Pubdate: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 Source: Charlotte Observer (NC) Copyright: 2006 The Charlotte Observer Contact: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78 Author: Jamie Talan, Newsday Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/psilocybin Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hallucinogens.htm (Hallucinogens) SUBJECTS REPORT LIFE-ALTERING TRIP Researchers Find Some Positive Effects From Hallucinogenic Drug Some find meaning in meditation, others through religion, but for some middle-aged volunteers in a Johns Hopkins study, their life-altering sacred experience arrived in a dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called sacred mushrooms indigenous to Mexico. In what some are calling a landmark study on the effects of hallucinogens, Roland Griffiths and colleagues brought 36 adults into the laboratory where they experienced their first psychedelic high. Two-thirds said it was among the most profound events in their lives, said Griffiths, whose findings appear in the journal Psychopharmacology. The positive effects appeared to last for as long as a year. The volunteers, average age 46, took the drug in a relaxed setting with two monitors present for another eight hours. They were given either psilocybin, an amphetamine compound or a placebo. Afterward, volunteers completed a battery of tests. Two-thirds recounted a profound spiritual experience. "These are successful, dynamic people with plenty of life experience," Griffiths said. "We didn't expect this." But Griffiths said a third of the volunteers experienced terrible fear and anxiety. "These drugs should not be used recreationally," Griffiths said. "These are potentially dangerous drugs, and we can't predict who will have fear, anxiety and paranoia. You can imagine that in different circumstances, someone might panic and do something dangerous." The negative effects, at least in the calm study setting, didn't last beyond the session, whereas positive ones persisted. "They felt that they learned something true and deeply important," Griffiths said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake