This paper reviews some of the evidence indicating that hallucinogens or psychedelic substances have therapeutic effects. The general character hallucinogen use in non‐ Western societies is briefly reviewed to present data about the characteristic beliefs and uses associated with these substances. Evidence for therapeutic effectiveness is addressed from several perspectives: the findings from clinical medicine on effects of LSD; a general model of altered states of consciousness, their physiological characteristics, and therapeutic effects; and laboratory studies of physiological, sensory, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive effects of hallucinogens. These findings illuminate the general psychophysiological effects of hallucinogens and their consciousness altering and therapeutic mechanisms.
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Michael Winkelman (1991) studied this question.
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