McMullen |1

Mariah McMullen
Doran
ENC2135
11/2/16
It is known by many names across the globe: Lucy, strips, and acid. The symptoms of
taking it include an overall sense of well-being, visual and auditory hallucinations, and, often,
feelings of euphoria paired with an intimate experience with oneself. For many, it takes them to
another plane of consciousness, expanding the mind and elating the senses. This mysterious,
intriguing yet illicit drug is known as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Popularly known for its
trippy and dramatic effects, LSD can induce psychedelic trips that, interestingly, pose as useful
for the future of psychotherapy, the treatment of mental disorders by psychological rather than
medical means. Currently illicit, LSD is typically misunderstood, often being considered foreign
and psychosis-inducing as finding credible sources that thoroughly explain LSD can be difficult
to come by compared to the masses of online stories, negative media attention, and controversial
stigma that is attached to LSD. Furthermore, also due to its current legal status, for many doctors,
researchers, and investigators aiming to find different remedies for illnesses such as anxiety and
addiction, experimenting with LSD for medicinal purposes is difficult, yielding only a small
amount of information. However, aside from obvious obstacles, LSD presents itself as a possible
remedy in conjunction with psychotherapy to treat those suffering with different forms of
anxiety and addiction.
The history of LSD is relatively short, yet it expresses a story of significance. LSD was
first synthesized in 1938 by Albert Hofmann, a natural products chemist while searching for
active derivatives of lysergic acid, a naturally occurring substance derived from a fungus called
Claviceps purpurea (Emrich 295). Hofmann later discovered LSDs dramatic psychological
effects in 1943, finding that LSD differed from other chemicals synthesized from lysergic acid

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because none had LSDs unique spectrum of psychological effects (Emrich 295). The effects
described by Hofmann himself include fantastic pictures of extraordinary plasticity and
intensive color after having accidentally ingesting a minute amount of the compound (Smith 1).
Hofmann later purposely ingested a higher dosage, experiencing the same unusual
psychological effects (Smith 1). After Hofmanns trippy discovery, LSD was introduced into the
medical community during the 1950s as an experimental tool to induce temporary psychoticlike states and later enhance psychotherapeutic treatments (Emrich 295). Almost twenty years
later, many people began using LSD for recreational and spiritual purposes, leading to what
many considered a psychedelic movement (Emrich 295). Unfortunately, the fate of LSD
research in the 1960s has typically been linked to controversy where most accounts of LSD
psychotherapys history have argued that this uproar [of controversy] doomed legitimate research
by tarnishing the drugs reputation, discouraging users from using it, and criminalizing the use of
the drug, making it harder to gain approval (Oram 222). Despite LSDs criminalization, many
people continued using the hallucinogen, and aside from LSDs successful and safe use as a
psychotherapeutic, experimental tool, little to none legal medical research using LSD has been
recorded for at least forty years. Despite the looming information gap, today there seems to be a
growing amount of interest in the experimentation and use of LSD within medicine.
Often, LSD is a drug of the fear-inducing type with most of the fear originating from
sources such as the media. According to a TIME, LSD was considered a dangerous drug,
inducing horrific affects ranging from simple screaming to murder. TIME reported the murder of
Florence Cooper at the hands of her son-in-law Stephen Kessler. While taken in for routine
questioning, Kessler asked excitedly: Did I kill my wife? Did I rape anyone? What have I
done? adding, Man, Ive been flying for three days on LSD (The Dangers of LSD 68).

