The psychedelic experience--a new concept in psychotherapy.

Abstract The authors, by the simultaneous administration of massive doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and mescaline, tried to produce a unique experience for the patient which is to be so profound and impressive that it changes the patient's own evaluation of his past life experiences and consequently may lead him to establish new values and a more realistic frame of reference than had been established before. The experience, in a broad sense, is not unlike a religious conversion. The preparation of the patients for this experience, the mode of administration and dosage, and finally the modalities of experience under the drug are described. A few short illustrative cases are presented.