The science: can LSD treat depression and make you more creative?

There's long been a theory that LSD can be used effectively in treating psychological disorders. There's also been a theory that it makes one more creative and enhances the pleasure people get from music. Now we might have some actual science to back this up.

Since its banning in 1971, external, Amanda Fielding, head of The Beckley Foundation, external, has worked tirelessly to have the freedom to conduct experiments as to how LSD can be used in the treatment of conditions like depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and in how it can make us more creative, compassionate and happy.

She calls it an “amazing indictment” of modern society that these substances, which she says aided “our development of language, spirituality, music, art and medicine”, have become taboo.

For many years she used LSD to enhance “work, creativity, self-discovery and enjoyment”. She set up The Beckley Foundation with two aims - to investigate consciousness and to reform drugs policy. She's been working together with Professor David Nutt, leading neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London, to realise those goals.

They have now made a historic breakthrough by conducting the first ever brain imaging tests on the effects of LSD on the brain. This research hasn't been verified or condoned by the NHS, but, according to Amanda Fielding, the results show broadly that LSD can stimulate for feelings of openness, optimism and even show scientific basis to the idea that LSD makes music better.

We had a little chat with Amanda about her tests and what they tell us.

How can LSD help us?

We compared twenty participants on LSD and on placebo, tracking changes in blood supply, brain activity and connectivity, as well as how they correlate with the subjective experience. One can see very clearly why this can be such an enormous aid in psychotherapy, particularly illnesses associated with very rigid thought patterns, like depression, anxiety, addiction and OCD, because LSD produces a looser form of consciousness.

We found that LSD reduced the function of what we call the Default Mode Network – which is essentially like a conductor in the brain that decides what enters into consciousness.

After psychedelics, individual networks that are normally independent disintegrate – the connectivity within the network nodes decrease. At the same time though, the overall brain connectivity increases and networks that don’t normally “talk to each other” become more connected. We call this desegregation.

What does this mean? That LSD can make you more creative?

Yes. And more open to new ideas.

Can it also increase empathy?

Yes. Empathy, well-being, feelings of optimism.

Are there any dangers or downsides?

If taken in unsuitable circumstances. We’re carrying out highly regulated scientific research.

How could we use these drugs in therapy?

There’s a long way to go. This is the first brain imaging study of LSD, which in itself is a big breakthrough. That is showing very positive results in why this can be so valuable in both therapy and personal transformation.

What does it mean to “see with the eyes shut”?

For the first time, we’ve investigated and discovered how hallucinations work in the brain. Much more blood is present in the visual centres of the brain. There’s also much more connectivity with emotion and memory.

There’s a synergy too between LSD and music. Again it’s about much more connectivity with emotion and memory. This shows why it’s a very useful aid in psychotherapy.

So, what, LSD scientifically makes music better?

Yes. We saw in our brain image study that when you hear music on LSD, you feel it much deeper and also, there’s much more blood and activity in the centres of the brain that deal with memory and emotion.

The literature talks about “ego dissolution”. Is that literally what it sounds like?

Yes. That is one of the effects of LSD. The interesting thing is that people who report higher scales of ego dissolution also report more optimism later, after the research.

Did any of the subjects you studied report any negative effects?

No, not seriously.

What’s the next step for the Beckley Foundation?

We want to do more studies. I’m interested in studying whether LSD promotes creativity.

Did you find anything surprising about the results?

Yes, I suppose it was surprising to discover just how much more connectivity there was between the centres of the brain associated with memory and emotion. Although one expected it, one had never seen it before.

It goes without saying, these trials were conducted in highly controlled environments and LSD in the UK is an illegal substance.