The Promise of Psychedelics

"Nearly forty years ago, Dr. Peter Silverstone was a young MD who took up a new position in psychopharmacology research at Oxford University. Since then, the field has bloomed into a spectrum of possibilities that include the use of psychedelics as a treatment for depression, addiction, PTSD, grief, and anxiety. The Promise of Psychedelics is for you—if you or someone you know has not received successful treatment despite trying several mental-health therapy programs and medication. You are not alone: one in five adults suffer mental-health issues that impact their functioning. Psychedelics such as psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, cannabinoids, and LSD can cause profound, intense changes—not only in what we experience but how we think, how we feel, and what we do. Dr. Silverstone avoids scientific language whenever possible, so you won’t feel overwhelmed. You’ll be introduced to the most recent advances in our understanding of psychedelics: what they are, how they work, what the risks are, and which ones will transform mental-health treatment for millions of patients. You’ll gain an understanding of the complexity of the regulatory approval process and why it takes so long for some of these psychedelics to become legal for therapeutic use. You’ll walk away from The Promise of Psychedelics with a big dose of hope if you’ll pardon the pun. The good news is that we’re on the cusp of a revolution in mental health—one offering hope that many just might soon see the end of mental illness."