Comparison of the LSD-25 Experience and Delirium Tremens

Introduction Recently psychiatry has had a renewed interest in drugs with “hallucinogenic” properties. New ones are being made, or extracted from plants, at a rapid rate. These drugs are being used more and more widely in treatment and in psychodynamic investigations. We are struck by the many claims that have been made about these psychopharmacological agents and, in particular, have noted the varied and often contradictory descriptions of their psychic effects—effects which have been labeled “experimental schizophrenia,” “model psychosis,” “toxic delirium,” and so on. In this paper our interest in lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD-25, is not particularly in its value in psychotherapy, or with its use as an agent for investigation of psychodynamics. Rather, our interest is in developing an objective method for studying the subjective aspects of these experiences. We have sought a method which would not interfere with the experience,