Pubdate: Tue, 26 Apr 2005
Source: Northern Star (IL Edu)
Copyright: 2005 Northern Star
Contact:  http://www.star.niu.edu/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2815
Author: Genevieve Diesing

HALLUCINOGEN MYTHS PUT TO REST

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether a church in New Mexico
should be able to continue using hallucinogenic tea for religious purposes.
The Bush administration has made clear the use of hallucinogens for any
reason is illegal and harmful, but depending on how selectively the court
applies freedom of religion laws, this regard could change.

It's not just the Bush administration that views psychedelics as harmful;
since we were little we've been bombarded with myths and propaganda about
the evils of their use, from the preaching of the nationwide D.A.R.E.
program to widely circulated wives' tales. But with rapid scientific
discovery, a new perspective about psychedelics is emerging. Extensive
medical research has provided evidence that psychedelic drug use can be
beneficial to a person's well being, and now the Food and Drug
Administration has begun allowing research with psychedelics for
psychotherapy to heal trauma.

NIU's Thomas Roberts, Ph.D., longtime professor of the course "Psychedelic
Mindview" (EPS 492) said he believes this might be just the beginning.

"Now, the D.A.R.E. view is being laid to rest," Roberts said. "Interest in
psychedelics is coming back in a more medical, therapeutic sense."

With proper, educated use, within a controlled setting (which usually
involves determining beforehand if the person in question has any
predisposition toward psychedelics) psychedelics can have lifelong positive
effects, Roberts said. Although people should not try to experiment with
drugs bought "off the street" because their purity and potency is always
questionable, many people who have used psychedelics in a proper manner have
had experiences described as "life-altering" and "holy." And for victims of
trauma or people who would benefit from further exploration into their
subconscious, psychedelics can serve as extremely helpful agents.

"What these drugs do is illuminate and magnify areas of our brain that are
not normally accessible," Roberts said. This is because psychedelics can
tune into the area of our brain that psychologists call the transpersonal
area, which can cause people to - as Roberts says - "drop one's identity and
feel related with something bigger than themselves." Obviously, this feeling
can have strong correlations with what some people consider religious or
spiritual experiences, and for others, it can cause them to explore their
reality differently and to challenge their sensory perceptions. This has
proved to enrich people's lives on the whole well after the initial
experience and deepen people's appreciation and understanding of nature,
spirituality and many different aspects of the humanities, such as
literature or the arts. These experiences are also extremely valuable for
people who benefit from their medical service.

One stigma that has stuck like glue to the use of psychedelics is that they
are physically harmful. Roberts refutes this, saying it is merely one of the
myths that surrounds the issue. "There is no physical damage [caused by
psychedelics] that I know of," he said. "The most realistic danger is that
someone might use psychedelics that shouldn't be and have traumatizing
psychological results." Roberts advised that people who are given
psychedelics for medical use should be screened beforehand to be sure using
them would be appropriate.

Whether or not the Supreme Court decides hallucinogens should be accessible
for religious services, the attitude toward psychedelics on the whole is in
the process of major transformation. If people wish to further their
knowledge about this subject, they can sign up for Roberts' course next
semester. And for those who are still trying to decide how they feel about
it, keep this quotation (Richard Rudgley, "Essential Substances in Society,"
from the EPS 492 course syllabus) in mind: "Humans have an innate need to
experience altered states of consciousness. To ignore or repress our own
natures in this way is to neglect our own capacities." 
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