The term psychedelic comes from the Greek language and translates as “manifestation of the soul, of the mind.” Substances of this type alter the cognitive processes and the perception of the consumer, helping him to access a part of the consciousness that normally remains inaccessible.
There are few scientific studies on the effects of hallucinogens, especially because of their ban in the 1970s. They were considered as harmful as heroin, considered to be the most difficult drug to eliminate from the body, the process being a long and painful one.
Psychedelic drugs
Before the 1970s, however, numerous cases have been documented in which drugs such as LSD have had a positive impact on patients whose chances of rehabilitation were low and conventional treatments have failed.
In 1969, an experiment was performed in which a group of 91 children with autism and schizophrenia were given a small dose of LSD daily or weekly. They were kept under observation by expert doctors, who were closely monitored for behavioral changes during treatment. The impact was major, as shortly after the start of treatment there was an improvement in verbal flow in children who communicated almost nothing.
Other children noticed an increase in morale : the children were happier and managed to get emotionally involved in the activities organized by the staff. The following year, drug use, regardless of purpose, was banned by law.
Over time, some drugs have been approved for research and use in the medical field . In 1999, a hallucinogenic substance called ibogaine, extracted from iboga, a shrub found in West Africa, began to be used to treat heroin addiction. Studies have shown that ibogaine stops heroin addicts in a few hours, unlike traditional treatment, which can take months or even years.
Hallucinogenic drugs are currently used, under the observation of doctors, by patients suffering from depression, anxiety or terminal illness. The improvement of the mental state could be observed especially in cancer patients, the treatment helping them to go through the difficult stages of the disease more easily, or, in the worst cases, to accept more easily what will follow.
Psychedelic substances are not only used in medicine. They play an important role in the religious rituals of the various tribes, whose traditions involve the consumption of hallucinogenic mushrooms and plants. The Shipibo tribe of Peru is known for the creative processes stimulated by the use of ayahuasca infusion. The art they make is very rich in colors, and the objects they create combine various geometric shapes that harmonize.
Their technique is too little understood by outsiders. Most often women are artists, and about the modeling technique they say that it is not learned, but inspired by a creative spirit that appears during the shamanic ritual with ayahuasca. Each participant in the ritual seems to be guided by the same spirit. A woman who takes part in the ritual creates a piece of a canvas, from shapes and colors that she sees, and its weaving is then continued by another woman who knows exactly which pattern to follow. In the end you get a perfect symmetry. The result looks as if the work was done by a single artist. Ayahuasca affects the visual center of the brain,and the members of the tribe say that by consuming it they acquire visions in different colors, shapes and patterns, which are later transformed into art, which takes various forms: spirals, tunnels, spider webs, etc.
In recent years, studies on the effects of psychedelic drugs have multiplied, with the results showing that they can be used to improve cognitive processes and raise the level of intelligence of individuals undergoing experiments.
Until the invention of the polymerase chain reaction (RLP), a major problem in molecular biology was the samples brought to be studied, which were too small to be analyzed. The problem was solved by biochemist Karry Mullis, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1993. He described how LSD helped him discover a new way to access areas of his brain that were otherwise inaccessible to him. The doctor specified how, following the consumption of the substance, his ability to visually perceive the studied piece increased. After recovering, he tried to transfer that cognitive ability acquired during the experience with LSD to the normal mental state and looked for the scientific way to make the invention that brought him the respectable award.
Psychedelic drugs – their effect
The method is similar to increasing the ability to remember dreams. They are lived in an unconscious state during sleep, but they can be relived in a conscious state when you wake up and remember what you dreamed. If research continues, a new cognitive function can be developed, provided a solution is found to keep the information from transferring from the drug-induced state to the normal state. Although there are many negative effects of drug use, the doctor said that without abusing them, the brain can function on another level, a deeper one, and lived experiences can be useful to humanity.
With the opening of new paths to knowledge and self-knowledge on a different level than usual, psychedelic substances also have negative effects on individuals, especially in cases where they have not been under the strict supervision of professionals . Consumption of hallucinogenic mushrooms or LSD can have alarming consequences. In the short term, the “trips” that take place can last up to 12 hours and can be real nightmares, especially if the individual is at the first use of the drug. Negative short-term effects include increased blood pressure and body temperature, insomnia or even paranoia and intense agitation. Long-term symptoms are much more severe, involving hallucinations,disorganized thinking and radical changes in behavior.
In medicine, studies on the effects of psychedelic drugs continue, even though, so far, no one can say exactly whether these substances are a way to increase cognitive ability. Most of the results obtained from the experiments and treatments offered to patients, remain so far mostly positive.
