…entrepreneurs and the resistance to old-school psychedelia
If strong psychotropic effects are edited out of the process – as [some of] these new companies are attempting to do – then the old-school psychedelic experience has been pre-empted as unnecessary… [some] entrepreneurs have pledged allegiance to… [some version of this] thinking.
The resistance to ‘psychedelic’ goes beyond mere semantic squeamishness. Johnson and Johnson, the pharmaceutical giant that recently received FDA approval for a ketamine derivative, framed its possibly psychedelic changes in consciousness as negative side effects… among its ‘serious side effects’… ‘feeling disconnected from yourself, your thoughts, feelings, space and time’. From their perspective, the strategic logic is clear: maximize therapy while minimizing or even zeroing out trippiness… [however], the company named Field Trip uses ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy for treating depression and anxiety. What Johnson and Johnson lists as a serious side effect of ketamine – ‘feeling disconnected from yourself’ – Field Trip describes as a therapeutic resource. ‘You may experience a sense of disconnection’, they inform potential patients, ‘that you are observing your mind and body from outside rather than within. The experience has also been described as “euphoric”, “calming”, and “mystical”.’
Original Article (Psychedelic Press):
Entheoceutical entrepreneurs and the resistance to old-school psychedelia
Artwork Fair Use: Mabit1
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