Open Access Government
July 10, 2023
Erika Dyck
1 citation
Erika Dyck argues that how people learn about psychedelics today matters, based on the histories of these drugs and their use in clinical medicine. Psychedelic drugs have a long and colorful history that has influenced attitudes across academia, culture, and medicine since before the 1950s, but their history has been marked by polarizing opinions, with negative cultural attitudes toward non-medical drug use and consciousness-altering substances in medicine. More recent public conversations feature enthusiastic claims about benefits that often sever the current culture of psychedelics from the past, potentially distancing them from conservative mainstream institutions like universities, food and drug administrations, and healthcare systems.
Open Access Government
January 22, 2024
Erika Dyck
Erika Dyck examines whether the renewed interest in psychedelics will create another generational divide, as occurred in the 20th century. She notes that psychedelics' past—including unethical research and associations with violence—continues to shape their present. Psychedelics have been blamed for turning a generation against authority and postwar values. Dyck argues that psychedelics are not the problem but may be a symptom of deeper social tensions.
Open Access Government
July 10, 2023
Jim Gilligan
Tryp Therapeutics examines the use of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for binge eating disorder. Their lead program, TRP-8803, uses an intravenous formulation of psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, to achieve precise and reproducible blood levels, overcoming the variability of oral psilocybin administration. The text suggests this approach could improve clinical outcomes by ensuring consistent dosing, but it does not present any experimental results or data from human studies.
Open Access Government
April 9, 2024
Erika Dyck
France has joined the global revival of psychedelic research. In February 2024, a team at Le Grau-du-Roi Hospital began a clinical trial testing psilocybin for people with alcohol use disorder and depressive symptoms—the first such trial in France in 58 years. The author, historian Erika Dyck, notes that overturning decades of prohibition and regulatory barriers is a significant challenge, even as interest in psychedelic medicine expands worldwide.
Open Access Government
April 12, 2023
Erika Dyck
Professor Erika Dyck argues that psychedelic therapies, whether in ceremonial or clinical settings, are being promoted as life-changing for their ability to transform an individual's perspective. With the WHO reporting that 1 in 5 people globally lives with mental illness, a 'psychedelic renaissance' has emerged, offering potential treatments that could improve individual lives and transform mental health diagnosis and treatment. Initiatives to legalize, decriminalize, or regulate psychedelics are taking various legal forms, with notable successes in treating alcoholism and trauma-based disorders. Professor Dyck recommends deeper exploration of these therapies.