[...only the conclusions of this paper are made publicly available via anonymous ftp, interested persons should visit their libraries...] (Originally printed in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Vol 21(1), Jan-Mar 1989). LSD and Creativity (reproduced w/o permission) ------------------ Oscar Janiger, M.D. (Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Irvine, California) Marlene Dobkin de Rios, Pd. D. (Department of Anthropology, California State University, Fullerton, California) CONCLUSION Contrary to popular belief, most artists find it possible to exercise some technical proficiency, with varying degrees of success, under the influence of LSD. This seems to improve with repeated experiences. The artistic productions are not ipso facto inferior to those performed in ordinary states of consciousness. However, in evaluating the reports and follow-up questionnaires, they are often judged by the artists to be more interesting or even aesthetically superior to their usual mode of expression. A review of the follow-up information shows that, in many instances, the artist in the series described herein felt that the LSD experience pruduced some desirable lasting change in their understanding of their work, which continued to incluence the form and direction of their artistic development. A so-called confusional or disorganized phase may represent a creative crisis in which the artis struggling, to maintain his/her traditional approach, finally reaches another level of integration and expression. These metamorphoses all contribute to the artists' convictions that they are able to create new meanings in an emergent world. It is of special interest to note that many of those elements that are universally reported under the influence of LSD are those features traditionally associated with heightened artistic creativity. The ultiamte explanation for these changes may lie in a biochemical basis of perception and/or the cultural history of the individual. **************************** Article Separation ******************************* I was reading a back copy of The Journal of Drug Issues looking at an article on additiction when I came accross annother article. A chemistry for world peace. Willam H. McGlothlin, Journal of Drug Issues, Spring 1985, 225-245. Ok so it is a twinkie title, however it is perhaps the best article I have ever read on acid. The abstract; This paper presents an argument for research into the means of altering individual attitudes, values, and communication abilities in the direction of increased social empathy, which , inturn would produce a more favorable enviroment for resolving differences and facilitate peaceful negotions between individuals and nations. It is proposed that prior research with the drug d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), shows sufficient promise in producing relatively long-lasting changes in the above areas to merit further research. Furthermore, the use of LSD has been demonstrated to be quite safe _under supervisory conditions_, i.e. the guided "trip." LSD is also non-toxic and non-addictive. A brief history of psychedelic drugs is provided along with a description of thier psychological effects. Some possible modes of action are discussed. LSD and other psychedelics are seen as a possible means of tapping mental resources which are not ordinarily available, but which may be of great value to the individual and ultimately to the society. The man who wrote it is unfortunantly dead, he was a well recognized scholar with a number of awards from academia and the government. He worked for RAND for a number of years and was no brainless yammerhead (despite the twinkie title). The article is full of all kinds of interesting things, A very good brief history of LSD and other psychedelics, one of the dest descriptions of an LSD experience I have ever encountered here is part: About 30 minutes after ingesting LSD the subject normally experiences a feeling of dizziness or intoxication. One of the most common early emotional reactions is smiling and laughing, which sometimes develops into uncontrollable laughing and/or crying. With closed eyes there is a lightening of the normal gray-black expanse and almost invariably colorful and luminous geometric designs appear in the field of vision. They may change into architechtural structures which freaquently are in very saturated colors and appear to be glowing from an internal light. He goes on to discuss changes resulting from the LSD experience (almost all are beneficial), and then talks about side effects. One nifty factoid; Estimated rates of Major Complications Associated with LSD Attempted completed psychotic reaction suicide suicide over 48 hours experimental subjects- 0/1000 0/1000 0.8/1000 patients undergoing therapy- 1.2/1000 0.4/1000 1.8/1000 (w/o psychobabble that means like really fucking good) There are also three and a half pages of cited references