Psychedelic drugs-a potential treatment for mental health conditions
Researchers began to show interest again in the psychedelics’ properties. In the 1950s and 60s, psychedelic properties like psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were the subjects of many studies until they were no longer supported and became associated with scandalous activities and hedonism.
In 2018, John Hopkins’s researchers urged the legalization of psilocybin. In 2019, Johns Hopkins began a series of researches dedicated to psychedelics.
“Something with more immediate effects has a huge benefit as a tool in the therapeutic toolbox,” says Matthew Johnson, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who authored his own psilocybin study.
Of course, most research based on the possible medical benefits of using psychedelics have taken place in a sterile lab environment, explains Crockett. What this means is that these studies can’t confirm if people will react the same to using psychedelics in the real world, because we all know outside’s life is very different than in a lab.
“There is still a lot we don’t understand about how psychedelics affect the brain and mind,” tells Crockett. We need more research on how psychedelics “can be used to reduce suffering and enhance wellbeing, and how to minimize risks and potential negative effects associated with their use.”
This was the reason why Crockett made his study outside the lab, more exactly at different music festivals, where psychedelics are used by people who want to feel better and have more fun. He wanted to know what effect psychedelics have upon people in a natural setting.
