedule 2 substances, those a doctor can legally prescribe, all ongoing clinical studies in which psychedelic compounds were being administered to human subjects were subsequently ceased no matter how promising the results. Long gone are the days of limited, fabricated information in relation to the drug LSD-25 and its effects both in the long and short term. Lessons have been emerging since the dark days of the Nixon administration about just how dangerous this agent can be to individuals who are given the doses in a controlled setting under the care of qualified, specially trained professionals. With a clinical dose of LSD-25 being measured in one millionths of a gram the agent is no longer feared to be damaging to any organs or systems of the body. In studies, a low dose of LSD-25 is measured at twenty micrograms, while high doses are marked at one hundred to two-hundred and fifty micrograms. Although there has never been a death relatable to LSD poisoning, in an attempt to shed light on the toxicity of this medication in human research, to become toxic it would require a dose of fourteen-thousand micrograms, many times higher than what a moderately high dose is measured. Aside from its less than poisonous nature, it has also since been revealed that LSD-25 does not induce or mimic schizophrenic, psychopathic behavior and patterns, nor does its use result in mental illness. There is no doubt of the power over the psyche that LSD-25 holds; however those who have not been prone to these types of behaviors in the past are no way in danger of suddenly falling apart at the seams, spiraling into a manic state from which there is no return. Since clinical studies resumed almost twenty years ago it has been found that LSD-25 is far less dangerous than the population was once lead to believe. Documentation is emerging on the improved lives of subjects, specifically those in the final stages of their terminal illnesses who were given the treatment as a way to alleviate their overwhelming fear of death and existential anxiety. From pain management to relevant changes in thinking and perception, LSD is proving to be as promising and effective a treatment as any other currently approved methods.
For too many years the attitude that Schedule 1 substances would never have therapeutic uses has hindered the legitimate study and downplayed the effectiveness of compounds like LSD-25 in the treatment of conditions which the current medical and psychotherapeutic apparatuses have failed to decipher. Unfortunately the opposition to this treatment does not rest in Federal or State law, they are opposed also by pharmaceutical companies who understand that because LSD-25 is organic, extremely cheap to produce, and is active in such small quantities that if the agents use is legitimized it would be in competition with other psychiatric medications that people take daily. It is no longer the fear of doing harm that keeps LSD as a Schedule 1 substance, it is the fear of losing billions of dollars a year in revenue, and it is the fear of change. Despite these road blocks there are pioneers who understand the capacity of
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