As readers of the MAPS Bulletin know, we face a constant struggle to conduct research into the therapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs.
Delays are the norm, and studies can take years to begin.
We publish accounts like the one below because they are reminders of the sometimes surprising powerful effects that psychedelics can have. Fisher's account reminds us that the sitter, the preparation and the setting for a healing session with a psychedelic are integral parts of the drug's therapeutic effect. The message I got was to be cooperative. I met with the father and he told me that his son had had extensive and prolonged psychiatric treatment. He had been hospitalized at two of the country's most prestigious private psychiatric institutions but after eleven years of hospitalization and intensive psychoanalytic work no changes had occurred.