© Getty Images

What are they? -

Psychedelics are kinds of hallucinogenic drugs. They alter perception and affect some cognitive processes. When taken in a high dose, the user will often go into another state of consciousness. This is commonly known as a "trip."

© Shutterstock  

LSD -

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is the most famous of the hallucinogenics, mostly because of its popularity in the ‘60s. It leads people to have auditory and visual hallucinations. The experiences are often described as spiritual.

© Getty Images

Psilocybin -

Psilocybin is the chemical that is found in “magic mushrooms” and “magic truffles.”  It turns from psilocybin to psilocin in your stomach, and produces hallucinations similar to LSD. However, it is a softer experience. Mushrooms and truffles are legalized in countries such as the Netherlands.

© Shutterstock

Bad reputation -

In the Swinging Sixties, during the summer of love, psychedelics got a bad reputation. It was seen as a recreational, countercultural drug only used by rebellious youths and unproductive citizens.

© Getty Images

Perceived danger - The middle classes in America thought that psychedelics were destroying society. People widely believed it was addictive and corrosive to the human brain.

© Getty Images

The unknown - In that same period of time, scientists were doing serious research into psychedelics. They believed that they were not only recreational, but that there was something unique going on in the brain when they were consumed. Psychedelics were not destroying the brain, but enhancing it.

© Shutterstock  

Research - There was an explosion of research in the 1950s and 1960s, which unfortunately did not attract as much attention as the youth hippy movement. Over 1,000 scientific peer-reviewed research papers were published on the effects of psychedelics.

© Getty Images

Research - Over 40,000 people were involved in the studies. The scientists were trying to see if taking doses of psychedelics could help individuals form new connections in their brains and break deeply embedded ones.

© Getty Images

Alcoholism and autism - Using this logic, scientists such as Timothy Leary tried to break alcohol addictions and improve the symptoms of autism. The results were positive, and it seemed like psychedelics could prove to be incredibly helpful in the world of psychology.

© Getty Images

Pharmaceutical companies - However, many of the problems that scientists thought psychedelics might help with were also the ones pharmaceutical companies were providing cures for in the shape of anti-depressants and other drugs.

© Getty Images

Convention on Psychotropic Substances -

In 1971, the United Nations created this convention to internationally decrease the use of psychedelics, barbiturates, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines.

© Getty Images

Research stopped - Very quickly, fear took over and one of the most promising substances for cranial healing was outlawed in society. That is, until the early 2000s.

© Getty Images

The psychedelic renaissance - The main area of research has been with high doses of psychedelics. As developed by scientists in the ‘60s, the therapy involves patients lying on a sofa with an eye mask, headphones, and a blanket. There is a guide with them to help them through the experience.

© Shutterstock  

What can it help? - The treatments with psychedelics are often for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, cluster headaches, alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

© Shutterstock  

How? - According to scientist Robin Carhart-Harris, when tripping participants go into another state of mind where they can accept and confront their inner world. People often have epiphanies that lead to long-term change.

© Shutterstock  

Psychedelic therapy - There are several different ways that psychedelics are used in therapy. Psychedelic therapy is when the participant is given one high dose in order to trigger a personal epiphany.

© Getty Images

Psycholytic therapy - Psycholytic therapy lasts around one to two weeks. The participant is given a low to medium dose of a psychedelic. During the weeks, the participant receives therapy from a trained psychologist. They are not tripping because the dose is so low.

© Shutterstock  

Microdosing - The newest phenomenon, pioneered by scientist James Fadiman, is microdosing. This is where a person is put on an extremely low dose of psychedelic for a month. They take the substance every two days.

© Shutterstock  

Microdosing - Just to be clear, microdosing does not induce hallucinations. It is said to heighten the senses and facilitate psychological change during therapy. It is reported to have helped many people enhance their creativity and deal with inner turmoil.

© Shutterstock  

Alcoholism - In a survey of 343 adults, of which 73% were alcoholics, 83% reported that they drank significantly less after they had taken a dose of a psychedelic. Many said it was not about having more willpower, but about genuinely not wanting a drink.

© Shutterstock  

Terminal illness - When an individual is told that they do not have long to live, it is difficult to actually focus on life and enjoy the remaining time. According to some researchers, patients find the fear of death less tolerable than the pain towards the end of their life.

© Shutterstock  

Terminal illness -

Using the knowledge that psychedelics reduce depression and anxiety, a study was carried out with people nearing the end of their life. They took a dose of psilocybin and tripped with a guide, headphones, an eye mask, and a sofa.

© Shutterstock

Terminal illness -

They found that through this experience, patients felt more at peace with the inevitable end of their life and were more able to focus on enjoying the present.

© Shutterstock  

PTSD - Scientists have found that psychedelics and other serotonin-releasing drugs such as MDMA could help patients address trauma.

© Shutterstock  

PTSD - It can be hurtful and dangerous to delve into experiences that your mind has blocked off. Your mind is trying to protect you. Drugs that help your mood could put you in the right space to talk about them without the adverse effects enveloping you.

© Shutterstock  

Depression and anxiety - Perhaps the most astounding and exciting consequence of recent research is the overwhelming evidence that it helps with the two most common psychological disorders: anxiety and depression.

© Shutterstock  

Depression and anxiety -

Paired with therapy and in a controlled setting, patients were asked either to take a large dose of psilocybin or LSD. People reported that the trip gave them space to confront their emotional trials and come back to reality with a slightly altered view.

© Getty Images

Anti-depressants -

Anti-depressants, especially serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have the effect of making an individual’s lows less intense, and often their highs too. However, overall they do work to relieve the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

© Shutterstock

Anti-depressants - Nevertheless, they do come with difficult side effects. These include weight gain, nausea, insomnia, constipation, and decreased libido.

© Shutterstock  

Psilocybin -

So far, according to Fadiman, there are almost no negative side effects of taking psychedelics for therapy. If precautions are taken, there is a very low risk of a bad experience. Thus, some scientists are looking to psychedelics as a replacement for psychotropic drugs (anti-depressants and the like).

© Shutterstock  

Caution -

This is not to say that psychedelics should be taken without due caution. They are very powerful drugs, and the full effects are not known yet. However, this new area of therapy is certainly exciting.

Sources: (The Guardian) (BBC) (Big Think) (Vox)

See also: Surprising stars who've done psychedelics

© Shutterstock