<p>A paper I've read (<a href="http://philpapers.org/archive/ROCSSO.doc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Roche, 2010</a>) gives a rather pessimistic view about the revelatory powers of hallucinogenics and suggests that they are rather detrimental to a rational worldview if used in the long-term. However the author also acknowledges that there is a correlation between intuitive thinking and the hallucinogenic experience. The paper draws on many sources and is very interesting to read.</p>

<p>A quote from Terrence McKenna who used LSD exuberantly..</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>So I did it and...there was a something, like a flower, like a chrysanthemum in orange and yellow that was sort of spinning, spinning, and then it was like I was pushed from behind and I fell through the chrysanthemum into another place that didn't seem like a state of mind, it seemed like another place. And what was going on in this place aside from the tastefully soffited indirect lighting, and the crawling geometric hallucinations along the domed walls, what was happening was that there were a lot of beings in there, what I call self-transforming machine elves. Sort of like jeweled basketballs all dribbling their way toward me. And if they'd had faces they would have been grinning, but they didn't have faces. And they assured me that they loved me and they told me not to be amazed; not to give way to astonishment.</p>
  
  <p>— (McKenna, 1993)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Psilocybin has been studied to alleviate depression in cancer patients in a well-designed study (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Griffiths et al. 2016</a>). Excerpt from the abstract:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The effects of psilocybin were studied in 51 cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. This randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial investigated the effects of a very low (placebo-like) dose (1 or 3 mg/70 kg) vs. a high dose (22 or 30 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin administered in counterbalanced sequence with 5 weeks between sessions and a 6-month follow-up. Instructions to participants and staff minimized expectancy effects. Participants, staff, and community observers rated participant moods, attitudes, and  behaviors  throughout  the  study.  High-dose  psilocybin  produced  large  decreases  in  clinician-  and  self-rated  measures  of  depressed  mood  and  anxiety, along with increases in quality of life, life meaning, and optimism, and decreases in death anxiety. At 6-month follow-up, these changes were sustained, with about 80% of participants continuing to show clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety. Participants attributed improvements  in  attitudes  about  life/self,  mood,  relationships,  and  spirituality  to  the  high-dose  experience,  with  >80%  endorsing  moderately  or  greater  increased  well-being/life  satisfaction.  </p>
</blockquote>

<h2>References</h2>

<p>Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Carducci, M. A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., ... &amp; Klinedinst, M. A. (2016). Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. <em>Journal of psychopharmacology, 30</em>(12), 1181-1197. doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513" rel="nofollow noreferrer">10.1177/0269881116675513</a></p>

<p>McKenna, T. (1993). <em>Alien Dreamtime</em> [video].</p>

<p>Roche, G. T. (2010). Seeing Snakes: On Delusion, Knowledge, and the Drug Experience. In Dale Jacquette, ed. <em>Cannabis Philosophy for Everyone: What Were We Just Talking About? Chapter 2</em>, 35-49. Oxford: Blackwell. doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444324440.ch2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">10.1002/9781444324440.ch2</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-02-19T13:01:06.280Z
2020-03-02T11:22:11.383Z
2020-03-02T11:22:11.383Z
CuriousIndeed
<p>Psychotroph substances assume to have a lot of potential.</p>

<p>Due they where banned pretty soon after their appearance in western culture, we know almost nothing about them. In some cultures there is a large knowledge about spiritual usage, but as it is in cultural things, near to none scientific research.
In the UK they started research in the 1990s and it seems like LSD/Psylocibin (which seem to have nearby exact the same effect on our brain) can be used to tread phobia and psychcological traumata in manifold issues.</p>

<p>Albert Hofmann(who discovered LSD) said, LSD would not alter the consciousness but expand it. Like an catalystic converter wich is needet to use the full potential of our consciousness.
In his book "LSD - Mein Sorgenkind" he wrote that the things a proband sees are not hallucination but input to his sensory organ which he doesn't know and wich might overexcite him.
This catches up with expirienced users of such drugs(multiple 10 times to over 100 uses), wich tell that the chance of horrortrips lowered with every usage and also they gained the abillity to "controll" their expirience in some form.</p>

<p>Beside of this, there are many artists wich tell that their creativity expand under influence of LSD, and even a single use in lifetime had expand the creativity.</p>

<p>It's assumed that depressive people have a high chance to better their condition. But the chance of horrortrips, even if this chance is really low, is a too high risk to use it in that issue.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-30T12:34:24.103Z
Welcome to cogsci.SE!  We encourage answerers to cite sources to back up assertions and provide further reading.
Krysta
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-30T09:12:16.097Z
2014-09-30T09:12:16.097Z
jawo
<p>Hallucinogens (psilocybin, LSD and others) are often regarded as risky substances, therefore they are banned in most places. </p>

<p>Are there ways of using these substances that can be beneficial?<br>
Or in other words can a hallucination, or a set of hallucinations, have a positive value?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-12T18:13:09.633Z
"Or in other words can a hallucination, or a set of hallucinations, have a positive value?"

