Seeking The Sacred With Psychoactive Substances

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Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances

Author : J. Harold Ellens
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1440830886
Total Pages : 883 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (48 download)

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Book Synopsis Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances by : J. Harold Ellens

Download or read book Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances written by J. Harold Ellens and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-10-28 with total page 883 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can drugs be used intelligently and responsibly to expand human consciousness and heighten spirituality? This two-volume work presents objective scientific information and personal stories aiming to answer the question. The first of its kind, this intriguing two-volume set objectively reports on and assesses this modern psycho-social movement in world culture: the constructive medical use of entheogens and related mind-altering substances. Covering the use of substances such as ayahuasca, cannabis, LSD, peyote, and psilocybin, the work seeks to illuminate the topic in a scholarly and scientific fashion so as to lift the typical division between those who are supporters of research and exploration of entheogens and those who are strongly opposed to any such experimentation altogether. The volumes address the history and use of mind-altering drugs in medical research and religious practice in the endeavor to expand and heighten spirituality and the sense of the divine, providing unbiased coverage of the relevant arguments and controversies regarding the subject matter. Chapters include examinations of how psychoactive agents are used to achieve altered states in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism as well as in the rituals of shamanism and other less widely known faiths. This highly readable work will appeal to everyone from high school students to seasoned professors, in both the secular world and in devoted church groups and religious colleges.

Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances

Author : J. Harold Ellens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 450 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances by : J. Harold Ellens

Download or read book Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances written by J. Harold Ellens and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Sacred Bliss

Author : Mark S. Ferrara
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1442271922
Total Pages : 200 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (422 download)

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Book Synopsis Sacred Bliss by : Mark S. Ferrara

Download or read book Sacred Bliss written by Mark S. Ferrara and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-10-20 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most important relationships that human beings have with plants is changing our consciousness—consider the plants that give us coffee, tea, chocolate, and nicotine. Sacred Bliss challenges traditional attitudes about cannabis by tracing its essential role in the spiritual and curative traditions in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas from prehistory to the present day. In highlighting the continued use of cannabis around the globe, Sacred Bliss offers compelling evidence of cannabis as an entheogen used for thousands of years to evoke peak-experiences, or moments of expanded perception or spiritual awareness. Today, the growing utilization of medical cannabis to alleviate the pain and symptoms of physical illness raises the possibility of using cannabis to treat the mind along with the body. By engaging sacred and secular texts from around the world, Sacred Bliss demonstrates that throughout religious history, cannabis has offered access to increased imagination and creativity, heightened perspective and insight, and deeper levels of thought.

Psychedelics and Spirituality

Author : Thomas B. Roberts
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1644110237
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (441 download)

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Book Synopsis Psychedelics and Spirituality by : Thomas B. Roberts

Download or read book Psychedelics and Spirituality written by Thomas B. Roberts and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reveals how psychedelics can facilitate spiritual development and direct encounters with the sacred • With contributions by Albert Hofmann, Huston Smith, Stanislav Grof, Charles Tart, Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, Brother David Steindl-Rast, and many others • Includes personal accounts of Walter Pahnke’s Good Friday Experiment as well as a 25-year follow-up with its participants • Explores protocols for ceremonial use of psychedelics and the challenges of transforming entheogenic insights into enduring change Modern organized religion is based predominantly on secondary religious experience--we read about others’ extraordinary spiritual encounters with God but have no direct experience ourselves. Yet there exist powerful sacraments to help us directly experience the sacred, to help us seek out the meaning of being human and our place in the universe, and to help us see the sacred in the world that surrounds us. In this book, more than 25 spiritual leaders, scientists, and psychedelic visionaries examine how we can return to the primary spiritual encounters at the basis of all religions through the guided use of psychedelics. With contributions by Albert Hofmann, Huston Smith, Stanislav Grof, Charles Tart, Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, Brother David Steindl-Rast, Myron Stolaroff, and many others, this book explores protocols for ceremonial and spiritual use of psychedelics, including LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and MDMA, and the challenges of transforming entheogenic insights into enduring change. It examines psychoactive sacraments in the Bible, myths surrounding the use of LSD, and the transformative ayahuasca rituals of Santo Daime. The book also includes personal accounts of Walter Pahnke’s Good Friday Experiment as well as a 25-year follow-up with its participants. Dispelling fears of inauthentic spirituality, addiction, and ill-prepared encounters with the holy, this book reveals the potential of psychedelics as catalysts for spiritual development, a path through which faith can directly encounter God’s power, and the beginning of a new religious era based on personal spiritual experience.

