Consciousness, Religion, and Gurus: Pitfalls of Psychedelic Medicine

Matthew W Johnson

doi:10.1021/acsptsci.0c00198

Consciousness, Religion, and Gurus: Pitfalls of Psychedelic Medicine

ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. 2020 Dec 16;4(2):578-581. doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00198. eCollection 2021 Apr 9.

Author

Matthew W Johnson¹

Affiliation

¹ Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States.

Abstract

This viewpoint identifies pitfalls in the study of psychedelic compounds, including those that pose challenges for the potential use of psychedelics as medicines. They are as follows: (1) Sloppiness regarding use of the term "consciousness". (2) Inappropriate introduction of religious/spiritual beliefs of investigators or clinicians. (3) Clinical boundaries and other ethical challenges associated with psychedelic treatments.