Since 1942, the US military have been studying the drug, for its use in interrogation, and for fear enemies would use it against US citizens. As a extremely powerful, yet low dose odorless and colorless compound, it seemed sure there would be a use. They had already screened a number of substances including cannabis for the purpose, but unsuccessfully.

Under a new title, the CIA, continued its research after the end of the war. The navy  in 1947 had researched mescaline for interrogation purposes. The CIA had also been doing their own research which they placed under the umbrella project “Bluebird”, eventually renamed “Artichoke”. They initially achieved promising results using LSD as a truth serum, also noting that LSD helps bring out repressed memories. There were of course many problems replicating those results, as the users could just as easily have delusions, and enemy spies would know they had been drugged. Nonetheless, LSD was used in operations for interrogation for almost a decade.

In the 1950’s the CIA became convinced their enemies might still find a use for LSD, so they started MK-Ultra, a project were soldiers were secretly dosed to see if they could cope. They began to randomly spike each others drinks with LSD. One man who was dosed later committed suicide. They were preparing for the next phase of research, secretly drugging the American public.

They established buildings called “safe houses”, where unwitting citizens were lured up to be dosed and then filmed and watched. This eventually turned into “Operation Midnight Climax”. The CIA employed prostitutes to lure men inside, secretly dose them with LSD and then watch them have sex through a two-way mirror. It was supposed to be research into how the effect of sexual attraction could be exploited by the CIA. The CIA also dosed political leaders, who have never been named.

In vast contrast to all this, psychiatric research was taking place in the open. In the early 1950’s Al Hubbard did a bunch of research into using LSD to cure alcoholism. His results were so promising, they made three treatment centers in Canada. With his very high dose LSD trials, 50% of the alcoholics never drank again, something I’m sure the AA would love to be able to claim. Its from here, that psychiatrists started to see LSD as a serious area for research.

From there LSD was used in research, successfully for a large number of psychiatric disorders, such as addiction, anxiety, personality disorders, with miraculous, often instant results. One such study proved it could help those dying adjust to their plight. However, it was around this time Timothy Leary popularized the drug, it was banned and all research on it ended.

That is, until the late 1990’s, when research into drugs like MDMA and magic mushrooms started up again. LSD studies started again, only a few years ago, focusing on well established outcomes from the earlier experiments, such as anxiety in the terminally ill. Once modern studies can replicate those amazing earlier results, attitudes might eventually change regarding LSD as a medicinal treatment. Of course in the meantime, behind closed doors, LSD and MDMA therapy and “breakthrough” experiences continue.

And on the subject of neo-shamanism and personal transformation, here’s an interesting online book: Psychedelic Information Theory

And here's a related new article from the NY times