Sacred Knowledge

Author : William A. Richards
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231540914
Total Pages : 279 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Sacred Knowledge by : William A. Richards

Download or read book Sacred Knowledge written by William A. Richards and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2015-12-08 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sacred Knowledge is the first well-documented, sophisticated account of the effect of psychedelics on biological processes, human consciousness, and revelatory religious experiences. Based on nearly three decades of legal research with volunteers, William A. Richards argues that, if used responsibly and legally, psychedelics have the potential to assuage suffering and constructively affect the quality of human life. Richards's analysis contributes to social and political debates over the responsible integration of psychedelic substances into modern society. His book serves as an invaluable resource for readers who, whether spontaneously or with the facilitation of psychedelics, have encountered meaningful, inspiring, or even disturbing states of consciousness and seek clarity about their experiences. Testing the limits of language and conceptual frameworks, Richards makes the most of experiential phenomena that stretch our understanding of reality, advancing new frontiers in the study of belief, spiritual awakening, psychiatric treatment, and social well-being. His findings enrich humanities and scientific scholarship, expanding work in philosophy, anthropology, theology, and religious studies and bringing depth to research in mental health, psychotherapy, and psychopharmacology.

Spiritual Growth with Entheogens

Author : Thomas B. Roberts
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1594777098
Total Pages : 318 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (947 download)

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Book Synopsis Spiritual Growth with Entheogens by : Thomas B. Roberts

Download or read book Spiritual Growth with Entheogens written by Thomas B. Roberts and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-03-19 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reveals entheogens as catalysts for spiritual development and direct encounters with the sacred • With contributions by Albert Hofmann, Huston Smith, Stanislav Grof, Charles Tart, Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, Frances Vaughan, and many others • Includes personal accounts of Walter Pahnke’s Good Friday Experiment as well as a 25-year follow-up with its participants • Explores protocols for ceremonial use of psychedelics and the challenges of transforming entheogenic insights into enduring change Modern organized religion is based predominantly on secondary religious experience--we read about others’ extraordinary direct spiritual encounters in the distant past and have faith that God is out there. Yet what if powerful sacraments existed to help us directly experience the sacred? What if there were ways to seek out the meaning of being human and our place in the universe, to see the sacred in the world that surrounds us? In this book, more than 25 spiritual leaders, scientists, and psychedelic visionaries examine how we can return to the primary spiritual encounters at the basis of all religions through the guided use of entheogens. With contributions by Albert Hofmann, Huston Smith, Stanislav Grof, Charles Tart, Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, Frances Vaughan, Myron Stolaroff, and many others, this book explores protocols for ceremonial use of psychedelics, the challenges of transforming entheogenic insights into enduring change, psychoactive sacraments in the Bible, myths surrounding the use of LSD, and the transformative ayahuasca rituals of Santo Daime. It also includes personal accounts of Walter Pahnke’s Good Friday Experiment as well as a 25-year follow-up with its participants. Dispelling fears of inauthentic spirituality, addiction, and ill-prepared encounters with the holy, this book reveals the potential of entheogens as catalysts for spiritual development, a path through which faith can directly encounter God’s power, and the beginning of a new religious era based on personal spiritual experience.

Seeking the Sacred

Author : Stephanie Dowrick
Publisher : ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN 13 : 1459616197
Total Pages : 434 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (596 download)

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Book Synopsis Seeking the Sacred by : Stephanie Dowrick

Download or read book Seeking the Sacred written by Stephanie Dowrick and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2011-03-29 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagine the world we would live in if we dared to see all of life as sacred unconditionally. At a time when religion is increasingly seen as a cause of prejudice and division, or as irrelevant to our most pressing concerns, the eternal truths of a genuinely inclusive spiritual wisdom have never been more urgently needed or sought. In Seeking the Sacred, Stephanie Dowrick invites us to go beyond cultural divisions and religious cliches and to discover what makes our lives sacred, satisfying and meaningful. Weaving personal stories - including her own - with an inspired vision of life's most healing possibilities, she shows how the sacred can transform the way we understand and value life, changing forever how we interact with others and care for ourselves. This is a book for the spiritually curious as well as those already engaged with the deeper questions. Richly hopeful and encouraging, Seeking the Sacred unravels some of our most complex contemporary dilemmas and speaks to the heart of our deepest yearnings.

