Deck 14: The Arthropods: Blueprint for Success

Question 1

What are the distinctions among phantastica, deliriants, psychedelics, psychotomimetics, entheogens, and hallucinogens?

Answer 1

Hallucinogens are psychoactive drugs which cause hallucinations, perception anomalies and other subjective changes in thoughts, emotion, and consciousness.
The hallucinogens are classified based on their chemical structures and pharmacological properties into different types. The different types of hallucinogens are as follows:
Phantastica: These drugs alter the perception of an individual while he remains in communication with the present world. These drugs create a world of fantasy. The indole and catechol hallucinogens are grouped under phantastica. The examples of these drugs are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin or mescaline.
Deliriants: These drugs produce mental confusion and a loss of touch with reality. The examples of these drugs are 1(1-phenylcyclohexyl) piperidine hydrochloride.
Psychedelics (mind-viewing) : These drugs help the individual to see into their own minds.
Psychotomimetics: These drugs cause a form of mental disorder, which is the major dangerous effect on humans.
Entheogens: These drugs cause spiritual and religious experiences.
All the above classes of drugs create an altered state of mind.

Question 2

Why was LSD used in psychoanalysis in the 1950s and 1960s? How does this relate to its proposed use by the Army and the CIA?

Answer 2

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a phantastica drug. The Dr. Albert Hofmann is called as father of LSD. This is because he synthesized the drug for the first time in the year 1938 from ergot fungus Claviceps purpurea. It is a potent hallucinogen, which acts in micrograms.
LSD is able to activate subconscious mind of an individual. It is used as an adjunct to psychotherapy. This is because mostly it does not cause the side effects in an individual. In the modern days, it is used as truth serum by the army and CIA. This drug helps army and soldiers to know the truth from the prisoners.
Phantastica: These drugs alter the perception of an individual while he remains in communication with the present world. These drugs create a world of fantasy. The indole and catechol hallucinogens are grouped under phantastica. The other examples of these drugs are psilocybin and mescaline.

Question 3

Describe the dependence potential of LSD in terms of tolerance, physical dependence, and psychological dependence.

Answer 3

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a phantastica drug. The Dr. Albert Hofmann is called as father of LSD. This is because he synthesized the drug for the first time in the year 1938 from ergot fungus Claviceps purpurea. It is a potent hallucinogen, which acts in micrograms.
The individual develops tolerance rapidly against LSD. The person also develops cross tolerance. Physically and psychologically the drug has no effect on the individual. The common effect on the individual is addiction to the drug and feels to take it often.
LSD is able to activate subconscious mind of an individual. Thus, it is called psychoactive drug. It is used as an adjunct to psychotherapy. In the modern days, it is used as truth serum by the army and CIA.

Question 4

What is the diagnostic term for flashbacks?

Question 5

What is the active agent in the "magic mushrooms" of Mexico, and is it an indole or a catechol?

Question 6

Besides the psychological effects, what other effects are reliably produced by peyote?

Question 7

Contrast MDMA and PCP in terms of how they appear to make people feel about being close to others.

Question 8

Which of the hallucinogenic plants was most associated with witchcraft?

Question 9

What can be concluded from the evidence regarding the neurotoxic effects of MDMA?

Question 10

Which hallucinogen acts as an agonist at kappa opiate receptors?