Jochen Gartz - Magic Mushrooms Around the ... - preterhuman.net

therapeutic settings. The alkaloid was considered
to be quite safe, based on existing toxicological
data. H. Leuner still considers psilocybin the most
effective alkaloid for use as a pharmaceutical aid
in psychotherapy, despite recent progress in
developing other substances designed for
therapeutic applications, such as the substituted
phenethylamines like MDMA. Psilocybin's
reputation as a substance well suited for
psychotherapeutic applications is related to its
extremely low toxicity. Most importantly, dosages
below the 10 mg threshold can be measured with
accuracy. This is significant, because dosages of
up to 10 mg are not only known to be
therapeutically efficient, but effects within this
dosage range can always be brought under control.
The states of consciousness induced by psilocybin
last only five hours, on average, and thus can be
more conveniently utilized than altered states
caused by LSD, whose effects persist for much
longer time periods. LSD should be considered a
more difficult substance to work with, due to the
possible emergence of unwanted symptoms in a
small percentage of users and the prolonged
process of "coming down" when symptoms
subside. Unlike other hallucinogens, psilocybin
also has the advantage of almost never inducing
"hangovers" the day after experimental sessions.
It is important to note in this context that
all authors stress that hallucinogens are no
substitute for lack of skills on the part of the
therapist and that the usage of these substances
should remain limited to carefully selected cases.
Usage of hallucinogens "merely" shortens the
duration of psychoanalytic treatment, as problem
conflict areas surface faster and with greater
clarity, mediated by the process of selfexploration
and discovery that is the essence of psychedelic
experiences. Repressed patterns of normal
behavior and reactions must be gradually reconstructed
within the therapist-patient
relationship.
The capacity for emotional immersion into
one's own problems under the influence of a
psychoactive substance is provoked and amplified
by the emergence of memories, as well as the
elimination of the Me/You boundary. As this
process unfolds, the therapist gains valuable
insights into existing psychopathologies and
psychodynamics. Still, in addition to providing
proper guidance for the patient, the therapist must
also be able to separate bizarre forms of alienation
that may appear from the emerging conflict matter.
The Language of Statistics
According to statistical data, psycholytic
therapy is a remarkably efficient form of
treatment, most notably in patients suffering from
neuroses. A follow-up study of 82 patients showed
that 65 % of them showed long-term, clinically
significant improvement. In all, 28 authors
described 1,600 therapy cases, covering 42
investigations that took place from 1953 to 1965.
The course of illness was judged very grave and
chronic in 68 % of the cases. The dministration
of hallucinogenic substances within the
psychotherapy setting resulted in success rates of
up to 70% ("good and substantial improvement"),
especially in the treatment of neurotic anxieties,
depressive-neurotic dysphorias as well as neurotic
character disorders.
In the former Czchechoslovakia, M.
Hausner also tested Psilocybe bohemica for
psycholytic therapy sessions, with successful
outcomes comparable to those observed following
administration of LSD. For many years up until
1974, Hausner has used LSD with more than 350
patients in about 3,000 sessions. In Mexico from
1967 until 1974, S. Roquet developed an
interesting modification of the therapeutic
technique ("psychosynthesis") where hallucinogens
are used as an adjunct to the therapy
process. His conceptual approach was strongly
influenced by the shamanistic uses of different
substances in his home country. Groups of 10 to
20 people experienced effects of a diversity of
substances (psilocybin mushrooms, peyote, LSD,
ololiuqui). While stereo music played in the
background, several slide and film projectors were
used to present images whose emotional content
ranged from pictures of love to scenes of horror.
Thus, in addition to hallucinogeninduced
emotional stimulation, patients are also exposed to
powerful external stress factors, modifying the
experience into one of a very deeply emotional
nature. Duration of treatments varied from 18
months up to two years, with many hours of drugfree
therapy and, on average, one hallucinogenassisted
session a month. On a few occasions,
patients received the substance in