PSYCHEDELICS - Sciencemadness.org

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____________________________________________________ Psychedelics
non-specific stresser that operates at a fundamental level in
the control mechanism of that system.
In this section, the paper by Koella brings together some of
the effects of LSD on the functioning of the nervous system
and attempts to draw from these data some generalizations
about both drug and nervous system. Because minds are
generally found in bodies, it is important to understand how
psychedelics affect the body and particularly those aspects of
the body traditionally associated with mind. Other papers,
by Giarman, Purpura, and Jarvik, dealing with problems
raised here may be found in the excellent collection edited
by DeBold and Leaf (1967).
There is no question but that psychedelics influence lan-
guage, although the manner in which they do so is unclear
(Amarel and Cheek, 1965). It is possible that they operate
by increasing the associational content of speech (Cheek and
Amarel, 1968). Language is, in fact, a very sensitive index of
the effects of psychedelics (Cheek, 1963). In his paper, Kripp-
ner tries to analyze the effects of psychedelics in terms of the
afferent and efferent functions of speech, and deals with lan-
guage on both a spoken and a written level.
In their paper, Harman and Fadiman offer highly sugges-
tive evidence with regard to the effects of psychedelics on
creativity. Krippner (1968) has reported a study on the ef-
fects of psychedelics on the creativity of professional artists;
Aaronson (1967a) reported that a hypothesis in one of his
experiments derived from an LSD experience; Stafford and
Golightly (1967) have presented anecdotal evidence for the
enhancement of creativity by psychedelics. Only Harman,
Fadiman, and their colleagues have studied the effects of
psychedelics on creativity in an experimental program. It is
precisely this kind of program, which is most needed, that has
been killed by current governmental hysteria against psy-
chedelics.
The paper by Mogar deals with the relationship between
psychedelic and psychotomimetic experience. The relation-
ship between psychopathology and mysticism has long been
argued (Huxley, 1956; Landis, 1964), although it has been
suggested (Aaronson, 1969a) that they may spring from op-
posite sides of the perceptual coin. In bringing together the