Thereissubstantialcontemporaryinterestinpsychedelicagentsasmedicinesformaladiesofthemind.Thisfollowsresearchinthe1950sand1960sexploringtheuseofLSDandotherpsychedelicstotreatarangeofpsychiatricillnessesaswellasaddictions.Thisresearchwasshutdownafterprohibitionofthesedrugs,howeverthelastdecadehasseenamajorrenewalofinterestinthetherapeuticuseofpsychedelicsandrelateddrugsinpsychiatry.Psilocybin(foundin’magicmushrooms’)hasbeenusedeffectivelyforameliorationofdistressinpeoplewithdepression/anxietyinthecontextofpotentiallylife-endingcancers,aswellasfortreatment-resistantdepressionandalsoaddictions.MDMA(’ecstasy’)hasshownefficacyforseverepost-traumaticstressdisorder,withenduringbenefit.Otherpsychedelics,bothplant-derived(e.g.,ayahuasca)andsyntheticallyproduced(e.g.,LSD)arealsobeinginvestigatedfortheirpotentialtherapeuticvalue.Theseagentsnotonlyheraldanewneurobiologybutalsoallowanintegrationofpsychotherapywithbiologicalcompoundsthatistrulynovelandthatchallengesestablishedpsychiatricpractice.Furthermore,theactionoftheseagentsonthebrainallowsanexplorationofhowthebrainworksto’openup’topsychotherapeutichealing.PublishedaspartoftheOxfordPsychiatryLibraryseries,thebookprovidesanoverviewofthishugelyexcitingfield,coveringthehistoryofpsychedelics,clinicalaspects,risksandsideeffects,precautionsandprocesses.
