I just spent the last couple of hours going through my stack of research articles trying to narrow it down to 3 that I really wanted to use. I was having a really hard time with this because I have found a fair amount of research studies that I would like to include as references in my essay but I have also found really heartfelt stories of transformation from individuals that have benefited from psychedelic therapy that I also wanted to use. Luckily I decided to re-read the assignment sheet for this essay and read that we need to have
at least 5 sources. So I am happy that I get to utilize more of the information I have been finding than limiting myself to only 5 sources total.
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A great resource that I have found is the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). MAPS is a non-profit organization that was created in order to conduct research and studies into the safe use of psychedelic drugs as medicine. Their mission statement specifically says that they are wanting to "develop medical, legal and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana." I am amazed at the amount of research that is available through their website as they have an internal search engine where one can look for articles and studies. I'm actually also amazed that there have been so many studies done into psychedelics as medicine because when I first chose this topic I kind of thought that research into this realm came to an end in the 1960's. I feel that this is a really good resource for me because MAPS is committed to research that is "governed by rigorous scientific evaluation of their risks and benefits." Reading that as part of one of their goals made me feel like they weren't blindly trying to push for legalization of psychedelics as medicine because they are presenting the pros and cons within their findings. I am also thinking that I am going to narrow down my argument to including only plant based psychedelics as well because these are substances that have been in use by various cultures for centuries for spiritual practices as well as healing medicines. I'm also not a huge proponent of chemical drugs in general and think that the plant based medicines have much less detrimental long-term effects.
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Another source that I found is an article titled "Safety and Side Effects of Ayahuasca in Humans-An Overview Focusing on Developmental Toxicology." This article cites a variety of studies that were conducted as well as analyzing EEG scans of the brain and the effects of ayahuasca on the brain. It goes further with noting how many different bodily functions are affected during and after consumption of ayahuasca as well as effects on different hormone levels in the body. Possible chemical interactions are noted in the article as well. I found this article interesting because it does also include some information about life-threatening adverse reactions which could very well lead to an argument against the use of this drug therapeutically. I also think that this article will be helpful for my argument because it included people in their studies that have been using ayahuasca for decades in some cases that show no detrimental effects.
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The third article that I chose to reference for this blog is "Psychological and Cognitive Effects of Long-Term Peyote Use Among Native Americans." I found this article both interesting and useful because it is coming from the point of view that it is difficult to study long-term effects of psychedelic drug use in the general population because there are very often other drugs used that could be contributing factors to any physical/mental impairment. The researchers decided that the only group of people they could find whose hallucinogen use spanned many years and did not necessarily also use multiple other illicit drugs were Native Americans that use peyote during religious ceremonies. Potential participants of the study were excluded from research if they had a history of other drug use, alcoholism, neurological disorders and a variety of other reasons that could have led to skewed information. There was one area of this study that I found particularly interesting which stated that persons who had used peyote regularly for years scored higher on tests than did persons in on of the control groups that had a history of alcoholism. It was also noted that further research would be necessary because there were so many other variables to take into consideration like social condition status and psychological factors. I think this study will come in useful for my argument because it documents a group that has been using a psychedelic for a long time.
Works Cited.
Guimaraes dos Santos, Rafael Ph.D. "Safety and Side Effects of Ayahuasca in Humans-An Overview Focusing on developmental Toxicology."
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs Jan-Mar 2013 Vol.45 issue 1: pg 68-78.
Academic Search Premier. 6 Nov. 2013
Halpern, John H., et al.
"Psychological and Cognitive Effects of Long-Term Peyote Use Among Native Americans." Biological Psychiatry Oct. 2005 Vol. 58 issue 8: pg 624-631.
Academic Search Premier. 7 Nov. 2013
MAPS Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Creative Commons 2013 MAPS. Web 6 Nov. 2013
Jenny,
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time that I've really had a chance to look at your blog. I've read all your previous posts and I really find your topic interesting - no one else has a topic like this. I saw that your research question was if psychedelics should be legal to use in therapeutic settings. I wanted to know what your opinions are now that you've got some research under your belt. Your resources you have here are really great. How did you go about finding these resources? I know that most people just used google, but your findings seem much more extensive than just typing psychedelic therapy into a search engine. Your second two sources are really good, but I think that your first source seems the most credible. I believe that these will all be useful while writing your paper, and I think that they're especially great because they cover a wide range of topics in the realm of psychedelic therapy. I think you've got some solid research and a really great paper ahead of you!
Katie
From your first paragraph it sounds like your not short on sources at all which is great, and from the sources you have shared they have great information. It would be awesome to see some numbers, statistics, on all the different drugs you are talking about, and which are the most dangerous. It would also be cool to know what defines it as therapeutic use, must there be a special person there or what? It would also be cool as you mentioned to hear from the people who have changed their life using these drugs, and what part about it was life changing. I would have to imagine its the experience they have when taking these, or is there a chemical reaction that triggers something in the brain? Also how do the people get these drugs, are their certain people who are allowed to manufacture and sell them to licenses companies, or what is the process? Your research is great, and I'm excited to see where it takes you.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading through some of the examples you provided us with, I too was quite shocked by the amount of studies that were found about the use of psychedelics as medicine. I feel like even using the word psychedelic, brings me to the 1960's, and to see so many different uses for these drugs kind of shocks me but also brings me to ask what kind of effect does this treatment have on my body? Are the effects harmful and most importantly reversible? However, you make a very great point with all the people these drugs have positively impacted and changed their lives. Great post!
Shayna
This is a very interesting topic. The sources you have found have definitely helped you progress from where you started with this blog. You will be able to use the research that has been done to draw a conclusion as to good or bad. It is perfect you found a study that only involved people that do not have out side drugs to skew the research, I would suggest that you see if you can find any more about that specific study to see how it was done. Was it a well done study or did it leave to much that needed to be figured out? Love your topic, Good luck.
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ReplyDeleteI find your topic to be very interesting; mostly because it’s not something I have considered. I work in the medical field; in my hospital alternative psychedelic therapies are not normally used. When reading your resources, I found your third source particularly fascinating. In using Native American traditions, I agree that you are able to get more longitudinal study group; however, it makes me wonder how large your experimental group is. I understand that you say the study took out participants that used other substance, but what about if they used in past. Was it only those that had only used peyote in religious ceremonies or had they used it other times as well? I just find the concept of psychedelic drugs to be difficult to study simply because it’s hard for me to believe that other substances have not been used as well. I’m also curios to know what you think the benefit of the peyote is as a therapeutic aid. I’m not saying I disagree completely with the concept, I’d just be interested to see some more information on it’s true purpose. Good luck with your essay, I hope all of your research comes together well for you.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have some amazing sources for accurate information. I am excited to see where your paper ends up! I am curious, about the studies of use of psychedelics in religious rituals, if that is the only time those people use the drugs. Do they use them once a week, or once a month? Is there a difference in the people that use it more or less often? I like that it was also narrowed down to people that did not have a chance of other substances in their system, so it was a more accurate representation of the effects of one particular substance. I am happy that you are going to use more sources in your paper, I think it will be great.
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