We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein
Oakland, California – On April 17, 2016, over 900 people from around the world joined the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) for a benefit banquet to celebrate three decades of advancements in psychedelic research and therapy.
The fundraising goal of this historic event was to support MAPS’ $400,000 purchase of MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy or E) for Phase 3 clinical trials. These research trials are essential to making MDMA-assisted psychotherapy a legal prescription treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Founded in 1986, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
In large part due to MAPS’ leadership, rigorous research has been conducted on entheogens, such as ayahuasca, LSD, mescaline and psilocybin, and on the empathogen Ecstasy. The objective is to evaluate their effects on addiction, cluster headaches, depression, trauma, cancer, epilepsy, death and dying, as well as to explore their value in the study of consciousness.
A resurgence in the study of entheogens is well underway. The implications of this “psychedelics renaissance” have been documented in numerous articles and books, including:
- Ben Sosa, The Psychedelic Renaissance (2012)
- Nicolas Langlitz, Neuropsychedelica (2012)
- David Jay Brown, The New Science of Psychedelics (2013)
Our blog on the “New Science of Psychedelics” will discuss recent breakthroughs in the applications of psychedelics to science and medicine, as well as their use as powerful tools for understanding spirituality and consciousness.
In Chapter 6, “The Miracle of Marsh Chapel,” of The Psychedelic Gospels (2016), we discuss a 25-year follow-up study carried out by MAPS founder, Rick Doblin, on a seminal 1962 experiment that conclusively demonstrated psilocybin’s ability to inspire mystical experiences. To learn more, please purchase The Psychedelic Gospels. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to support the important research and public policy work that MAPS is doing to legalize psychedelic-assisted therapies.
