IDC 3002 H | DEC 2018
THE LSD PARADOX MEGAN MANLUNAS & NATHAN SHAMS
introduction In 2010, Wayne Anthony had a disturbing experience the first time he took LSD with his girlfriend. He recalls that she became belligerent; smashed expensive music equipment, and proceeded to cut herself with a broken shard of plastic, all before becoming violent towards him. Wayne called an ambulance. He and the paramedic had difficulty getting her inside because she was so violent. She was brought to the hospital where she assaulted a nurse. Doctor’s eventually had to subdue her using powerful sedatives. She awoke the next morning with no recollection of the incident. After discovering what she had done she began to cry with regret. Aviary Tedsson’s first LSD experience was different. Aviary says that taking LSD was the single most meaningful experience of his life; second only to the birth of his son. Aviary describes having perfect clarity and peace of mind while on the drug.
He experienced a common phenomenon known as ego dissolution in which “your ego sheds and you become one with the universe.” Aviary attributes much of the success later in his life to the experience he had with LSD. He thinks it was because he took it while in a formative period in his life. There are countless stories like Wayne’s and Aviary’s. Almost all LSD experiences are described as either spiritual or nightmarish. The question is why? Why does LSD provide person A with a lifechanging spiritual experience, and person B with a trip to the hospital after compelling them to selfharm? That’s the question we set out to answer while writing this article; in addition to giving a general overview of LSD. We looked at data, testimonials, and scientific journals describing how LSD affects the brain during a “good-trip” (positive experience) vs a “bad-trip” (negative experience) to better understand why LSD causes such diametric responses.
"your ego sheds and you become one with the universe"
ergot fungus Ergot is a disease of rye and other grains, which is caused by Claviceps purpurea . The mycelium of the fungus develops in the grain. The sclerotia produces a dozen stalks during the spring. Spores are then produced and spread through means of wind. This is toxic for humans and livestock when they eat it. Consuming this
ergot fungus
wikipedia commons
fungus causes ergotism. Some side effects of this disease includes nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and weakness, gangrene, vision problems, convulsions, and even death. It is also believed to be responsible for the reactions that lead to the Salem Witch Trials. Ergotism is known to cause the psychological sensation of burning and gangrene of the extremities; a horrific condition culminating in the falling off of one’s limbs. Although it is synthesized from ergot, lysergic acid diethylamide is not found directly in the fungus. Instead, Ergot contains lysergic acid (a precursor to LSD) as well as ergotamine
(a precursor to Lysergic Acid). LSD’s relationship to ergot does well in explaining why the drug causes such intense reactions in its users. If ergot can make a person feel like they’re on fire, it follows logically that a refined derivation of that substance could cause a reaction to the opposite extreme.
lsd discovery LSD has had an eventful history. Lysergic-acidDiethylamide was first synthesized in 1938 by a Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann. By deriving the ergot fungus and isolating and purifying ergot alkaloids Hoffman accidentally discovered LSD. Hofmann was studying the potential healing benefits of lysergic acid compounds. It wasn't until 1943, when he accidentally ingested a sample of the drug, thereby revealing its hallucinogenic effect. Hoffman’s serendipitous discovery garnered public interest in his research. A few years after his discovery
wikipedia commons
LSD was being sold publicly as a cure for schizophrenia, sexual perversions, and alcoholism. For the next few decades LSD was used extensively in the United States. Graduate students in psychiatry began taking LSD in an effort to better understand the minds of their schizophrenic patients; and an entire subculture of psychedelia evolved with LSD at its center. Soon afterwards, it was discovered that LSD was being abused by the public. In 1970, LSD was outlawed under the Controlled Substances Act which designated it as a Schedule 1 drug. By the early 1970’s, issues of legality mingled with negative publicity about the drug’s potential for harm resulted in a decline of its use. By the early 1980's, the use of LSD was discontinued in scientific research. Now, almost all LSD consumption in the US is done recreationally by teenagers and college students during music festivals.
Who Was Albert Hoffman? Albert Hoffman was born on January 11, 1906 in Baden, Switzerland. He died on April 29, 2008. Hoffman is the Swiss chemist who discovered the psychedelic drug lysergic acid diethyl amide. He attended the University of Zürich, and graduated in 1929 with a doctorate in medical chemistry. After Hoffman graduated, he began working in Sandoz Laboratories in Basel. It was there that Hoffman discovered LSD-25.
“I know LSD; I don't need to take it anymore. Maybe when I die, like Aldous Huxley.” ― Albert Hofmann wikipedia commons
a "good" trip
Imagine being able see sounds come out of your mouth, and hear color on the walls around you while floating in a sea of inexplicably beautiful visuals. Countless LSD users have described having such experiences while “tripping.” Users typically refer to a positive experience as a “good trip.” LSD is considered an entheogen, meaning it’s known to cause unordinary states of consciousness; usually described as spiritual. According to a study which compiled and analyzed data from major LSD studies of the past 25 years in the United States, a majority of people who took 200 micrograms of LSD described having an out of body, spiritual, and or life changing experience. Many people report ego dissolution as well as having complete mental clarity for up to 12 hours. From a neurochemical perspective, LSD is considered a serotonergic, adrenergic, and dopaminergic hallucinogen. This means that the drug fosters an uptake of feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain, causing the blissful hallucinogenic response it’s known for. LSD affects multiple parts of the brain.
