It's my right not to be turned into a hippie.
This recent fad for "fixing" people by taking them on psychedelic trips is creepy.
That is not the claim made in the article. The article claims that no detrimental side effects were found over the course of the study, which had participants take small dosages of psilocybin in a clinical setting. That's a very specific scenario and is a world away from habitual recreational use.
> This recent fad for "fixing" people by taking them on psychedelic trips is creepy.
When looked at in isolation, yes, it can appear creepy. However when you look at the known side effects of other pharmaceuticals commonly used to treat mental illness, the case for psychedelics becomes a lot more compelling. Right now, most pysch medication really sucks, so if something sucks a little bit less, that's a win.
Maybe so. Maybe that version of myself would even approve of that change. My current self, however, very much does not want that change. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. Unwanted personality shifts are negative drug side effects and the people running around pitching psychedelics as miracle cures without downsides are harming people.
I do agree that patients should be briefed about trait changes, but again, perhaps that's exactly what they need.
It's all anecdotal of course but I've seen quite a few life-course-changes inspired by psychedelics (most of them non-spiritual: change jobs, go to college, break up, quit smoking, that sort of thing) and in most cases the openness to that possibility is why people were taking them in the first place.
From what I've seen, people who take them without a willingness to change don't typically find the experience to be meaningful or transformative.
Be very careful with it.