guess what? Psychodelics have side effects

 I have watched cynically how various psychodelics have been pushed as miracle drugs for depression etc. in the lay press, and alas even in some so called medical journals.

Those pushing them come from well funded institutes that start with the idea that they work, and then they experiment with patients who often are desparate (where placebo effect would be high) or who already have used similar drugs and are eager to do so again and cure themselves (again high placebo effect).

I wonder who is pushing these institutes and funding their studies?

I am cynical, because a lot of these drugs led to mental illness when they were used in the 1960s, 

and even the use of them in ceremonies by Native Americans was usually in a ceremony, where only the patient took the drug, complete with community and religious aspects: 

the Native American church took it regularly, but one wonders if this was done traditionally as a regular practice, instead of a single ceremony. 

The dosage also is something not discussed. Mother Drexel once took peyote in a ceremony to understand those she worked with, and she claims the experience was similar to the deep prayer after communion. She did not hallucinate, but many taking it said they did hallucinate.

And is there brain damage? LSD leaves a hole in the brain on PET scans, meaning permenant damage. Any studies here? I don't know because I haven't done the research and of course I distrust the research because the experments were done to prove they work, not from a neutral point of view.

These drugs, if used correctly, could be letting one go into one's deep psyche. Similar to self hypnosis, meditation and other ways to get peace via rituals.

(one could say the same thing about vision quests, with fasting and prayer to get a vision. Not something one does all the time).

But even with TM types of meditation, the dirty little secret about these things is that a certain number of people freak out or get psychotic breaks: 

Well, anyway, the goofiness of Prince Harry might be because he took these drugs, says an article in the UKMail.

where an expert admits there can be problems.Even with a great therapist and a perfect situation, Dr Johnson said a person using these drugs is still vulnerable to having their view warped.

He said he has heard of cases where patients were effectively brainwashed using psychedelic therapy. 

But the expert added that for many people, '[They] can come to terms withpersonal issues with others... [and] feel that they have gained closure.'

Dr Johnson has seen many positive cases in clinical trials, though. Sometimes, a person will finally understand a loved one, and even break estrangement to reconnect.

the psychiatric equivalent of Russian Roulette

and one wonders if taking placebo with a sympathetic psychiatrist would work just as well.