Research: Reset Me - Could Psychedelics Catalyze Our Innate Creativity?

Research: Reset.me - Could Psychedelics Catalyze Our Innate Creativity?

Website: http://reset.me/
Author: Gonzo Nieto 
Date: may 13th 2015 

http://reset.me/story/could-psychedelics-catalyze-our-innate-creativity/

Review 

This article contains arguments for how psychedelics effect/improve creativity as well as highlighting and discussing various sources that back it up. the article also touches on how the current research focuses on treating mental conditions such as depression and anxiety, but that the next stage would be to study their ability to "stimulate creative thinking and facilitate problem solving may be next in line to capture our imaginations". 


Books 

the following books are mentioned in the article and could be useful sources for my essay topic. 

LSD Psychotherapy - Stanislav Grof - 1980  

Psychedelic Art - Robert Masters & Jean Houston - 1968 
The potential of psychedelics to enhance the creative process was explored comprehensively in Robert Masters & Jean Houston's book "Psychedelic Art"  

"Many artists who participated in these studies found that their psychedelic experiences left them with access to deep sources of inspiration and helped them achieve greater degrees of originality and artistic freedom. It also wasn’t rare for their professional colleagues to note an improvement in the quality of their work."

The article also discusses how ones creativity can be enhanced during a psychedelic experience. 

"Creative benefits like these weren’t limited to professional artists; Grof notes that, during psychedelic sessions, people tend to explore various forms of expression, such as drawing or poetry. The product can be impressive due to the emotional intensity of the experience, as illustrated by this series of self-portraits drawn by a woman during an LSD session. Experimenting with different forms of expression during a trip can lead people to find a new creative outlet that they start to pursue regularly, which can be very beneficial regardless of whether they show initial talent."

Additionally the impact of psychedelic sessions (namely LSD) on people who are indifferent to "conventional art forms" is mentioned. 

"Others discover new ways to appreciate and engage with various art forms, which can similarly open up new dimensions of experience. Grof points out in LSD Psychotherapy that a single LSD session in people who were indifferent to “non-conventional art forms” could develop deep insight into a variety of more abstract art forms including cubism, impressionism, and surrealism."

something quite profound is discussed in this article. the notion that psychedelics can give someone who may not be of artistic  mind  an insight into the world of a gifted artist. 

"Aldous Huxley made a similar point on how these experiences can show us how different artists naturally see the world: “It does help you to look at the world in a new way. And you come to understand very clearly the way that certain specially gifted people have seen the world. You are actually introduced into the kind of world that Van Gogh lived in, or the kind of world that Blake lived in.” "

Videos

LSD use in silicone valley today - CNN "Can LSD make you a billionaire?" 

http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2015/01/25/sex-drugs-silicon-valley-psychedelics.cnnmoney/index.html



Other articles mentioned

Is it time to revisit the role of psychedelic drugs in enhancing human creativity? - Dr Ben Sessa 

Link: http://www.maps.org/images/pdf/creativity-psychedelics.pdf

From reset.me article: 

In a 2008 article in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, Dr. Ben Sessa proposes that it’s time to revisit the role of psychedelics in enhancing human creativity. While these drugs have a contentious history, their safety has gained more recognition in recent years. And if psychedelics can indeed enhance creativity, we stand much to gain collectively from pursuing this research. In addition to expanding our neuroscientific understanding of creativity, Dr. Sessa argues that there would be vast implications for commercial industry, as most of it relies on product design and marketing, in which creativity is integral. In addition, Grof notes that the effects of psychedelics on creativity can help not only to discover solutions to specific problems, but also to bring about entirely new paradigms that revolutionize entire disciplines.

Dr. Sessa’s suggestion may be close to becoming reality. Recently, a crowdfunding campaign by the Beckley Foundation quickly raised £25,000 ($37,000 USD) to conduct the world’s first imaging study of the brain on LSD. After meeting their goal, they extended the campaign and raised an extra £28,000 ($42,500 USD) to conduct a study on how LSD influences creativity.

With luck, the Beckley Foundation’s study will be the first of many such investigations, as there remains much to be discovered about the usefulness of psychedelics as tools to stimulate creativity. As we’ve seen, the work conducted by psychedelic therapists and researchers thus far points to the potential for making artistic experience and expression more accessible, moving us toward wholeness as we become open to more aspects of ourselves. In addition, the possibility of reliably stimulating innovative thinking and problem solving in our greatest minds could bring unimaginable solutions and innovations to the problems faced today. For, as Terence McKenna said, “our world is endangered by the absence of good ideas.”