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Interestingly, it had seemed that Kessler fit into a pattern in which 75 other patients were
admitted to a hospital due to LSD reactions (Dangers of LSD 68). Out of those admitted, nine
of them reported uncontrollable impulses toward violence, and two of these had attempted
murder (Dangers of LSD 68). According to LSD experts as Dr. Sidney Cohen, the acid
head who is taking a trip is more likely to become possibly fascinated by the glories or horrors
of contemplating his own navel than to react violently against others, or in other words, acid
heads are more likely to commit suicide than to hurt others (The Dangers of LSD 68). While
the latter may come as a relief, according to TIME, acid is still a relentless and unforgiving drug
that causes pain to those who come in contact with it. However, a quick search will provide
evidence that LSD does not directly cause death. According to Erowid, LSD does not cause
death at recreational or therapeutic doses (Erowid). Lethal doses are almost impossible to
ingest, yet some suicides have been tied to the use of LSD, though it is difficult to positively
link an individuals choice to take their own life with their pas use of LSD (Erowid). Simply,
while LSD may seem horrific thanks to the media, there is no proof to link LSD directly to the
cause of death of induvial.
As opposed to the negative (and often horrifying) stigma around LSD, the drug actually
poses useful for the treatment of illness-related anxiety. Before LSD was introduced into
medicine, the use of psychedelics was widespread in indigenous cultures across Central America
(Dutta). Typically, psychedelics were utilized in sacred rituals including death, which they
[ancient cultures] understood as a form of transcending reality into the next dimension (Dutta).
It was observed that these drugs could make death a more conscious experience (Dutta). By
using psychedelics, people were given a form of acceptance into their next reality. Similarly, in
recent clinical medicine, terminally ill cancer patients found that they could easily cast off their

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fear of an impending death, allowing patients to confront and resolve fears on their own (Dutta).
Many terminally ill patients report less fear of death and an improved quality of life after being
administered LSD (Use of LSD in Controlled Setting Improves Illness-Related Anxiety 8).
The hallucinogen allows ill patients to establish another inner frame for addressing and/or
coping with the stressful situation (Use of LSD in Controlled Setting Improves Illness-Related
Anxiety 8).
Furthermore, it appears that LSD can impair the ability to recognize fear and increase the
ability to empathize. Research shows that LSD positively altered the processing of emotional
information by decreasing the recognition of fearful and sad faces and enhancing emotional
empathy and prosociality (Borgwardt, et al. 11) Also, it can be observed that LSD has dosedependent subjective effects on empathogenic mood, including feelings of closeness to others,
wanting to be with others, happiness (Borgwardt, et al. 12) Typically, these are feelings that
anxiety sufferers are not able to feel on their own. While LSD may be able to acutely induce
these feelings, LSD on its own may not produce many benefits to accurately treat anxiety.
Researchers state that evidence suggests that serotonergic hallucinogens when
psychotherapeutically embedded might be of assistance in the treatment of neurotic-type
depression or emotional distress (Buchborn, et al. 549). It is significant to note that at a
plateau phase in the subjects trip, subjects were also less overwhelmed by initially strong and
mostly novel psychedelic experiences, which may open a window to psychotherapeutic
interventions and the emotional effects during the later phase of the acute LSD response are
likely beneficial to acutely facilitating the therapeutic response (Borgwardt, et al. 26).
Similarly, LSD is also useful for combatting addiction. It has been seen that LSD has the
ability to positively affect those suffering from alcohol addiction. Unfortunately, alcohol

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contributes to about 4% of total mortality and about 5% of disability adjusted life-years to the
global burden of disease (Krebs and Johansen 994). The consequences of abusing alcohol can
come at a heavy price including the life of oneself or others. Alcoholism continues to be
difficult to treat, meaning that many patients to not achieve recovery (Krebs and Johansen
994). However, it has been observed that LSD positively benefits those suffering from alcohol
dependence by preventing a relapse of alcohol misuse by eliciting insights into behavioral
patterns and generating motivation to build a meaningful life in conjunction with psychotherapy
(Krebs and Johansen 1000). In healthy subjects, LSD can produce high ratings of good drug
effects such as increased feelings of well-being happiness, closeness to others, openness, and
trust (Schmid, et al. 549). In combination with the aforementioned good feelings and patients
claiming to have found significant insight into their problems while on LSD may help to
increase the benefits of LSD (Krebs and Johansen 1001). Patients were also reported to have felt
that they had been given a new lease on life, making strong resolutions to discontinue their
drinking (Krebs and Johansen). While on LSD and experiencing strong feelings of closeness
and trust, its logical that patients seeking treatment for alcoholism become much more selfaccepting, adopting a more positive and optimistic view of their capacities to face future
problems (Krebs and Johansen). Of course, in conjunction with psychological intervention
during trips, LSD may prove to be as effective as other medications, if not more. Compared to
medicine, LSD provides users with an experience that is unlike any other, inducing positive
emotions and introducing patients to different frames of mind unavailable to them prior to using
LSD. Indeed, it can be agreed that using LSDs effects concurrently with psychotherapy, LSD
may prove to be effective as a remedy to combat against alcohol dependence.