Cannabis and the Soma Solution

Author : Chris Bennett
Publisher : Trine Day
ISBN 13 : 1936296322
Total Pages : 480 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (362 download)

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Book Synopsis Cannabis and the Soma Solution by : Chris Bennett

Download or read book Cannabis and the Soma Solution written by Chris Bennett and published by Trine Day. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seeking to identify the plant origins of the early sacramental beverages Soma and Haoma, this study draws a connection between the psychoactive properties of these drinks and the widespread use of cannabis among Indo-Europeans during this time. Exploring the role of these libations as inspiration for the Indian Rig Veda and the Persian Avestan texts, this examination discusses the spread of cannabis use across Europe and Asia, the origins of the Soma and Haoma cults, and the shamanic origins of modern religion.

High Culture

Author : Christopher Partridge
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190459123
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis High Culture by : Christopher Partridge

Download or read book High Culture written by Christopher Partridge and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History is littered with evidence of humanity's fascination with drugs and the pursuit of altered states. From early Romanticism to late-nineteenth-century occultism and from fin de siècle Paris to contemporary psychedelic shamanism, psychoactive substances have playedcatalyzing people. Yet serious analysis of the religious dimensions of modern drug use is still lacking. the use of drugs and the pursuit of transcendence from the nineteenth century to the present day. Beginning with the Romantic fascination with opium, it chronicles the discovery of anesthetics, the psychiatric and religious interest in hashish, the bewitching power of mescaline and hallucinogenic fungi, the more recent uses of LSD, as well as the debates surrounding drugs and religious experience. This fascinating and wide-ranging sociological and cultural history fills a major gap in the study of religion in the modern world and our understanding of the importance of countercultural thought, offering new and timely insights into the controversial relationship between drugs and mystical experience.

Mindapps

Author : Thomas B. Roberts
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 162055819X
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (25 download)

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Book Synopsis Mindapps by : Thomas B. Roberts

Download or read book Mindapps written by Thomas B. Roberts and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-06-18 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of “mind design” technologies and practices--mindapps--that boost intellectual capacity and enable new ways of thought and action • Reveals how mindapps transform the patterns of our mind-body complex and help generate new ideas by enabling access to new mind states • Examines the singlestate fallacy--the myth that useful thinking only occurs in our ordinary awake mental state • Explores a wealth of mindapp practices and techniques, including microdosing with psychedelics, yoga and martial arts, hypnosis, breathing techniques, lucid dreaming, rites of passage, biofeedback and neurofeedback, and transcranial brain stimulation Just as we can write and install apps in our electronic devices, we can construct “mindapps” and install them in our brain-mind complex, and as just as digital apps add capabilities to our devices, mindapps can expand our mental powers and creative abilities, allowing us to intentionally redesign our minds. Using psychedelics as the prime example, Thomas B. Roberts explores the many different kinds of mindapps, including meditation, other psychoactive plants and chemicals, sensory overload and deprivation, biofeedback and neurofeedback, hypnosis and suggestion, sleep and lucid dreaming, creative imagery, transcranial brain stimulation and optical brain stimulation, rites of passage, martial arts and exercise routines, yoga, breathing techniques, and contemplative prayer. He also looks at the future of mindapps, the potential for new mindapps yet to be invented, and how installing multiple mindapps can produce new, yet to be explored mind states. Drawing on decades of research, he shows how psychedelics in particular are “ideagens”--powerful tools for generating new ideas and new ways of thinking. Uniting the many forms of mindapps into one overall Multistate Mind Theory, Roberts examines the singlestate fallacy--the myth that useful thinking only occurs in our ordinary awake mental state--and demonstrates the many mind-body states we are capable of. He shows how mindapps not only allow us to design and redesign our own minds but also offer benefits for artistic performance, mystical and spiritual experience, and scientific research by improving creativity, open-mindedness, problem solving, and inner-brain connections. Reformulating how we think about the human mind, Mindapps unveils the new multistate landscape of the mind and how we can each enter the world of mind design.