which alone is worth diggin up the article. ****************************** Article Separation ***************************** Title: LSD - My Problem Child By: Albert Hofmann [reproduced without permission] [this document contains only the translators preface and the forward] [if anyone knows the info on how to obtain this book mail order, ISBN numbers, etc pls e-mail [lamon t g] at [milton.u.washington.edu] so it can be incl. here] Translator's Preface Numerous accounts of the discovery of LSD have been published in English; none, unfortunately, have been completely accurate. Here, at last, the father of LSD details the history of his "problem child" and his long and fruitful career as a research chemist. In a real sense, this book is the inside story of the birth of the Psychedelic Age, and it cannot be denied that we have here a highly candid and personal insight into one of the most important scientific discoveries of our time, the signiflcance of which has yet to dawn on mankind. Surpassing its historical value is the immense philosophical import of this work. Never before has a chemist, an expert in the most materialistic of the sciences, advanced a Weltanschauung of such a mystical and transcendental nature. LSD, psilocybin, and the other hallucinogens do indeed, as Albert Hofmann asserts, constitute "cracks" in the edifice of materialistic rationality, cracks we would do well to explore and perhaps widen. As a writer, it gives me great satisfaction to know that by this book the American reader interested in hallucinogens will be introduced to the work of Rudolf Gelpke, Ernst Junger, and Walter Vogt, writers who are all but unknown here. With the notable exceptions of Huxley and Wasson, English and American writers on the hallucinogenic experience have been far less distinguished and eloquent than they. This translation has been carefully overseen by Albert Hofmann, which made my task both simpler and more enjoyable. I am beholden to R. Gordon Wasson for checking the chapters on LSD's "Mexican relatives" and on "Ska Maria Pastora" for accuracy and style. Two chapters of this book - "How LSD Originated" and "LSD Experience and Reality" - were presented by Albert Hofmann as apaperbefore the international conference "Hallucinogens, Shamanism and Modern Life" in San Francisco on the afternoon of Saturday, September 30, 1978. As a part of the conference proceedings, the first chapter has been published in the Journal of Psychedetic Drugs, Vol. 11 (1-2), 1979. JONATHAN OTT Vashon Island, Washington FOREWORD There are experiences that most of us are hesitant to speak about, because they do not conform to everyday reality and defy rational explanation. These are not particular external occurrences, but rather events of our inner lives, which are generally dismissed as figments of the imagination and barred from our memory. Suddenly, the familiar view of our surroundings is transformed in a strange, delightful, or alarming way: it appears to us in a new light, takes on a special meaning. Such an experience can be as light and fleeting as a breath of air, or it can imprint itself deeply upon our minds. One enchantment of that kind, which I experienced in childhood, has remained remarkably vivid in my memory ever since. It happened on a May morning - I have forgotten the year - but I can still point to the exact spot where it occurred, on a forest path on Martinsberg above Baden, Switzerland. As I strolled through the freshly greened woods filled with bird song and lit up by the morning sun, all at once everything appeared in an uncommonly clear light. Was this something I had simply failed to notice before? Was I suddenly discovering the spring forest as it actually looked? It shone with the most beautiful radiance, speaking to the heart, as though it wanted to encompass me in its majesty. I was filled with an indescribable sensation of joy, oneness, and blissful security. I have no idea how long I stood there spellbound. But I recall the anxious concern I felt as the radiance slowly dissolved and I hiked on: how could a vision that was so real and convincing, so directly and deeply felt - how could it end so soon? And how could I tell anyone about it, as my overflowing joy compelled me to do, since I knew there were no words to describe what I had seen? It seemed strange that I, as a child, had seen something so marvelous, something that adults obviously did not perceive - for I had never heard them mention it. While still a child, I experienced several more of these deeply euphoric moments on my rambles through forest and meadow. It was these experiences that shaped the main outlines of my world view and convinced me of the existence of a miraculous, powerful, unfathomable reality that was hidden from everyday sight. I was often troubled in those days, wondering if I would ever, as an adult, be able to communicate these experiences; whether I would have the chance to depict my visions in