Psychedelics
Research, Czechoslovakia, and Mormons
Psychedelics are fascinating, but they're also an incredibly broad topic on which I don't feel very qualified to comment extensively. So, I've gathered a bunch of informative links for you.
My favorite podcast, Huberman Lab, is probably the best entry point for learning more about a topic as controversial as psychedelics. Here's Andrew Huberman interviewing Robin Carhart-Harris, who in 2014 became the first scientist in 40 years to legally test the effects of LSD on human volunteers:
The episode is packed with information, but one key takeaway is the enormous potential of psychedelics in treating depression. In one study, 71% of participants showed improvement in depression symptoms after just two sessions of psilocybin-assisted therapy. Half of them even achieved remission. To reiterate: that's 71% of participants after only two sessions! Another study compared psilocybin with Lexapro, an SSRI. After six weeks, the psilocybin group had a better response rate (70% vs 48%), and more participants were in remission after the study (57% vs 28%). This isn't to diminish the effectiveness of SSRIs, which have their own merits, but rather to highlight the promising potential that psychedelics offer for even more effective treatment.
These are incredible (though preliminary) results in treating one of the most debilitating diseases that can affect a human being. Yet, this potentially transformative substance is illegal in many parts of the world. Not too long ago, speaking openly about psychedelics might have cost Andrew Huberman his job at Stanford.
The best book I've found on the subject is How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (there's also a Netflix series if that's what you prefer). It's exceptionally well-written and I highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of their interest level in psychedelics. For instance, did you know that America was introduced to magic mushrooms in a 1957 Life article by R. Gordon Wasson, a VP at J.P. Morgan? But enthusiasm grew too quickly and the U.S. deemed psychedelics a major threat, resulting in a 1968 research ban. The cynical part of me gets why Nixon would freak out watching Timothy Leary urging young people to "turn on, tune in, drop out":
But it greatly saddens me to think about the avoidable suffering this ban has caused (especially that there were also promising results in using LSD to treat alcoholism). I am so glad that for psychedelic research the times they are a-changing, to quote Bob Dylan.
What about the other side of the Iron Curtain? Interestingly, Czechoslovakia had its own psychedelic moment, as described in this fascinating article. This era gave us cultural gems like the 1966 movie 'Sedmikrasky.'":
(Here’s the full movie on YouTube. I stumbled upon it while randomly watching Slovak TV during a skiing trip in Slovakia a long time ago.)
Not only doctors, researchers, and artists were enthusiastic. Even the Czechoslovak State Security saw the financial benefits, exporting LSD to the West on a large scale. Of course, this all died down after the Soviets aborted the Prague Spring.
Lastly, let's not forget that psychedelics have applications beyond the clinical context; they can also enhance the human quest for spirituality. Here's a very interesting article about Mormons and psychedelics.
Are you reading this? Do you find this interesting? I have no idea, unless you reply to this email or write a comment. I am mostly OK with sending these emails into the void, but I wouldn’t mind feedback. Also, if you know someone who may be interested, please forward this to them!