I think it is a bad formulation. Hallucinogens may have positive effect in doses which do not cause hallucinations.
uhbif19
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-19T21:08:07.067Z
MDMA was known as "Empathy" before it became "Ecstasy" (I can't find a reference for the original name, but the history of it is on the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA)
Chuck Sherrington
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-19T21:17:35.697Z
I removed the second part of this question as it seemed to me and others that it was a separate question.
Josh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-20T00:21:01.033Z
@Aidis: apparently it may have helped create Apple and seen in the movie Jobs....
Greg McNulty
<psychopharmacology><hallucinations>
Are there any pragmatic uses of hallucinogens?
Aidis
# Are there any pragmatic uses of hallucinogens?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-08-19)

Hallucinogens (psilocybin, LSD and others) are often regarded as risky substances, therefore they are banned in most places.

Are there ways of using these substances that can be beneficial?  
Or in other words can a hallucination, or a set of hallucinations, have a positive value?

**Tags:** psychopharmacology, hallucinations

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: MDMA was known as "Empathy" before it became "Ecstasy" (I can't find a reference for the original name, but the history of it is on the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA)  
> **username_3**: I removed the second part of this question as it seemed to me and others that it was a separate question.  
> **username_4**: @username_0: apparently it may have helped create Apple and seen in the movie Jobs....  
> **username_1**: "Or in other words can a hallucination, or a set of hallucinations, have a positive value?"  I think it is a bad formulation. Hallucinogens may have positive effect in doses which do not cause hallucinations.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-02-19. Score: 2

A paper I've read ([Roche, 2010](http://philpapers.org/archive/ROCSSO.doc)) gives a rather pessimistic view about the revelatory powers of hallucinogenics and suggests that they are rather detrimental to a rational worldview if used in the long-term. However the author also acknowledges that there is a correlation between intuitive thinking and the hallucinogenic experience. The paper draws on many sources and is very interesting to read.

A quote from Terrence McKenna who used LSD exuberantly..

> So I did it and...there was a something, like a flower, like a chrysanthemum in orange and yellow that was sort of spinning, spinning, and then it was like I was pushed from behind and I fell through the chrysanthemum into another place that didn't seem like a state of mind, it seemed like another place. And what was going on in this place aside from the tastefully soffited indirect lighting, and the crawling geometric hallucinations along the domed walls, what was happening was that there were a lot of beings in there, what I call self-transforming machine elves. Sort of like jeweled basketballs all dribbling their way toward me. And if they'd had faces they would have been grinning, but they didn't have faces. And they assured me that they loved me and they told me not to be amazed; not to give way to astonishment.
>
> — (McKenna, 1993)

Psilocybin has been studied to alleviate depression in cancer patients in a well-designed study ([Griffiths et al. 2016](https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513)). Excerpt from the abstract:

> The effects of psilocybin were studied in 51 cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. This randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial investigated the effects of a very low (placebo-like) dose (1 or 3 mg/70 kg) vs. a high dose (22 or 30 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin administered in counterbalanced sequence with 5 weeks between sessions and a 6-month follow-up. Instructions to participants and staff minimized expectancy effects. Participants, staff, and community observers rated participant moods, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the study. High-dose psilocybin produced large decreases in clinician- and self-rated measures of depressed mood and anxiety, along with increases in quality of life, life meaning, and optimism, and decreases in death anxiety. At 6-month follow-up, these changes were sustained, with about 80% of participants continuing to show clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety. Participants attributed improvements in attitudes about life/self, mood, relationships, and spirituality to the high-dose experience, with >80% endorsing moderately or greater increased well-being/life satisfaction.

## References

Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Carducci, M. A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., ... & Klinedinst, M. A. (2016). Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. *Journal of psychopharmacology, 30*(12), 1181-1197. doi: [10.1177/0269881116675513](https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513)

McKenna, T. (1993). *Alien Dreamtime* [video].

Roche, G. T. (2010). Seeing Snakes: On Delusion, Knowledge, and the Drug Experience. In Dale Jacquette, ed. *Cannabis Philosophy for Everyone: What Were We Just Talking About? Chapter 2*, 35-49. Oxford: Blackwell. doi: [10.1002/9781444324440.ch2](https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444324440.ch2)


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-09-30. Score: 0

Psychotroph substances assume to have a lot of potential.

Due they where banned pretty soon after their appearance in western culture, we know almost nothing about them. In some cultures there is a large knowledge about spiritual usage, but as it is in cultural things, near to none scientific research.
In the UK they started research in the 1990s and it seems like LSD/Psylocibin (which seem to have nearby exact the same effect on our brain) can be used to tread phobia and psychcological traumata in manifold issues.

Albert Hofmann(who discovered LSD) said, LSD would not alter the consciousness but expand it. Like an catalystic converter wich is needet to use the full potential of our consciousness.
In his book "LSD - Mein Sorgenkind" he wrote that the things a proband sees are not hallucination but input to his sensory organ which he doesn't know and wich might overexcite him.
This catches up with expirienced users of such drugs(multiple 10 times to over 100 uses), wich tell that the chance of horrortrips lowered with every usage and also they gained the abillity to "controll" their expirience in some form.

Beside of this, there are many artists wich tell that their creativity expand under influence of LSD, and even a single use in lifetime had expand the creativity.

It's assumed that depressive people have a high chance to better their condition. But the chance of horrortrips, even if this chance is really low, is a too high risk to use it in that issue.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Welcome to cogsci.SE!  We encourage answerers to cite sources to back up assertions and provide further reading.  

---

