Study Shows Psychedelics May Reduce Violence!

According to a recent study, psychedelics may be the key to cutting back domestic violence especially when to comes to people who have struggled with substance abuse.

It is only recently that new research has been able to resume when it comes to the world of psychedelics. From the 1950’s all the way to the early 1970’s a lot of research was conducted on the subject. LDS or lysergic acid diethylamide was made illegal in the 70’s which made it hard for researchers to continue their work.

It was only recently that the government began to loosen the noose around the psychedelic world of research and allowed a few studies to be done in order to look at the therapeutic possibilities.

Psychedelics and Addiction

When researchers looked at 6 different studies in the 1960’s and 70’s they found that LSD was able to help people who were struggling with an addiction to alcohol and was “as successful as any treatment since,” according to neuropsychopharmacology professor David Nutt from Imperial College in London.

Psychedelics have also been able to help people such as Gordon McGlothlin who until recently had been addicted to cigarettes from the time he was 15 till the age of 65 sometimes smoking as many as 20 cigarettes per day. What is incredible about his story is that even though he had smoked so long and had tried everything from traditional nicotine replacement therapies and even quitting cold turkey, nothing worked until he participated in a new clinical trial involving psilocybin.

via cig007.com

The research study, which was conducted at John Hopkins University in Maryland would have their test subjects listen to classical music in a room after taking a small blue capsule. After McGlothlin received this treatment he left the treatment center and has been smoke-free for almost 2 years now.

Psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms has shown a lot of promise as a therapeutic agent when it comes to treating addiction, as well as anxiety and depression.

“I think psilocybin gave me the impetus to stay abstinent. It opens up a whole new dimension to your personality. It is almost as though quitting smoking is peripheral during the experience,” says McGlothlin.

Psychedelic and Domestic Violence

According to a recent study by UBC Okanagan psychedelic drugs may be able to help reduce violence in men who also struggle with substance abuse problems. In this particular study, there were two groups of incarcerated males in the US. The first group is those who do not or have not used psychedelics and the second was those who have used drugs such as psilocybin, MDMA, or LSD.

According to the study after leaving prison 42% of the men in the first group were arrested within the first 6 years because of domestic violence. The second group, those who did use psychedelics would only have a 27% chance of being arrested for violence.

This study followed the lives of 302 inmates who had a history of substance use for 6 years after they were released from prison.

“While not a clinical trial, this study, in stark contrast to prevailing attitudes that views these drugs as harmful, speaks to the public health potential of psychedelic medicine,” says Assoc. Prof. Zach Walsh “As existing treatments for intimate partner violence are insufficient, we need to take new perspectives such as this seriously.”

via collective-evolution.com

“Intimate partner violence is a major public health problem and existing treatments to reduce reoffending are insufficient,” he goes on to say. “With proper dosage, set, and setting we might see even more profound effects. This definitely warrants further research.”

Professor Peter Hendricks from the University of Alabama is another researcher who worked on this study. He strongly believes that using psychedelics such as psilocybin could completely revolutionize how we treat people with mental health issues.

“Although we’re attempting to better understand how or why these substances may be beneficial, one explanation is that they can transform people’s lives by providing profoundly meaningful spiritual experiences that highlight what matters most,” says Prof. Hendricks. “Often, people are struck by the realization that behaving with compassion and kindness toward others is high on the list of what matters.”

Hopefully, as awareness spreads more studies will be approved on this illegal substance and under the right conditions we could find a more therapeutic use of psychedelics. In recent years, more interest has surfaced leading doctors and researchers to push for more studies to be done.

“The experiences of unity, positivity, and transcendence that characterize the psychedelic experience may be particularly beneficial to groups that are frequently marginalized and isolated, such as the incarcerated men who participated in this study,” says Walsh.

Are you wanting to learn more about Psychedelics and the levels of a psychedelic experience? Check out this video below for more information.

Have you experienced psychedelics?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below how you think this new area of thought could change how we treat addiction, reduce violence and help people with mental health issues.

Sources- www.sciencedaily.com

www.pharmaceutical-journal.com

Image Source- www.mirror.co.uk