Photo By Lindsay Davis
By Nicholas D. Williams, Assistant News Editor
The start of a new era in mental health is on the horizon, and the subject is not what many expect.
Since 1963, Dr. Bill Richards has studied the effects of psychedelics within the human mind. After having what he said was a “profound experience” with psychedelics while taking part in a medical study in his early 20’s, Richards dedicated his life to the uses and benefits of them. A psychologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, this year’s Alice Pope Shade Lecturer views them as “a tool for exploration.”
On Monday, Feb. 26, an audience of over 100 packed Susquehanna University’s theatre to listen to, what Richards says, is an “incredible frontier of knowledge and medical treatment and study of the frontiers of human consciousness.”
He began his address by paying homage to his mentors Karl Jaspers, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, William James and Abraham Maslow. After this, he recounted various ways one can achieve an, as he said, “expanded state of consciousness.” Richards says that experiences in meditative disciplines, natural childbirth and creative involvement can all lead to this alternate experience of reality.
Of the prementioned, there is no surefire way to do so, however. This leads into his focus, using psychedelics as a means of reaching this state. Richards says that when used in proper context, psychedelics have the potential to usher in a new epoch of mental health treatment; the likes of which we have never seen.
Found in approximately 200 different species of mushroom, psilocybin is rampant throughout the natural world. Like other substances such as dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), this chemical retains the ability to send one into an expanded state of consciousness.
When taking these respective substances, Richards says, many report similar, if not the same, types of experiences. As a result of this, he argues that the experience as a result of the drug is not the case. The truth, he proclaims, is that the experience occurs all within the confines of our minds. Furthermore, it always exists, with the various substances serving as transportation to this altered state.
Richards says, “The uniqueness of psychedelics lies in their potency, their reliability and their safety.”
Regarding safety, he states that these substances are non-addictive and of negligible toxicity. That is not to say that they should be used without caution, however. He references a metaphor found in his book; one he calls “downhill skiing.”
He says that when learning to downhill ski, one would seek out instruction prior. If not, they pose a potential risk to not only themselves, but those around them. The same, he declares, can be said about psychedelics.
When used in the proper context, the experiences yielded from psychedelics are a very intense and effective form of psychotherapy. Often, Richards says, individuals experience a head-on confrontation with their personal issues. His studies with psilocybin have successfully treated those with addiction and depression, along with providing superb end-of-life comfort in terminal cancer patients.
Richard says that we could see more legal mainstream usage of psychedelics within the next two to three years. To learn more about Richards and his research, visit hopkinspsychedelic.org.
