How Psychedelic Drugs Can Help Patients Face Death
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-psychedelic-drugs-can-help-patients-face-death.htmlPam Sakuda was 55 when she found out she was dying. Shortly after having a tumor removed from her colon, she heard the doctors dreaded words: Stage 4; metastatic. Sakuda was given 6 to 14 months to live. Determined to slow her diseases insidious course, she ran several miles every day, even during her grueling treatment regimens. By nature upbeat, articulate and dignified, Sakuda who died in November 2006, outlasting everyones expectations by living for four years was alarmed when anxiety and depression came to claim her after she passed the 14-month mark, her days darkening as she grew closer to her biological demise. Norbert Litzinger, Sakudas husband, explained it this way: When you pass your own death sentence by, you start to wonder: When? When? It got to the point where we couldnt make even the most mundane plans, because we didnt know if Pam would still be alive at that time a concert, dinner with friends; would she still be here for that? When came to claim the couples life completely, their anxiety building as they waited for the final day.
As her fears intensified, Sakuda learned of a study being conducted by Charles Grob, a psychiatrist and researcher at Harbor-U.C.L.A. Medical Center who was administering psilocybin an active component of magic mushrooms to end-stage cancer patients to see if it could reduce their fear of death. Twenty-two months before she died, Sakuda became one of Grobs 12 subjects. When the research was completed in 2008 (and published in the Archives of General Psychiatry last year) the results showed that administering psilocybin to terminally ill subjects could be done safely while reducing the subjects anxiety and depression about their impending deaths.
Grobs interest in the power of psychedelics to mitigate mortalitys sting is not just the obsession of one lone researcher. Dr. John Halpern, head of the Laboratory for Integrative Psychiatry at McLean Hospital in Belmont Mass., a psychiatric training hospital for Harvard Medical School, used MDMA also known as ecstasy in an effort to ease end-of-life anxieties in two patients with Stage 4 cancer. And there are two ongoing studies using psilocybin with terminal patients, one at New York Universitys medical school, led by Stephen Ross, and another at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where Roland Griffiths has administered psilocybin to 22 cancer patients and is aiming for a sample size of 44. This research is in its very early stages, Grob told me earlier this month, but were getting consistently good results.
Grob and his colleagues are part of a resurgence of scientific interest in the healing power of psychedelics. Michael Mithoefer, for instance, has shown that MDMA is an effective treatment for severe P.T.S.D. Halpern has examined case studies of people with cluster headaches who took LSD and reported their symptoms greatly diminished. And psychedelics have been recently examined as treatment for alcoholism and other addictions.
annabanana
(52,791 posts)With a practiced "travel agent", a trip can be a very very good thing. It is of the most importance that it be from a safe place.
Bennyboy
(10,440 posts)I wonder about this myself. The question remains at any time with psychedelics anything is this: How much of a catharsis do you wanna have? Are these people having a mild trip, listening to music or are they pushing the boundaries of their mind? I m not sure that I would want to go through that emotional wringer too often in my life. But very interesting. I personally think that psychedelics help most people most of the time.
Jerry Garcia said "It is nice to blow the pipes out every one and while". And I know what he is talking about there. I'd like to know more about it myself. The doses, how many times, how deep they went and all that.... I gotta wonder what it could do for Alzheimer patients and dementia patients. Pot really helps them. and with most psychedelics doing about the same thing I might wonder how that would work.
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)for almost an hour the person show signs of experiencing the world around him. he studied a tree,felt the sun on his face,and the grass on his feet. fortunately nothing went wrong because as you may surmise this was not a official therapy. we always wondered if maybe could be used on people like this but maybe someday it just might be.
Bennyboy
(10,440 posts)and I am tempted at times to say "take some of this and let's see what happens".. Anything that stimulates brain activity can't be bad right? I know with one person, who had a dementia ravaged wife, it took a long time to get him to even try cannabis therapy. but one day I asked him "Do you want your wife back even if it is for an hour or so"? and he said what do you mean and told him about stimulating the brain etc and now, for a couple of hours per day, he has someone that is more companion than burden. She eats it and he gives her a small dose every day...and probably will for the rest of her life. He still won't indulge...........
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)this would be an excellent way to go into the light
we have known how psychedelics effects the workings of the brain and now we just need to understand how to use it
enough
(13,259 posts)Maynar
(769 posts)since I've seen decent acid. Needless to say, it's been that long since I've indulged.
But after reading about Tim Leary's final hours, I think that's the way I'd like to go out.
bluedigger
(17,086 posts)saras
(6,670 posts)murielm99
(30,745 posts)Aldous Huxley figured this out for himself long ago.
russspeakeasy
(6,539 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)drokhole
(1,230 posts)..for the exploration of the inner depths of the human psyche." - Terence McKenna