LSD and Society

LSD--lysergic acid diethylamide, or "acid," as some may know it-- is one of the most famed psychedelic drugs. In the US, it is considered a Schedule I drug, which means that it is illegal for anyone to possess or purchase. Perhaps more controversially, it is also currently illegal for any research to be done using LSD, although certain groups have started to advocate for more research to be allowed again for LSD. When asked about his experience, one anonymous LSD user reported the following: "The experience itself is very difficult to describe. I was having intense feelings of infinite knowledge. It was as if I had discovered the true nature of the universe. There was a great sense of unity. It was as if I was one with the universe, or one with God." What is it about LSD that gives its users such a particular high? Why do so many users claim LSD has changed their lives for the better, and allowed them to see the world in new ways?

LSD was first synthesized from ergot alkaloids in 1938 by a Swiss researcher named Albert Hoffman who was looking for potential blood stimulant medicines. While researching, he accidentally ingested a small quantity of LSD and reported experiencing "an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscope like play of colors." In the next thirty years or so, LSD spread around the world, fascinating scientists with its ability to "meld the mind" and playing a crucial role in the 60's counterculture in the US. The US army itself conducted experiments with LSD, as a potential chemical weapon or truth serum. In 1968, possession of LSD was banned in the US, after years of tightening restrictions on experiments and recreational use. However, LSD has remained an important part of our society, as many famous visionaries-- Steve Jobs among them-- have claimed the benefits of LSD, and tens of thousands of Americans try it each year.

Science is dedicated to figuring out the unknown, to understanding things that seem out of our reach. It's a hard enterprise, and it can take years for a brilliant mind to make any progress at all. But then, as any curious scientist would ask, is there anything that could allow the mind to speed up its process or perhaps expand its abilities? Some scientists have turned to LSD, known for its potency in changing the way our mind works, as a potential solution. Before the government banned the use of LSD in experiment in the late 60's, a couple of researchers sought to answer this question. At the International Foundation for Advanced Study (IFAS), a place dedicated to psychedelic drug research, a young researcher named James Fadiman set out on a groundbreaking study. Gathering together a group of 26 scientists, engineers, and artists from a range of different fields, Fadiman and his team of researchers gave them LSD and allowed them to work for a day. Shortly after such a session, they administered a survey to the participants. All of the participants firmly agreed that LSD had helped them solve their problems in their fields. After the study, many released innovations that were widely embraced by their peers . One scientist created a conceptual model of the photon, another introduced a new mathematical theorem, and yet another designed a new space probe experiment. However, the small sample size of the experiment has limited the effects of the study. It does, though, provide interesting insight into a drug that seems to offer benefits that we have refuse to take. Even today, famous innovators have advocated on behalf of LSD, stating that it has helped them think of their innovative ideas.

Beyond LSD's potential benefits to the fields of science and engineering, there have also been recent studies showing that LSD may be effective as a medicine. In the first double-blind, placebo-controlled study since the 1970's, Dr. Peter Grasser and his team found that LSD therapy helped reduced anxiety in end-of-life patients for 12 months. Patients were administered either a LSD tablet or a placebo, during two different sessions. The LSD sessions were in part of a larger therapy session that helped prepare patients for their LSD therapy and their understanding of both of their sessions. During each of the LSD sessions, patients were guided through processing any emotional or psychological thoughts that emerged. The researchers also found that LSD psychotherapy can be administered safely without any adverse hallucinations, colloquially called "bad trips." These good results support the expansion of more studies, with bigger sample sizes.

Known for its ability to transport people into a "different reality," many artists and scientists studying creativity have turned to LSD as a way to enhance creativity. In a study done in 1950, a group of artists were asked to draw Kachina dolls before and after the ingestion of LSD. A professor of art history was asked to analyze the drawings, and he found that many of the LSD-influenced drawings were more abstract and symbolic--indicating a greater use of color and simplification--than the drawings done while sober. The drawings before were more representational, whereas afterwards they were more expressionistic. The artists themselves judged their drawings as more creative after they had ingested the LSD. Many famous artists and musicians like the Beatles have claimed that LSD has allowed them to be more free with their art. The Beatles described LSD as "extending their consciousness" and providing them with "new outlooks." They claimed that LSD gave them freedom that no other drug did. What about LSD intrigued the Beatles and other artists so much? Like any other drug, LSD gives you a high, a sort of escape from reality. But as the Beatles pointed out, other drugs left you totally knocked out and senseless. With LSD, they saw their senses being awakened, and having reality transformed, instead of being taken away from reality.

LSD offers a tantalizing glimpse into the way our brain works and how we perceive things. How does LSD change the brain? Why does it allow other people to become more creative, while to others it turns them into psychotics paralyzed by a fear of what is not truly there? No doubt, LSD is a dangerous drug. But it is a drug that has so much potential, and a drug that has barely been tested. In the last studies before LSD was deemed too dangerous a chemical, the drug was shown to offer benefits in many different fields. Many have claimed that LSD is the drug that will finally be able to unlock the human mind, to allow the mind to truly perceive the world and for us to be even more creative and ingenious. Perhaps we are not afraid of the chemical itself but rather the consequences (or benefits) of the manipulation of our minds by such a powerful drug. In any case, it is necessary for us to keep an open mind towards the future.LSD offers a tantalizing glimpse into the way our brain works and how we perceive things. How does LSD change the brain? Why does it allow other people to become more creative, while to others it turns them into psychotics paralyzed by a fear of what is not truly there? No doubt, LSD is a dangerous drug. But it is a drug that has so much potential, and a drug that has barely been tested. In the last studies before LSD was deemed too dangerous a chemical, the drug was shown to offer benefits in many different fields. Many have claimed that LSD is the drug that will finally be able to unlock the human mind, to allow the mind to truly perceive the world and for us to be even more creative and ingenious. Perhaps we are not afraid of the chemical itself but rather the consequences (or benefits) of the manipulation of our minds by such a powerful drug. In any case, it is necessary for us to keep an open mind towards the future.

mage.LSD was first synthesized from ergot alkaloids in 1938 by a Swiss researcher named Albert Hoffman who was looking for potential blood stimulant medicines. While researching, he accidentally ingested a small quantity of LSD and reported experiencing "an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscope like play of colors." In the next thirty years or so, LSD spread around the world, fascinating scientists with its ability to "meld the mind" and playing a crucial role in the 60's counterculture in the US. The US army itself conducted experiments with LSD, as a potential chemical weapon or truth serum. In 1968, possession of LSD was banned in the US, after years of tightening restrictions on experiments and recreational use. However, LSD has remained an important part of our society, as many famous visionaries-- Steve Jobs among them-- have claimed the benefits of LSD, and tens of thousands of Americans try it each year.