Magic Mushrooms

[digitaltaska]

So everyone seems to be talking these days about the study that shows "magic mushrooms cause spiritual experiences".  Frankly, when I heard about this, I had no idea what it meant, so I looked it up.  The study was done by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and published in the journal Psychopharmacology.  In the study abstract I found several

Comments

Follow the money to find the purpose

[rslomkow]

There always comes the question of funding. While the technical techniques of the study seem fine, the question is what are the goals.

The study was funded by grants from NIDA and the Council on Spiritual Practices.

Una McCann, M.D., William Richards, Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and Robert Jesse of the Council on Spiritual Practices, San Francisco, were co-researchers.

ScienceDaily: Hopkins Scientists Show Hallucinogen In Mushrooms Creates Universal 'Mystical' Experience

I assume NIDA is the National Institute on Drug Abuse was dissapointed by the results as they appeard designed to fight drug use via science. And The Council on Spiritual Practices may be happy to see brain activity that validates spirtual practice as a positive measurable state.

Re: Follow the money to find the purpose

[digitaltaska]

I guess that the Council on Spiritual Practices would say that spiritual experience can now be "induced", kind of like culturing pearls or making artificial diamonds. This will, I guess, allow them to research the "consequences" of these spiritual experiences (they seem to actually make a valuation of the consequences in this case as "positive"). Though what actionable can come out of this study I'm not sure (except to encourage people to take hallucinogenic drugs - no wonder the psychiatrists are upset).

But I think that what's exciting everyone about this study is encapsulated well in the headline you quote: "...Hallucinogen In Mushrooms Creates Universal 'Mystical' Experience". What the article that you link to does NOT say is that all 36 participants of this study were carefully chosen to be open to and interested in spiritual experiences. Give this drug to a confirmed atheist and I can pretty much guarantee you that they will not have a 'mystical' experience.