chapter two Psychedelics and Psychiatry: A New Treatment Model for the 21st Century Charles S. Grob and Gary Bravo Over the past quarter century, the field of psychiatry has seen a reemer- gence of interest in the class of psychoactive chemicals known as the psychedelics, commonly classified as hallucinogens in the medical litera- ture. A variety of basic science and clinical treatment studies have been conducted since the early 1990s, with the findings published in main- stream medical, psychiatric, and neuroscience journals (Nichols, 2016). These investigations have made ample progress in resurrecting the old and once discarded psychedelic treatment model and have begun to sys- tematically reexplore the therapeutic potential of these controversial and previously taboo compounds. Through these efforts, the focus among sci- entists, health providers, the public, and the media has begun to shift from looking at psychedelics solely as dangerous drugs of abuse to their potential salutary clinical application for a number of refractory and dif- ficult to treat mental disorders. In addition, psychedelics are beginning to fulfill their long-standing potential as powerful agents for exploring consciousness and the brain/mind interface. This chapter first provides a broad overview of the scope of research accomplished over the past three decades, placing psychedelic research in historical and clinical context.
Previous Page Next Page