Psychedelics have long been a hot topic. But in the early days of psychedelics, back in the 1950s, even mainstream media outlets were enthusiastically covering research on a bizarre new drug that was active in minuscule doses.

On this episode of Furthure, Dr. Steve Siff, a journalism professor at Miami University and author of Acid Hype, discusses media coverage surrounding psychedelics. We talk about the rise and fall of the psychedelic hype and whether today’s media is bound to make similar mistakes to those of the 1960s. I think this conversation is especially relevant, as in some circles there's mounting backlash against the hype.

Also, I highly recommend checking out Steve’s book for more details on some of the media stories, which are just wild. The way people wrote about psychedelics in the 1950s is so campy and sensational that it’s a joy to read. Plus, there’s a lot in there about how psychosis and psychedelics were framed to the public in the ’50s that I haven’t heard discussed anywhere else.

This was a far-ranging conversation, and we bounced back and forth between eras a bit. Because of that, there are a few small corrections to make. The pilot with the mental health episode had actually used psilocybin-containing mushrooms recently. Also, to clarify, the Good Friday adverse effects we discussed didn’t involve anyone running out of the church naked, but it did involve Thorazine being administered. Some early LSD therapy manuals did recommend that therapist use psychedelics with their patients, and some did develop sexual relationships and were charged with SA.

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Relevant sources 👩‍🔬

Rick Doblin’s 1991 Critique of the Good Friday Experiment:

https://www.atpweb.org/jtparchive/trps-23-91-01-001.pdf

Note: one person received Thorazine. This was not reported in Pahnke data.

Pilot with Psilocybin-Related Mental Health Episode: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/24/alaska-airlines-pilot-psychedelic-mushrooms-psilocybin/#:~:text=Joseph%20Emerson%20faces%2083%20charges,%2C%E2%80%9D%20according%20to%20the%20affidavit.

Experiential side of MDMA-therapy training:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hast.1602

Therapist using psychedelics with patients & SA:

Accessible link here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HPtFF-dM5efTooFTvfCA1tVNz8--juWd/view?usp=sharing

Coverstory : https://open.spotify.com/show/7dj2XnCMxGpK8W3tGWjiqw?si=323ff8c7a7a5455e

Psychedelic Syndrome:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15563656908990915