This article was interesting to read, but inaccurate. Here's why:

The word *psychedelic* itself comes from the Ancient Greek words psychē (ψυχή, "soul") and dēloun (δηλοῦν, "to make visible, to reveal"). Although science cannot currently detect the 'soul' or 'spirit' as a material entity, it's interesting to remember that science has never been very kind to the things it cannot currently detect. 

Recall, for example, the  Hungarian doctor, Ignaz Semmelwei (1846), who pioneered the discovery of 'germs'. His discovery was rejected by the scientific community; nobody would listen to him, and he was eventually committed to a mental asylum.<sup>1</sup>

Today, science accepts the existence of germs.

It's also interesting that that article quotes Christopher Hitchens. 

Hitchens was a deeply wounded man, who was reportedly addicted to alcohol<sup>2</sup>, the world's most dangerous drug<sup>3</sup>:

![iu.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYtCeS6sMSNmV6ZNwG5bfPJoh3YNct3C9q1KUUVNh5GR3/iu.jpeg)


He also smoked heavily.

Both these behaviours are signs of self-medication for trauma, and are highly suggestive of a profound disconnect between Hitchens' body and mind. A disconnect that could be described as a *spiritual* disconnect. 

The dictionary defines *spirit*, firstly, as: "An animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms."<sup>4</sup>

Given this definition, many psychedelic drugs have spiritual potential, if used ceremonially. This is because they give rise to the re-connection between mind and body; reveal trauma; and heal it. In other words, they can reconnect us to the "animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms."

Of course, there are practitioners who use these substances carelessly. But the same is true of everything humans use. Just because a knife can be used to kill, doesn't mean it can't also be used for delicate surgery. The same is true of psychedelics.

Psychedelics can heal, and the process is *spiritual* by the dictionary definition. There are also millions of dollars of scientific research into this phenomena currently underway at MAPS in California. Here are some people talking about their experiences with one 'spiritual' drug that has reconnected them to their 'animating or vital principle':

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W9iKx2MKS70 

To dismiss this *spiritual* (rejoining with the 'animating' or 'vital' within us) path as 'a joke', is to misunderstand the definition of spiritual, science and psychedelic. 

It is a mistake to think that 'science' currently has a unique and profound viewpoint on things. Or that it is universally opposed to the idea of spirit. 

To quote Einstein, "Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe."

The scientific community today is, in addition, hugely political because research costs money and those who have money often have agendas. Most of these agendas are variations on 'keep everything as it is, so I keep making money'.  These are not favourable conditions in which psychedelics can be openly researched.

Psychedelics have the potential to revolutionize our concept of medicine, self, and society. This is one reason why they are often maligned and feared. They can also be misused. Just as an MRI scanner can be misused; or a knife, or a laser.

I recommend starting with the thousands of scientific papers on LSD psychotherapy. This book is a useful beginning: https://www.amazon.com/Psychotherapy-Healing-Potential-Psychedelic-Medicine/dp/0979862205

Or exploring the many successful, US-Government-endorsed, scientific studies into LSD, Ayahusaca, Ibogaine and MDMA currently underway at MAPS: http://www.maps.org/research

Thank you for a provocative article. Good luck.

**Sources:**
<sup>1</sup>http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/01/12/375663920/the-doctor-who-championed-hand-washing-and-saved-women-s-lives

<sup>2</sup>http://www.samefacts.com/2011/12/health-medicine/why-honesty-about-hitchens-addictions-matters/ 

<sup>3</sup>https://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/drugs_cause_most_harm*

<sup>4</sup>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirit