Talk:Psychedelic therapy
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[edit] Etymology
An author of the article had given the translation of the word "Psychodelic" as "mind-manifesting". I have corrected that, because the common translation of the ancient greek term "psukhe" (which represents the correct philological-scholarly transcription in latin letters) or "psyche" (which is the commonly used variant in non-scholarly contexts) would certainly be "soul", as in "psycho-logy" = knowledge/study of the soul ! English "mind" one would usually translate for ancient greek "nous".147.142.186.54 (talk) 13:51, 24 November 2007 (UTC)
[edit] "Therapy"
I "stumbled" over the use of the word "therapy" here, esp. in the sub-section "Psychodelic Therapy".
Now, I am not familiar in any way with "North American practice". I know a little bit about the "psycholytic" method (since I am European), which employed certain drugs - in tiny doses within a professional therapeutic setting - to sort of "dissolve" BARRIERS to gain access to areas or material during a ps.therapeutic session that otherwise seemed "unaccessible" to the conscious of both the patient and the therapist; hence the drug itself would not in any way perform a "healing action", but work as a tool to open a pathway to "hidden chambers", the contents of which could then be dealt with by the humans involved in "conventional ways" (expressing, talking, analysing, clarifying connections to behaviour and symptoms, "working through" [psycho-jargon] etc.). - I find that the article is misleading on this point, because it makes the reader assume that the DRUG is actively "setting things right" in the human (patient's) psyche, which to my knowledge it does not and was not believed to effect. And mind you, that is a fundamental difference: it sounds like "take a pill (albeight one prescribed by a physician) - and 'bingo' you are all right". Like an easy treatment with psychopharmacological drugs, same strategy, same action...
Now by contrast, says the article, elsewhere (i.e. predom. in N.America) high doses are used to provoke or create "ecstatic" experiences and the like. It is not clear to me, and the article does not elaborate in any way, WHY such things would act or contribute to HEAL that patient, and then, what understanding of "healing" might be shared by the proponents of such practices, and on what timescale it is thought to manifest itself - and stay stable - ? etc. With other words, what precisely would set it apart from some person just taking stuff at home on their couch in order to have fun, escape boredom, get a "kick", escape unpleasant emotions, forget their mental and emotional trouble and pain etc. If all sorts of things are supposed to qualify as "therapy", the term looses meaning. If it is to retain its meaning, what makes drug taking while sharing a room with a person who considers himself a "therapist" a "healing" activity ?? - That needs to be explained, because it is the core of the whole topic !
Regards, Sophophilos: 147.142.186.54 (talk) 13:51, 24 November 2007 (UTC)
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- It's an alternative therapy when used with that method, so based on beliefs held by those who believe in it, if you see what I mean. They tend to have a self-development type ethos in line with Esalen or Timothy Leary or Stanislav Grof- and their views are not endorsed by many people (rightly or wrongly.)
[edit] edits/reliable sources
I'm revising the page a lot to include citations from the BBC etc. Many of these claimed studies can be sourced, and I genuinely intend to do so. Hence the tags. Feel free to help.:) special, random, Merkinsmum 17:20, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
