Psychedelics as Medicine

Our society has spent decades teaching us that drugs are bad. Many of the children of the 80's and 90's can vividly remember Nancy Regan telling us all to "Just Say No". But recently there has been an increased interest by the scientific community in the use of psychedelics for use as treatment from everything from mental illness to helping cancer patients deal with end of life anxiety. Perhaps we are coming to a crossroad of science and spirituality with this new research.

In the book Psychological Aspects of Cancer, co-written by Anthony P. Bossis, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine at the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) and Langone Medical Center, there is chapter called Use of the Classic Hallucinogen Psilocybin for Treatment of Existential Distress Associated with Cancer that explores the use of psilocybin to improve the mood and lessen the anxiety of cancer patients facing the end of their lives. The study shows that patients moods improved and their anxiety lessened giving them a very positive experience and "allowing them to improve their quality of life and augmenting their capacity to withstand the psychological stressors of their medical condition."

The society we live in is sick, the number of people being diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses increases every day. Unfortunately pharmaceutical companies see the sickness in our society as a means to make money and increase profits. People who are diagnosed with a mental illness are usually told that they will need to continue to take medication for the rest of their lives. The pharmaceutical companies benefit, as they now have a life-long customer that needs to purchase their product. When you look at the number of people in America diagnosed with anxiety and depression, the numbers are staggering:

National Institute of Mental Health

When used as a medicine, as opposed to a form of recreation, psychedelics provide us with the opportunity to heal ourselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The use of psychedelics gives us the opportunity to looks at our whole self and address any issue that we may have. They also give us insight by opening us up to experience the world without self-imposed barriers. They teach us just into how simple life can be, and that we would be better off spending our energy taking care of each other instead of being afraid of each other. Only by addressing the whole person can true healing take place.

As science begins to develop a greater understanding of the healing properties of psychedelics, perhaps it is possible that our society will begin to realize that what we need to "Just Say No" to is the idea that a manufactured chemical is better for us than a natural method of healing.