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While LSD presents itself as a positive remedy, it is also important to note that LSD has
only ever been experimented with in a lab or hospital setting. This raises many concerns in
regard to the future development of using LSD as a medicine. The experience a user has on LSD
is heavily dependent on external stimuli such as the setting. Setting can range from sitting quietly
in a bedroom to walking around outside, where the amount of interesting stimuli may change
greatly. However, in a lab setting or a hospital room, one can imagine that the stimuli was
controlled, possibly altering the experience and reactions of subjects on LSD. This may alter the
efficacy and, in turn, the credibility of LSD research as a whole, unfortunately. Researchers may
possibly look into using other drugs that are more acute in effects and easier to control in order to
better record the effects of psychedelics in conjunction with psychological intervention.
Regardless, research has only reported beneficial reactions and effects from LSD, leaving one to
believe that, despite a lab or hospital setting, LSD and the intervention of psychotherapy is
positively effective.
Indeed, LSD is a drug that has been used worldwide for centuries, and despite LSDs
controversial history, the hallucinogenic drug has made quite an impact in the field of medicine,
particularly in treating anxiety and addiction. From being used in sacred rituals in Central
America to experimentation in a lab, psychedelics are mysterious and intriguing drugs as their
abilities to effect individuals range widely. Known for its spectrum of effects and its ability to be
used as a tool to further help individuals explore introspectively in order to come to terms with
death, achieve insight to personal fears, or to realize ways to combat addiction, LSD is a
remarkable drug. However, despite LSDs worldwide use recreationally and medically, it seems
as if many individuals today are unsure about psychedelics in general, misunderstanding the
abilities that psychedelics possess. Due to this, the future of LSD being utilized as a medicine

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within hospitals or offices may be approached as unusual, inhumane, or dangerous. One may ask
individuals to consider a future where LSD is administered within the offices of psychologists
across the world to help individuals struggling with addiction or anxiety seeking alternative
treatment that is more enlightening and introspective than typical medications, providing a
memorable experience that may prove to be more effective. Considering the lack of knowledge
regarding LSD, one may encourage that individuals across the world to do some research of their
own by picking up a book, searching online, or even taking acid themselves in order to truly
appreciate and experience the intimate and introspective drug that is LSD.
Word count: 2016

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Works Cited
"The Dangers of LSD." Time Vol 87. No 16. 22 Apr. 1966: n. 68. Print.
Buchborn, Tobias, et al. Repeated Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in an Animal Model of
Depression: Normalisation of Learning Behavior and Hippocampal Serotonin 5-HT2
Singalling. Journal of Psychopharmacology, vol. 28, no. 6, 2015, pp. 545-552.
Borgwardt, Stefan, et al. LSD Acutely Impairs Fear Recognition and Enhances Emotional
Apathy and Sociality. Official Journal of the American College of
Neuropyschopharmacology, vol. 41, no. 11, 2016, pp. 2638-2646.
Dutta, Varsha. Repression of Death Consciousness and the Psychedelic Trip. Journal of
Cancer Research and Therapeutics, vol. 8, no. 3, 2012, pp. 336-342.
Emrich, Hinderk M., et al.The Pharmacology of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: A Review. CNS
Neuroscience & Therepeutics, vol. 14, no. 4, 2008, pp. 295-314.
Erowid LSD (Acid) Vault: Fatalities/Deaths. Erowid, 2 Sept. 2010,
erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_death.shtml. Accessed 29 Oct. 2016.
Krebs, Teri S., and Pl-rjan Johansen. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for alcoholism: metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychopharmacology, vol. 26, no. 7,
2012, pp.994-1002.
Oram, Matthew. "Efficacy and Enlightenment: LSD Psychotherapy and the Drug Amendments
of 1962." Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, vol. 69, no. 2, 2014, pp.
221-250.

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Schmid, Yasmin, et al. Acute Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Subjects.
Biological Psychiatry, vol. 70, no. 8, 2015, pp. 544-553.
Smith, David E. "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: An Historical Perspective." Journal of
psychoactive drugs, vol. 1, no. 1, 2007: 1-5, pp. 1-5.
"Use of LSD in Controlled Setting Improves Illness-Related Anxiety." Brown University
Psychopharmacology Update, vol. 26, no. 3, 2015, pp. 7-8.