The rise—and fall—of research into the therapeutic potential of LSD. After LSD arrived in the United States in 1949, the drug's therapeutic promise quickly captured the interests of psychiatrists. In the decade that followed, modern psychopharmacology was born and research into the drug's perceptual and psychological effects boomed. By the early 1960s, psychiatrists focused on a particularly promising treatment known as psychedelic therapy: a single, carefully guided, high-dose LSD session coupled with brief but intensive psychotherapy. Researchers reported an astounding 50 percent success rate in treating chronic alcoholism, as well as substantial improvement in patients suffering from a range of other disorders. Yet despite this success, LSD officially remained an experimental drug only. Research into its effects, psychological and otherwise, dwindled before coming to a close in the 1970s. In The Trials of Psychedelic Therapy, Matthew Oram traces the early promise and eventual demise of LSD psychotherapy in the United States. While the common perception is that LSD's prohibition terminated legitimate research, Oram draws on files from the Food and Drug Administration and the personal papers of LSD researchers to reveal that the most significant issue was not the drug's illegality, but the persistent question of its efficacy. The landmark Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments of 1962 installed strict standards for efficacy evaluation, which LSD researchers struggled to meet due to the unorthodox nature of their treatment. Exploring the complex interactions between clinical science, regulation, and therapeutics in American medicine, The Trials of Psychedelic Therapy explains how an age of empirical research and limited government oversight gave way to sophisticated controlled clinical trials and complex federal regulations. Analyzing the debates around how to understand and evaluate treatment efficacy, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in LSD and psychedelics, as well as mental health professionals, regulators, and scholars of the history of psychiatry, psychotherapy, drug regulation, and pharmaceutical research and development.

The invitation to write a foreword for this book came at an opportune time in the development of the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy, amid the emergence of the future iteration of mental health services, delivered by the promises of the psychedelic renaissance. Also alive in this context are the substantial individual, social and cultural repercussions of a global pandemic on mental health and human behavior. A growing body of research shows encouraging clinical results in treating trauma, depression, demoralization, end-of-life existential issues, addiction, and eating disorders using MDMA, psilocybin, ketamine, and other psychedelic medications. However, the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy has gained accelerated support from donors, the medical establishment, and corporate investors in recent years. Along with the enthusiasm, recognition, funding, and media coverage directed toward psychedelic-assisted therapy, ethical standards; the lack of adequate training; and issues of accessibility, sustainability, diversity and inclusion are increasingly becoming part of the movement's forefront. These gaps in the emerging field highlight the need for more guidance and structure around ethical, clinical, and social considerations for these innovative treatments. This book can serve as a cornerstone for the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy at this time. This essential contribution offers a depth-oriented, somatic and relational therapeutic approach, emphasizing the imperative of ethical standards, the relevance of the therapeutic use of touch, the significance of the unconscious in the construction of symbolic meaning and intersubjective processes, and the need for trauma -informed approaches while centering liberation psychology and decolonial practices. The topics covered in this book and the themes embraced by the authors are of great relevance and are not yet comprehensively articulated in existing publications on psychedelic-assisted therapy. The diverse authors of this book approach their chapters based on their diverse social and cultural identities, as well as their extensive clinical experience providing psychedelic-assisted therapy in government-approved clinical research, private practice, and nonprofit organization settings. Their contributions aim at a vision of psychedelic-assisted therapy centered on decolonial practices, attuned to the somatic, imaginal, cultural and relational dimensions of being, allowing the emergence of transpersonal processes. Each chapter elaborates practical and theoretical aspects of this treatment modality through a unique theoretical framework, providing inspiration and guidance to readers working in this field as well as those compelled to psychedelic work for personal transformation.

EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy for Depression: A New Approach for the Whole Person is a clinical guide that explores the innovative use of psychedelic therapy in treating depression. The book presents the EMBARK psychedelic therapy model, a comprehensive and participant-centric approach that focuses on the whole person, not just their symptoms. It delves into the preparation, medicine, and integration phases of therapy, providing practical guidelines for practitioners.

