Dictator Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Could Tripping On Acid Help Those With Cancer? http://wjz.com/health/hallucinogen.cancer.diagnosis.2.861824.html More Information About Study Study Findings BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― A cancer diagnosis is news no one wants. It can be devastating and depressing. But could tripping on acid help cancer patients cope with their illness? A local doctor thinks so and he's testing his theories on real cancer patients right here in Maryland.Derek Valcourt looks at how drugs long considered illegal could be the key to spiritual enlightenment. You've heard about medicinal marijuana, but what about medical magic mushrooms and even medical LSD? "And I felt like I was being taken now onto a journey," said Sandy Lundahl. Where Lundahl went was the result of a hallucination and part of medical research done by Dr. Roland Griffiths from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The research examines whether drugs that cause hallucinations could actually help cancer patients. "This is not a cure for cancer, but it is an intervention that back in the '60s people found very helpful for terminal cancer patients," Griffiths said. Rampant use and abuse of drugs like mushrooms and LSD in the '60s led to a government crackdown because, if unsupervised, hallucinations can be dangerous. In some people, they can cause flashbacks, intense fear and panic that could even lead to suicide. "These are not drugs that can be used lightly," Griffiths said. Griffiths got rare government permission to conduct tests right here in Maryland using psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called magic mushrooms. Before testing cancer patients, tests had to be done on healthy volunteers like Sandy, who signed up and swallowed two pills. "It wasn't one piece of it but the whole of that experience...there's no other word to call it but spiritual," she said. Like many others who try hallucinogens, at first Sandy described what she called a kaleidoscope of colors. But then she says she saw the planet, space, rivers and mountains, then a journey into the past. "I could see ancient people," she said. "I saw a temple...I saw the processional of Jesus Christ coming down the road and I felt like I was in the crowd." Then the hallucinations took her into her own past. She began crying when she revisited her father's death. "In the session, I actually could feel the full impact of his death and how I just really missed him," she said. So how can an experience like Sandy's help someone with cancer? Dr. Griffiths says about 60% of the volunteers said their hallucinations were spiritual and brought long-lasting positive changes in mood and attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dockeryfan Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I actually would like to partake in a ritual involving ayahuasca. I don't do drugs at all, but this ritual I would do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 ugh, i know that when i used to do those drugs that if you are in a bad space going in you arent going to get any better and may end up having a "bad trip". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicious Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 60% of the volunteers said their hallucinations were spiritual and brought long-lasting positive changes in mood and attitude. That stat is pretty similar to the one they found testing in the 60's/70's I forget when it took place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 ugh, i know that when i used to do those drugs that if you are in a bad space going in you arent going to get any better and may end up having a "bad trip". There is NO worse feeling than a bad trip. (so I hear) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drop Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 it's all about the mindset of the individual ingesting the LSD. If you're in a bad place or unfamiliar with the drug, like BigMike said, you could have a bad trip. But, if you're open minded, in a good place that you feel comfortable and around people and/or settings that you trust...it might just be beneficial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 it's all about the mindset of the individual ingesting the LSD. If you're in a bad place or unfamiliar with the drug, like BigMike said, you could have a bad trip. But, if you're open minded, in a good place that you feel comfortable and around people and/or settings that you trust...it might just be beneficial. you have just been told you have terminal cancer. you are going to die. now go do this LSD...lol no way you have a good trip. it is going to be 8 hours of tears and freaking out.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drop Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 you have just been told you have terminal cancer. you are going to die.now go do this LSD...lol no way you have a good trip. it is going to be 8 hours of tears and freaking out.. hahaha, i see your point. but i don't think they're telling people to use LSD the second they find out they have cancer. Someone who has known for a while, and is looking for a way to cope may find something like this to be a useful way of rechanneling their thoughts and their mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 hahaha, i see your point. but i don't think they're telling people to use LSD the second they find out they have cancer. Someone who has known for a while, and is looking for a way to cope may find something like this to be a useful way of rechanneling their thoughts and their mind. First I would like to point out the irony of somebody named "Drop" talking with expertise about Acid. Second, I don't know if cancer riddled, in a white room, surrounded by people you know haven't done acid themselves is the place for an enlightening trip. Third, I believe this would work. It's a shame people need powerful chemicals of any level to become so in touch with themselves and that's all it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drop Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 ------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Drop, don't admit to that on a public message board. You should take that down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baculus Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 60% of the volunteers said their hallucinations were spiritual and brought long-lasting positive changes in mood and attitude. That stat is pretty similar to the one they found testing in the 60's/70's I forget when it took place. LSD used to be successful in helping alcoholics with their problem, during 50's and 60's clinical trials, and had a fairly substantial, long-term success rate. Psychedelics can help a person come to realization and understanding - sometime this can certainly lead to tears and duress, but it can also help a person "break on through to the other side" in understanding deeply personal issues such as alcohol dependency (which is often marked by psychological issues) and one's impending death. One often cannot cope with a fear unless they come to face to face with it, to grapple and conquer it, and LSD can certainly do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Im going to have to say this will be administered in very low doses. because I dont think it is just spiritual when you see popcorn ceilings looking like waves in the ocean and tracers behind everything that moves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEREALTOR1 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Im going to have to say this will be administered in very low doses. because I dont think it is just spiritual when you see popcorn ceilings looking like waves in the ocean and tracers behind everything that moves. LOL. Carpet is your friend. Remember Cheech in the mental ward... "This is not the key"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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