An Introduction to the Study of Mysticism

Author : Richard H. Jones
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438486340
Total Pages : 398 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

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Book Synopsis An Introduction to the Study of Mysticism by : Richard H. Jones

Download or read book An Introduction to the Study of Mysticism written by Richard H. Jones and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2021-12-01 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title The purpose of this book is to fill a gap in contemporary mystical studies: an overview of the basic ways to approach mystical experiences and mysticism. It discusses the problem of definitions of “mystical experiences” and “mysticism” and advances characterizations of “mystical experiences” in terms of certain altered states of consciousness and “mysticism” in terms of encompassing ways of life centered on such experiences and states. Types of mystical experiences, enlightened states, paths, and doctrines are discussed, as is the relation of mystical experiences and mysticism to religions and cultures. The approaches of constructivism, contextualism, essentialism, and perennialism are presented. Themes in the history of the world’s major mystical traditions are set forth. Approaches to mystical phenomena in sociology, psychology, gender studies, and neuroscience are introduced. Basic philosophical issues related to whether mystical experiences are veridical and mystical claims valid, mystics’ problems of language, art, and morality are laid out. Older and newer comparative approaches in religious studies and in Christian theology are discussed, along with postmodernist objections. The intended audience is undergraduates and the general public interested in the general issues related to mysticism.

Behavioral Neurobiology of Psychedelic Drugs

Author : Adam L. Halberstadt
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3662558807
Total Pages : 430 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (625 download)

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Book Synopsis Behavioral Neurobiology of Psychedelic Drugs by : Adam L. Halberstadt

Download or read book Behavioral Neurobiology of Psychedelic Drugs written by Adam L. Halberstadt and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-03-27 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together the latest basic and clinical research examining the effects and underlying mechanisms of psychedelic drugs. Examples of drugs within this group include LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. Despite their structural differences, these compounds produce remarkably similar experiences in humans and share a common mechanism of action. Commonalities among the substances in this family are addressed both at the clinical and phenomenological level and at the basic neurobiological mechanism level. To the extent possible, contributions relate the clinical and preclinical findings to one another across species. The volume addresses both the risks associated with the use of these drugs and the potential medical benefits that might be associated with these and related compounds.

The Psychedelic Policy Quagmire

Author : J. Harold Ellens
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1440839719
Total Pages : 438 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (48 download)

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Book Synopsis The Psychedelic Policy Quagmire by : J. Harold Ellens

Download or read book The Psychedelic Policy Quagmire written by J. Harold Ellens and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2015-08-18 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edited by two preeminent scholars, this book provides coverage of the policy issues related to the increasingly diverse treatments, practices, and applications of psychedelics. Hallucinogenic substances like LSD, mescaline, peyote, MDMA, and ayahuasca have a reputation as harmful substances that are enjoyed only by recreational users committing criminal acts. But leading international researchers and scholars who contributed to this book hold that the use of psychedelic substances for health, religious, intellectual, and artistic purposes is a Constitutional right—and a human right. Based on that conclusion, these scholars focus on policy issues that regulate the use of psychedelic drugs in medicine, religion, personal life, and higher education, arguing that existing regulations should match current and anticipated future uses. This volume has two parts. The first surveys research on the use of psychedelic drugs in medicine, religion, and truth-seeking, following these topics through history and contemporary practice. The second section treats government policices that regulate the psychological, physiological, biochemical, and spiritual aspects of research and experience in these fields. The Psychedelic Policy Quagmire: Health, Law, Freedom, and Society challenges medical and legal policy experts, ethicists, scientists, and scholars with the question: How can we formulate policies that reduce the dangers of psychedelics' misuse and at the same time maximize the emerging diverse benefits?

Coaching Practiced

Author : David Tee
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119835690
Total Pages : 500 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (198 download)

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Book Synopsis Coaching Practiced by : David Tee

Download or read book Coaching Practiced written by David Tee and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2022-05-09 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: COACHING PRACTICED Explore the foundations of evidence-based approaches to coaching A collection of the best papers over the last 15 years from the journal The Coaching Psychologist. In Coaching Practiced: Coaching Psychology Tools, Techniques, and Evidence-Based Approaches for Coaches, a team of distinguished researchers delivers an insightful and complete handbook for practicing coaches. From wellbeing to the workplace, coaches of all stripes will find a fulsome discussion of effective methods, strategies, and frameworks for coaching clients. In the book, the editors include contributions from leading experts that discuss a wide variety of essential topics in the field, including cognitive approaches, motivational interviewing, solution-focused coaching, mindfulness approaches, narrative coaching, and the influence of positive psychology in the field of coaching. In this accessible and comprehensive resource, readers will also find: A thorough introduction to the psychology of coaching, including available frameworks In-depth examinations of reflective practice and professional development, including reflective journaling Comprehensive discussions of wellbeing coaching, including health and life coaching Fulsome explorations of workplace coaching, including the Lead, Learn, and Grow Model Perfect for organizational and athletic leaders, Coaching Practiced: Coaching Psychology Tools, Techniques, and Evidence-Based Approaches for Coaches will also earn a place in the libraries of professional coaches, managers, executives, and others.

