Break on Through: Betty Eisner's Problematic Use of Psychedelics, Groups, and Control for Integrative Experiences

Abstract

Betty Eisner represents a prominent figure in the “golden age” of psychedelics research, as well as a cautionary tale about questionable therapeutic practices, exercising authority and control, and the misuse of psychedelics during the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s. Situating her work and the consequences of her problematic practices in the counterculture, the Human Potential Movement, and integrative experiences helps provide some context for the decline of the first wave of psychedelics research and the more cautious and conservative approach to the second wave of psychedelics research. Some of the dangers associated with figures like Eisner, and consequently the first wave of psychedelics, may help explain the slower development of group therapy approaches and the inclusion of social context in the second wave focus on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.