PSYCHEDELICS - Sciencemadness.org

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____________________________________________________ Psychedelics
of my perception of how other people perceived. There were
more periods of intense discussion, not only with my colleagues
on the therapy team but also with the patients themselves.
I found myself increasingly able to comprehend the
patients, through their various ways of communicating. I
am sure that those who have taken LSD in conjunction
with the care and treatment of the mentally ill would concur
that their ability to communicate with the patients was enhanced
by their experiences.
The most significant principles and premises of design were
the following:
1. To provide as much privacy as practicable.
Each patient needs a place to retreat to when he feels
threatened. This place of his own can serve its function even
if it is quite limited in size.
2. To minimize ambiguity in architectural design and de-
tail.
Ambiguity emerges when different functions are indistinguish-
able from each other or when objects appear to be some-
thing other than what they actually are. Ambiguous functions
and structural details create uncertainty in the mind of the
observer. Well people usually respond to such uncertainty
with tension, but people whose perception is affected by their
illness can experience real distress when faced with ambiguous
situations.
3 . To create an environment without intimidating qual-
ities.
Each patient needs encouragement to preserve his own in-
dividuality and identity so that he will not be lost in the
mass of other patients. The spatial and functional arrange-
ments that are necessary to assist in hospital administration
should never overwhelm the patient. If the environment con-
tributes to a feeling of security, reliance on mechanical
methods of control can be reduced.
4 . To create spatial relationships that reduce the frequency
and intensity of undesirable confrontations.
A mentally ill person should not be faced with an undue