poetry or paintings. But knowing that I was not cut out to be a poet or artist, I assumed I would have to keep these experiences to myself, important as they were to me. Unexpectedly - though scarcely by chance - much later, in middle age, a link was established between my profession and these visionary experiences from childhood. Because I wanted to gain insight into the structure and essence of matter, I became a research chemist. Intrigued by the plant world since early childhood, I chose to specialize in research on the constituents of medicinal plants. In the course of this career I was led to the psychoactive, hallucination-causing substances, which under certain conditions can evoke visionary states similar to the spontaneous experiences just described. The most important of these hallucinogenic substances has come to be known as LSD. Hallucinogens, as active compounds of considerable scientific interest, have gained entry into medicinal research, biology, and psychiatry, and later - especially LSD also obtained wide diffusion in the drug culture. In studying the literature connected with my work, I became aware of the great universal significance of visionary experience. It plays a dominant role, not only in mysticism and the history of religion, but also in the creative process in art, literature, and science. More recent investigations have shown that many persons also have visionary experiences in daily life, though most of us fail to recognize their meaning and value. Mystical experiences, like those that marked my childhood, are apparently far from rare. There is today a widespread striving for mystical experience, for visionary breakthroughs to a deeper, more comprehensive reality than that perceived by our rational, everyday consciousness. Efforts to transcend our materialistic world view are being made in various ways, not only by the adherents to Eastern religious movements, but also by professional psychiatrists, who are adopting such profound spiritual experiences as a basic therapeutic principle. I share the belief of many of my contemporaries that the spiritual crisis pervading all spheres of Western industrial society can be remedied only by a change in our world view. We shall have to shift from the materialistic, dualistic belief that people and their environment are separate, toward a new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality, which embraces the experiencing ego, a reality in which people feel their oneness with animate nature and all of creation. Everything that can contribute to such a fundamental alteration in our perception of reality must therefore command earnest attention. Foremost among such approaches are the various methods of meditation, either in a religious or a secular context, which aim to deepen the consciousness of reality by way of a total mystical experience. Another important, but still controversial, path to the same goal is the use of the consciousness-altering properties of hallucinogenic psychopharmaceuticals. LSD finds such an application in medicine, by helping patients in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy to perceive their problems in their true significance. Deliberate provocation of mystical experience, particularly by LSD and related hallucinogens, in contrast to spontaneous visionary experiences, entails dangers that must not be underestimated. Practitioners must take into account the peculiar effects of these substances, namely their ability to influence our consciousness, the innermost essence of our being. The history of LSD to date amply demonstrates the catastrophic consequences that can ensue when its profound effect is misjudged and the substance is mistaken for a pleasure drug. Special internal and external advance preparations are required; with them, an LSD experiment can become a meaningful experience. Wrong and inappropriate use has caused LSD to become my problem child. It is my desire in this book to give a comprehensive picture of LSD, its origin, its effects, and its dangers, in order to guard against increasing abuse of this extraordinary drug. I hope thereby to emphasize possible uses of LSD that are compatible with its characteristic action. I believe that if people would learn to use LSD's vision-inducing capability more wisely, under suitable conditions, in medical practice and in conjunction with meditation, then in the future this problem child could become a wonder child. **************************** Article Separation **************************** Newsgroups: alt.drugs Distribution: world Subject: From the Merck Manual -- LSD references, etc Keywords: LSD, Lysergic Acid Amide, Lysergic Acid Summary: A couple of pages of copywrite infringement From the 11th Edition of the Merck manual, the "Centennial Edition" no less: [perhaps something to drop in the FAQ?] 5505. Lysergamide. 