There was the work by Michael Pollan, now there is the Netflix documentary series. Journey to the edge of the mind thus recalls the history of the use of psychoactive products such as psilocybin, a substance found in magic mushrooms, or mescaline, of natural origin in peyote, a small cactus from Central America. Without prejudice, and supported by science, the influential American journalist and essayist demonstrates in a very didactic way that taking these psychedelic drugs, when supervised, can prove beneficial for the health of a certain category of population.
This is particularly the case for people with post-traumatic stress disorder who, when they ingest MDMA – this molecule of which ecstasy is composed – under medical supervision see their mental health improve. . And the figures are more than convincing: after only a few clinical trials, half of the patients whom traditional drug treatments and psychotherapies have failed to save say they feel better. Good news when you know that the use of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic purposes is in the process of being legalized in Canada.
We will also learn in Travel at the edge of the mind that LSD can also help people who are anxious and depressed and that, if “acid” often gets a bad press, it is because the drug has, among other things, suffered a campaign of demonization by the government of Ronald Reagan .
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