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A Renaissance in Psychedelic Research

On June 13, 2004, a historic all-day meeting took place just prior to the opening of the 16th International Transpersonal Conference in Palm Springs, California. This pre-conference workshop was sponsored and organized by Rick Doblin and his team from MAPS. Considering the climate of the U.S. in these dark days, this was a truly remarkable event, for it brought together most of the women and men who are currently conducting human research studies of psychedelic medicines in the U.S.

To put this into perspective, from 1943 until 1973 over a thousand clinical papers were published in the professional literature discussing the experiences of 40,000 patients treated with hallucinogens. Since then, there has been almost no government approved research involving psychedelic medicines and human subjects. While there has been a significant amount of individual experimentation with these substances since 1973, this research is highly subjective and is dismissed as "anecdotal" by mainstream science. And so it has fallen to a small (but highly courageous) group of medical and scientific professionals to keep the flame of this important research alive . . . and what a wonderful job of it they have done!

Against all odds this hardy band of researchers, along with their dedicated team members, have been able to break the logjam of bureaucratic regulations to obtain FDA, DEA, and IRB approvals for their work. And if you think this is no small matter, consider the fact that some of these study applications have been "in the approval process" for over a decade. The studies that are now underway and in various stages of completion include (study, principal investigator, location):

The Effects of Psilocybin on Terminally Ill Cancer Patients, Charles S. Grob, M.D., Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Psilocybin/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Study, Francisco Moreno, M.D., University of Arizona Medical Center

MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Michael Mithoefer, M.D., Private Clinic in South Carolina

Additionally, there was a very interesting panel discussion led by the people who are currently operating clinics in Mexico and Canada where they are using the hallucinogen Ibogaine to treat severe drug and alcohol dependencies.

The preliminary information these researchers revealed was remarkable. Once these studies are completed and the data fully analyzed, these researchers will be publishing their results in peer reviewed journals. From their preliminary findings, however, we should expect a great deal of renewed professional interest in these important and sadly neglected medicines.

[COMMENT:  In 1978, I attended the National Computer Conference in Anaheim, California. At the time, personal computers were still thought of as not much more than expensive toys by the mainstream computing world. Thus the section of that trade show dealing with PCs was confined to the basement of a nearby hotel, away from where the "real" computing action was taking place. As I remember it, the Microsoft booth didn't consist of much more that a single table and a few hand made signs. Of the 57,000 people who attended that conference, only a handful made a visit to that basement full of geeks and their toys. In the quarter century that has passed since then, personal computing has become mainstream. Sitting in that little conference room yesterday, listening to these pioneering psychedelic researchers, brought to mind the fact that a small group of dedicated people really can change the world. Perhaps we are about to see a similar quantum leap in psychedelic medicine . . . and not a moment too soon!         —Lorenzo ]

posted by LoZo 3:03 PM