9,10-Didehydro-6-methylergoline- 8beta-carboxamide; lysergic acid amide; ergine. C16H17N3O; mol wt 267.32. C 71.88%, H 6.41%, N 15.72%, O 5.99%. Isoln from _Rivea_corymbosa_(L.) and from _Ipomoea_tricolor_ Cav., _Convolvulaceae_: Hofmann, Tscherter, _Experientia_ 16, 414 (1964). Prepn from lysergic acid hydrazide: Ainsworth, U.S. pat. 2,756,235 (1956 to Lilly); from lysergic acid and phosgene-dimethylformamide complex: Patelli, Bernardi, U.S. pat. 3,141,887 (1964 to Farmitalia). Microbiological production: Rutschmann, Kobel, U.S. pat. 3,219,545 (1965 to Sandoz). H. CONH2 '. / / \ / \ || | || N /\\ /\ / \ / \\ / \ / CH3 || | | \ || | | H \ // \ / \// \/ | || | || HN------- Prisms from methanol. dec 242deg. [alpha](5461)(20) + 15% (c = 0.5 in pyridine). Methanesulfonate, C7H21N3O4S, prisms from methanol + acetone, dec 232deg. Note: This is a controlled substance (depressant) listed in the U.S. code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 Part 1308.13 (1987). 5506. Lysergic Acid. 9,10-Didehydro-6-methylergoline- 8-carboxylic acid. C16H16N2O2; mol wt 268.32. C 71.62%, H 6.01%, N 10.44%, O 11.93%. Lysergic acid and isolyser- gic acid are the main cleavage products formed on alkaline hydrolysis of the alkaloids which are characteristic of ergot. Jacobs, Craig et al., _J._Biol._Chem._ 104, 547 (1934); 125, 289 (1938); 130, 399 (1939); 145, 487 (1942); _J._Org._Chem._ 10, 76 (1945). High-yield production by _Claviceps_paspali_: Arcamone et al., _Proc._Roy._Soc._ (London), _Ser._B_, 155, 26 (1961). total synthesis: Kornfeld et al., _J._Am._Chem._Soc._ 76, 5256 (1954); 78, 3087 (1956); M. Julia et al., _Tetrahedron_ _letters_ 1969, 1569; V.W. Armstrong et al., ibid. 1976, 4311; W. Oppolzer et al., _Helv._Chem._Acta_ 64, 478 (1981); R. Ramage et al., _Tetrahedron_ 37, Suppl. 9, 157 (1981); J. Rebek, D.F. Tai, _Tetrahedron_Letters_ 24, 859 (1983). Ste- reochemistry: Stoll et al., _Helv._Chem._Acta 37, 2039 (1954); Stenlake, _J._Chem._Soc._ 1955, 1626; Leeman, Fabbri, _Helv._ _Chim._Acta_ 42, 2696 (1959). Absolute configuration: Stad- ler, Hoffman, ibid. 45, 2005 (1962). H. COOH '. / / \ / \ || | || N /\\ /\ / \ / \\ / \ / CH3 || | | \ || | | H \ // \ / \// \/ | || | || HN------- Haxagonal scales, plates with one or two moles H20 from water, mp 240deg (dec). [alpha](D)(20) + 40deg (c = 0.5 in pyridine). Behaves as an acid and base, pKa 3.44, pKb 7.68. Moder- ately sol in pyridine. Sparingly sol in water and in neutral organic solvents; sol in NaOH, NH4OH, Na2CO3, and HCL solns. Slighly sol in dil H2SO4. Methyl ester, thin leaflets from benzene, mp 168deg. Note: This is a controlled substance (depressant) listed in the U.S. code of Federal Regulations, title 21 Part 1308.13 (1987). 5507. Lysergide. 9,10-Didehydro-N,N-diethyl-6-meth- ylergoline-8beta-carboxamide; N,N-diethyl-D-lysergamide; D- lysergic acid diethylamide; LSD; LSD-25; Lysergsaure Di- ethylamid. C20H25N3O; mol wt 323.42. C 74.27%, H 7.79%, N 12.99%, O 4.95%. Microbal formation by _Claviceps_pas- pali_ over the hydroxyethylamide; Arcamone et al., _Proc._ Roy._Soc._(London) 155B, 26 (1961). Partial synthesis: Stoll, Hofmann, _Helv._Chim._Acta_ 26, 944 (1943); 38, 421 (1955). Industrial prepn: Pioch; Garbrecht, U.S. pats. 2,736,728; 2,774,763 (both 1956 to Lilly); Patelli, Bernardi, U.S. pat. 3,141,887 (1964 to Farmitalia). Isotope-labeled LSD: Stoll et al., _Helv._Chim._Acta_ 37, 820 (1954). Toxicity data: E. Rothlin, _Ann._N.Y._Acad._Sci._ 66, 668 (1957). Review: Hof- fer, _Clin._Pharmacol._Ther._ 6, 183 (1965). Book: _The_Use_of_ LSD_in_Psychotherapy_and_Alcoholism_, H.A. Abramson, Ed. (Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, 1967) 697 pp. / C2H5 H. CON '. / \ C2H5 / \ / \ || | || N /\\ /\ / \ / \\ / \ / CH3 || | | \ || | | H \ // \ / \// \/ | || | || HN------- Pointed prisms from benzene, mp 80-85 degs. [alpha](D)(20) + 17deg (c = 0.5 in pyridine). uv max (ethanol): 311 nm (E(1 cm)(1%) 257). LD50 in mice, rats, rabbits (mg/kg): 46, 16.5, 0.3 i.v. (Rothlin). D-Tartrate, C46H64N6O10, solvated, elongated prisoms from methanol, mp 198-200deg. [alpha](D)(20) + 30 deg. Soluble in water. Caution: This is a controlled substance (hallucinogen) listed in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 Part 1308.11 (1987). USE: In biochemical research as an antagonist to serotonin. Has been used experimentally as adjunct in study and treat- ment of mental disorders. NOTES: Not guaranteed to be free from typos. Underlines are supposed to be italic (ie book/journal titles, etc) Alpha, beta, and deg are the greek letters and the degree symbol [alpha](D)(20) means a greek letter in [] followed by a subscript and then a superscript (I don't know *WHAT* this actually is) The chemical structures are almost exactly what the Merck manual has drawn. Almost nothing was lost in the conversion to ASCII. [if you wanted to get really technical, the lower hydrogen atom in all of the structures should be coming out, and have a thick line] ****************************** Article Separation ****************************