It only took forty years. Thanks, hippies!

Hallucinogens Have Doctors Tuning In Again

By JOHN TIERNEY Published: April 11, 2010


As a retired clinical psychologist, Clark Martin was well acquainted with traditional treatments for depression, but his own case seemed untreatable as he struggled through chemotherapy and other grueling regimens for kidney cancer. Counseling seemed futile to him. So did the antidepressant pills he tried.

Nothing had any lasting effect until, at the age of 65, he had his first psychedelic experience. He left his home in Vancouver, Wash., to take part in an experiment at Johns Hopkins medical school involving psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient found in certain mushrooms.

Scientists are taking a new look at hallucinogens, which became taboo among regulators after enthusiasts like Timothy Leary promoted them in the 1960s with the slogan “Turn on, tune in, drop out.” Now, using rigorous protocols and safeguards, scientists have won permission to study once again the drugs’ potential for treating mental problems and illuminating the nature of consciousness.

After taking the hallucinogen, Dr. Martin put on an eye mask and headphones, and lay on a couch listening to classical music as he contemplated the universe.

“All of a sudden, everything familiar started evaporating,” he recalled. “Imagine you fall off a boat out in the open ocean, and you turn around, and the boat is gone. And then the water’s gone. And then you’re gone."

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I know we just finished healthcare but we're still not there yet.

The Great Weeks of Research have arrived.  I will be reading and note-taking about Woodrow Wilson and single-payer healthcare systems non-stop for the next two to three weeks.  I've already killed one highlighters.  I've had to move to a blue one.  Who uses blue?  The blue always gets lost before the yellow and orange get used.  We're down to brass tacks here, people!

"The U.S. wastes more on health care bureaucracy than it would cost to provide health care to all of the uninsured."  For real, yo.

And then I get a flyer request today.  It's only a quarter-page, so not a huge deal, but not exactly convenient either.  Oh well, I could use the money.  Speaking of which...

I thought my paycheck looked a little light and looked back in my records and they conveniently forgot to pay me for one of my most profitable days.  I'm making them go back through every pay period in the three years I've been driving taxi to make sure this hasn't happened before.  On the bright side, that's another check I get to pick up tomorrow.

I should post some more scanned photos from photography class.  Or you Madisonians could check out the four photos I have up at the Sunroom on State Street.  Many other talented photographers from the other photo classes are also being displayed.  Support local businesses and artists!  Get breakfast and look at good art! DO IT, DOUG!

Five points to whoever gets that last reference.

I'm really just wasting time before I have to go to my Interpersonal Communications class.  The most useless class ever.  Maybe.  Our next big project is mock job interviews.  Really.  This is the same class I had to do a 5-10 minute presentation on telerelay for the deaf and hard of hearing, which I spun as The Life of a Relay Operator.  Here's the email the instructor sent me afterward:

You did a great job on your presentation.  99%, A, all that.  As I said in class, once your tone relaxed and your pace slowed down, it became an exceptional speech.

So far, I am looking to close out my community college experience with another 4.0 semester.  *crosses fingers*

I'm hungry.  I think I'll go buy an apple.