Politics of Sin - Entheogens, Research into the psychedelic drug experience.
Research into the psychedelic drug experience:
Reviving research into psychedelic drugs - Editorial in the Lancet calling for more research into therapeutic benefits and claiming that the risks from using 'psychedelic' drugs are greatly exaggerated. The Lancet 2006; 367:1214, DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68515-2, (PDF, 32.5 KB)
"Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance"
R. R. Griffiths & W. A. Richards & U. McCann & R. Jesse; Psychopharmacology (online edition): July 11, 2006; DOI 10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5. A repeat of the Psilocybin 'Good Friday' experiment
PDF (46 Mb) - "DRUGS AND MYSTICISM - An Analysis of the Relationship between Psychedelic Drugs and the Mystical Consciousness", by Walter Norman Pahnke, Doctoral Thesis, Harvard, 1963 - The original "Good Friday Experiment"
PDF (2 Mb) - Rick Doblin's undergraduate thesis "Pahnke's 'Good Friday Experiment'"
A criticiam of the "Good Friday Experiment"; Comment: I'm linking to this but it's a bit silly in places. The claim: "Cannabis is a much less powerful substance and yet it is capable of producing all of the experiences spoken of by the mystics from the ancient world.", is just dumb. Right at the end we discover the point of the critque - it's an advert for the guys book!