The Psychology of Religion

Author : Ralph W. Hood, Jr.
Publisher : Guilford Publications
ISBN 13 : 1462535984
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (625 download)

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Book Synopsis The Psychology of Religion by : Ralph W. Hood, Jr.

Download or read book The Psychology of Religion written by Ralph W. Hood, Jr. and published by Guilford Publications. This book was released on 2018-09-17 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Keeping up with the rapidly growing research base, the leading graduate-level psychology of religion text is now in a fully updated fifth edition. It takes a balanced, empirically driven approach to understanding the role of religion in individual functioning and social behavior. Integrating research on numerous different faith traditions, the book addresses the quest for meaning; links between religion and biology; religious thought, belief, and behavior across the lifespan; experiential dimensions of religion and spirituality; the social psychology of religious organizations; and connections to coping, adjustment, and mental disorder. Chapter-opening quotations and topical research boxes enhance the readability of this highly instructive text. New to This Edition *New topics: cognitive science of religion; religion and violence; and groups that advocate terrorist tactics. *The latest empirical findings, including hundreds of new references. *Expanded discussion of atheism and varieties of nonbelief. *More research on religions outside the Judeo-Christian tradition, particularly Islam. *State-of-the-art research methods, including techniques for assessing neurological states.

Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies

Author : Juliana Dresvina
Publisher : University of Wales Press
ISBN 13 : 1786836750
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (868 download)

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Book Synopsis Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies by : Juliana Dresvina

Download or read book Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies written by Juliana Dresvina and published by University of Wales Press. This book was released on 2020-11-01 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the rapid development of the cognitive sciences and their importance to how we contemplate questions about the mind and society, recent research in the humanities has been characterised by a ‘cognitive turn’. For their part, the humanities play an important role in forming popular ideas of the human mind and in analysing the way cognitive, psychological and emotional phenomena are experienced in time and space. This collection aims to inspire medievalists and other scholars within the humanities to engage with the tools and investigative methodologies deriving from cognitive sciences. Contributors explore topics including medieval and modern philosophy of mind, the psychology of religion, the history of psychological medicine and the re-emergence of the body in cognition. What is the value of mapping how neurons fire when engaging with literature and art? How can we understand psychological stress as a historically specific phenomenon? What can medieval mystics teach us about contemplation and cognition?

The Trials of Psychedelic Therapy

Author : Matthew Oram
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421426218
Total Pages : 413 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (214 download)

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Book Synopsis The Trials of Psychedelic Therapy by : Matthew Oram

Download or read book The Trials of Psychedelic Therapy written by Matthew Oram and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2018-10-01 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rise—and fall—of research into the therapeutic potential of LSD. After LSD arrived in the United States in 1949, the drug's therapeutic promise quickly captured the interests of psychiatrists. In the decade that followed, modern psychopharmacology was born and research into the drug's perceptual and psychological effects boomed. By the early 1960s, psychiatrists focused on a particularly promising treatment known as psychedelic therapy: a single, carefully guided, high-dose LSD session coupled with brief but intensive psychotherapy. Researchers reported an astounding 50 percent success rate in treating chronic alcoholism, as well as substantial improvement in patients suffering from a range of other disorders. Yet despite this success, LSD officially remained an experimental drug only. Research into its effects, psychological and otherwise, dwindled before coming to a close in the 1970s. In The Trials of Psychedelic Therapy, Matthew Oram traces the early promise and eventual demise of LSD psychotherapy in the United States. While the common perception is that LSD's prohibition terminated legitimate research, Oram draws on files from the Food and Drug Administration and the personal papers of LSD researchers to reveal that the most significant issue was not the drug's illegality, but the persistent question of its efficacy. The landmark Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments of 1962 installed strict standards for efficacy evaluation, which LSD researchers struggled to meet due to the unorthodox nature of their treatment. Exploring the complex interactions between clinical science, regulation, and therapeutics in American medicine, The Trials of Psychedelic Therapy explains how an age of empirical research and limited government oversight gave way to sophisticated controlled clinical trials and complex federal regulations. Analyzing the debates around how to understand and evaluate treatment efficacy, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in LSD and psychedelics, as well as mental health professionals, regulators, and scholars of the history of psychiatry, psychotherapy, drug regulation, and pharmaceutical research and development.