Integral Psychedelic Therapy is a groundbreaking, evidence-based collection that explores how psychedelic medicine can be incorporated into contemporary psychotherapy. This book builds on current psychedelic research by providing an in-depth articulation of the practice of psychedelic therapy, weaving together a variety of complementary therapeutic frameworks, case examples, and practical guidance for cultivating a highly effective, ethically grounded, integral approach. Chapters by a diverse set of practicing psychotherapists and leading researchers aim to provide practitioners with a method that centers liberation of all dimensions of being through intersectional, client-centered, trauma-informed, and attachment-focused practices, alongside thoughtful attunement to the relational, somatic, imaginal, cultural, and transpersonal dimensions of healing. Integral Psychedelic Therapy will be essential reading for psychotherapists in practice and in training as well as those seeking personal healing and holistic transformation.

This book provides a scientific and ethical approach to all forms of fraud and misconduct focusing on a scholarly however practice-oriented description of the problems, roots and potential solutions. Organized in dedicated parts, an international team of experts systematically analyzes the most prevalent forms of misconduct, ghost writing, pseudo-science, dubious trials, predatory journals, fake news, mistreatment and harassment, in research, publications, at academic institutions, and in the professional and healthcare environment. A special focus is given to corrective interventions and the role of prevention, education and training. Comprehensive in its scope, the book offers an easy-to-read overview along with a number of real cases for experienced and novice personnel alike. The significance of scientific integrity and research ethics increased during the last couple of years and ethic committees and offices have become an integral part at universities, hospitals, research institutions, government agencies and major private organizations all over the world. Thus, this book provides an indispensable, comprehensive overview across disciplines and for everybody working in research and affiliated institutions. Chapter 37 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

As LSD moves towards the medical mainstream, it continues to evoke powerful memories of the psychedelic sixties and west coast counterculture. In this lively account, Chris Elcock follows a different branch of psychedelic history – one that is sprawling, layered, and centred on New York City. A major hub for the production and consumption of LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs, New York spawned a unique psychedelic culture that reverberated through the city, from psychoanalytic circles to artists’ studios, Greenwich Village to Central Park. Based on years of archival research, interviews with former acid heads, and a range of cultural artifacts, Psychedelic New York shows how the postwar city was at the forefront of LSD medical research, the burgeoning of psychedelic art, drug-accompanied spiritual seeking, and a proliferation of drug subcultures. Elcock recounts stories of New Yorkers such as Holocaust survivor Nina Graboi and artist Isaac Abrams, whose lives were dramatically altered by their psychedelic experiences, while offering new insights into Timothy Leary’s role in turning on the city with psilocybin. Enlivened by personal stories and rooted in thoughtful analysis, Psychedelic New York is a multifaceted history of LSD and the urban psychedelic experience.

"Fifty years after President Richard Nixon declared a "War on Drugs," leading scholars examine how drug war policies contributed to the making of the carceral state, racial injustice, deviant globalization, regulatory disasters, and a massive underground economy; they also point the way forward to a more just and humane drug policy regime"--

In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted breakthrough therapy designation for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Six phase 2 and one phase 3 trial of a standardized MDMA-AT protocol for PTSD have consistently shown that the treatment is both safe and efficacious. MDMA-AT may hold great promise as a novel treatment for individuals who suffer from PTSD, including those with severe and treatment-resistant diagnoses. Evidence-based studies are needed to guide widespread adoption and dissemination of MDMA-AT for PTSD. The untapped therapeutic potential of MDMA-AT also warrants further investigation of indications beyond PTSD, including comorbidities that often create greater challenges in treatment and long-term efficacy. The goal of this Research Topic is to broaden the scientific literature on MDMA-AT across disciplines. Specifically, studies are needed to provide (i) guidance on the dissemination of MDMA-AT for PTSD, (ii) future research directions for MDMA-AT including investigation of other indications, and (iii) theoretical frameworks and models of biological mechanisms to explain the therapeutic effects of MDMA-AT.