Not only does LSD increase the levels of favorable neurotransmitters, it often inhibits areas of the brain associated with fear (i.e. the amygdala) as well. Dramatic shifts in auditory and visual centers of the brain (the basis for the hallucinogenic effect) are common while on LSD. Studies have shown that as the dosage consumed increases so does the likelihood of experiencing a phenomenon called synesthesia. Synesthesia is the intermingling of the senses (common examples are seeing sounds or hearing colors).
lit up areas of the brain when LSD was taken
Kaelen, M., et al.
According to the study mentioned before, the vast majority of people who took between 80 and 200 micrograms of LSD had overwhelmingly positive experiences. A staggering 50% of all participants stated that taking LSD was the most meaningful and or spiritual experience of their lives. The long-term effects of the drug are often an increase in overall well-being two months after consumption. An anonymous participant in an LSD trial stated, “It brought me to a spiritual path. I now meditate, do yoga etc. I appreciate life a lot more since it opened my eyes. I discovered that everything I believed was a lie. It gave a higher perspective on my life.” Based on evidence and testimonials it’s clear that LSD has much potential good to offer.
a "bad" trip
Now imagine the sounds you see are dark and sinister, the colors you hear are t errify ing a nd anxiety inducing; the visuals you’re seeing scare you. Not all experiences with LSD are “good-trips,” some are more like nightmares. Nightmarish LSD experiences are known as “bad-trips.” “Bad-trips” often consist of terrifying hallucinations leading to acute anxiety and panic attacks.
A Study Further...
Kaelen, M., et al. Researcher Kaelen and his colleagues researched the emotional effects of LSD on an individual’s musical experience. They tested the hypothesis that musicevoked emotions are enhanced by LSD. After the participants listened to songs, they were asked “How emotionally affected were you by the music?” and each response was on a scale from 0 (not affected) to 100 (very affected) using a GEMS-9 system. These responses were ranked based on categories such as wonder, transcendence, power, tenderness, nostalgia, peacefulness, joy, sadness, and tension – these feelings were scored on a scale from 1 – 4 also using the GEMS-9 system. The results of this study that was conducted showed a high correlation between emotional arousal and the intensity of LSD with a correlation r = 0.79.
One user describing a horrifying bad-trip stated, "All of a sudden I was transported to a deep dark place where everybody was a bug with insect faces, antennae coming out of their heads and all this dripping and masticating going on with their mouths... I started going nuts... It was about three hours of grisly horror. I was screaming and yelling and jumping around while Bill tried to maintain me.” Although rare, users have reported experiencing violence and aggression, loss of bodily functions, and a compulsion towards irrational behavior. Common negative physical responses are nausea, hypothermia, mucus production and tremors. In very few extreme cases, manner. LSD has caused long-term mental illness, and in one particular instance, compelled a man to take his own life. Studies indicate that although less than 3% of LSD experiences are entirely negative, close to 75% of users report experiencing negative symptoms at some point during their trip. There seems to be a direct correlation between dosage (specifically above 250micrograms) and the likelihood of having a negative response. As the intensity of the experience grows a person’s ability to cope decreases. Scientists have yet to discover differences in the way LSD affects the brain during a positive and negative experience.
The implication of which is that the experience a person has is primarily dependent on psychological factors. Whether your experience is good or bad is not determined by how the drug affects your brain- because in almost all circumstances it’s affecting your brain the same wayinstead the determining factor is your own psychological response to the drug. An analogy to help understand this is watching two movies. One is a movie about cute animals, the other is a horror film. The two experiences are fundamentally the same in that they are both movie experiences. The difference is content. The content of the trip-which is a function of how your brain decides to react to the drug- is what determines the nature of the experience. Although bad experiences are far less common than good ones, it’s clear that extreme caution should be taken when using LSD in any manner.
"All of a sudden I was transported to a deep dark place"
conclusion It's surprising to discover that our hypothesis- that LSD affects the brains of individuals having good experiences and bad experiences in different wayswas wrong. LSD is not as paradoxical as we believed. The real paradox is the human mind. The human mind is an unfathomably complex structure; and in the case of LSD that complexity lends itself to a vast spectrum of experiences and reactions. One thing we never doubted is the power of LSD. LSD is capable of extraordinary good and evil. We believe that LSD has tremendous potential to help people in the future, so long as it’s used with caution.
Rolston, Dorian. The New Yorker, 2013.
references Grof, Stanislav. “History of LSD Therapy.” The Discovery of LSD, The Psychedelic Library, www.psychedelic-library.org/grofhist.htm. Hudler, George W. Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds. Princeton University Press, 2000. Kaelen, M., et al. “LSD Enhances the Emotional Response to Music.” Springer, 11 Aug. 2015. May, Paul. "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide - LSD." Coloured Line. http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/lsd/lsd1_text.htm. Money, Nicholas P. Mushroom. Oxford University Press, 2011. Mueller, F., C. Lenz, P. C. Dolder, S. Harder, Y. Schmid, U. E. Lang, M. E. Liechti, and S. Borgwardt. "Acute Effects of LSD on Amygdala Activity during Processing of Fearful Stimuli in Healthy Subjects." Translational Psychiatry7, no. 4 (2017): 1-5. Accessed October 25, 2018. doi:10.1038/tp.2017.54. Pallardy, Richard. "Albert Hofmann." Encyclopædia Britannica. April 22, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Hofmann. Terhune, Devin B., David P. Luke, Mendel Kaelen, Mark Bolstridge, Amanda Feilding, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris, and Jamie Ward. "A Placebo-controlled Investigation of Synaesthesia-like Experiences under LSD." Elsevier. April 5, 2016. VanDongen, Peter. "History of Ergot Alkaloids from Ergotism to Ergometrine." European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, June 1995. ScienceDirect.