A few years ago, if you had advised people suffering from serious mental disorders to resort to dangerous drugs for therapeutic purposes, they would probably have concluded that you were taking something yourself.
Recently, however, with a series of interesting scientific studies, the perception of many illicit substances – from LSD to ecstasy – as having no medical uses has begun to change. For example, in early May, American researchers confirmed that ketamine can reduce symptoms of depression.
In April, researchers from the University of Sussex and Imperial College London presented the first what is believed to be measurable evidence of psychedelic-induced altered states of consciousness. Earlier this year, articles about the therapeutic “microdosing” of psychedelic drugs such as LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms appeared on the Internet.
The idea of drug treatment may surprise many, but the non-British aristocrat Amanda Feilding, Countess of Wemyss and March.
– I think that something has been slowly changing in this respect for the last three or four years. I have always believed that science should take a close look at these matters, highlight their effects and miraculous effectiveness. It’s still a new era, but people are finally getting interested in this topic as it deserves, she says.
Amanda Feilding has spent 50 years researching and promoting the use of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic purposes. After many years of struggling with adversities, it is finally successful. Last summer, together with scientists from Imperial College, she organized a clinical trial involving 12 volunteers who had previously tried unsuccessfully to cure depression. This time, the therapy involved getting into a psychedelic trance induced by psilocybin, a hallucinogenic chemical found in many species of mushrooms with psychoactive properties. The results of the experiment are impressive: a week after the therapy, 67 percent of them were treated. participants had no symptoms of depression. When the test was repeated three months later, it turned out that the result was maintained in 42 percent. volunteers.
We’re meeting at the Beckley Foundation, a charity promoting interdisciplinary consciousness research and modification that Fielding founded 18 years ago to help fund and sanction its experimental activities. The foundation’s office is housed in a former stables on the picturesque Tudor property of Beckley Park in Oxfordshire.
Feilding, 73, whose family is related to the Habsburg dynasty, grew up in Beckley Park and lives there to this day with her husband, Scottish aristocrat Jamie Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss and 9th Earl of March (from whom she received the title when they got married in 1995 year).
Beckley Park is framed on three sides by a moat, and a mile and a half drive cuts through lush grassland and forest. It was here, in the isolated estate Feilding, the youngest of four siblings, in the 50s, learned the incredible power of the human brain.
“I felt very isolated here,” she says, pointing her hand at the view beyond the huge window. – There was no heating in the house, so I wandered around the garden all day. I felt lonely and thought a lot about myself. Each child at some point experiences the mystery of meeting nature, but mine was more intense, it seems to me. I loved this state of losing my identity.
She was introduced to Eastern religions by her godfather, Bertie Moore, who later became a famous Buddhist monk. At the age of 16, she left school without completing her education. Instead of education, she chose to travel around the world.
For three years she got to know the Middle East and India – during this time she lived with the Yemeni tribe of nomads for three weeks. After returning to Great Britain, she took private lessons in Islam and religious studies with lecturers at the University of Oxford. In the 60s, while studying at Oxford, Feilding had her first exposure to drugs.
– I met a group of older students who fought in the Korean War. They gave me a marijuana twist, he recalls. – I remember that exactly. Ray Charles was playing. I have heard music as deep as ever. It was incredibly moving.
Feilding used cannabis from time to time, but was much more interested in the power of psychedelic substances, which she first felt in 1965 when friends gave her LSD. A year later she met Bart Huges, a Dutch researcher who explained her scientific basis for the experiences she had experienced, giving rise to her great fascination with psychoactive substances and altered states of consciousness.
Before I met Bart, I thought of drugs in terms of beauty and art, but when he explained the secrets of altered states of consciousness to me, I was captivated. I wanted to learn as much as possible about it.
She decided to officially start researching psychedelic drugs, unfortunately, Feilding’s plans were almost immediately thwarted by the world war on drugs, which was declared by the United States in the early 70s. It has become almost impossible for scientists to obtain psychoactive substances.
Undaunted, she continued her research – often controversial – on her own, describing and analyzing drugs and consciousness for 25 years. One of her experiments in 1970 gained special publicity.
Together with her partner, Joseph Mellen (with whom she later had two sons, Rock and Cosmo), she explored skull trepanation, the ancient practice of drilling a hole in the skull to improve blood circulation in the brain. Feilding filmed one of the strange, bloody, extremely emotional procedures performed on herself.
The story of this episode stuck to her forever. The scientific community cut itself off from her, seeing her only as an eccentric aristocrat. Feilding admits that the video seems rather “macabre”, but still believes that the topic of trepanation is worth exploring, especially in terms of the potential benefits for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.
After years of independent research, thanks to the advancement of magnetic imaging technology in the late 90s, Feilding was finally able to present the medical evidence supporting her theories about the beneficial effects of psychedelic substances.
Through its foundation, the Beckley Foundation, which works with various influential scientists, Feilding has been working tirelessly for two decades to change the perception of drugs globally – not only advising governments around the world, but also patronizing groundbreaking research.
One such study last year confirmed that drugs previously considered a risk to society when used in a safe, controlled environment can have a therapeutic benefit.
What’s more, Feilding argues that substances such as LSD, magic mushrooms and MDMA can cause the brain to “wake up”, potentially causing mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and even neurodegenerative diseases. will be curable. Unfortunately, although the vast majority of the medical community today is convinced of the effectiveness of this form of therapy, and microdosing is gaining more and more popularity, lawmakers remain adamant.
– The so-called war on drugs is complete nonsense. A wise drug policy should come down to helping people, not punishing. We should strive for a system that regulates and educates, not just bans everything, Feilding says, adding that she is not a supporter of total decriminalization, but believes that many substances deserve to be re-categorized and allowed to be used in medical experiments. Currently, one dose of psilocybin costs £ 1500 as suppliers have to overcome many legal hurdles to get it. This has to change.
Feilding doesn’t expect Theresa May’s conservative government to suddenly change its position, so she intends to work hard at Beckley Park for as long as it takes. She recently launched a publicly funded campaign to raise funds for the world’s first research into the therapeutic use of micro-doses of LSD – when taken in minimal doses, LSD stimulates cognitive abilities, increases creativity and relieves depression. After fifty years of often fruitless research, society is finally beginning to accept her theories.
“A lot of people have been telling me lately,” Gosh, Amanda, I always thought you were crazy! Today I know that you were right from the beginning ».
– It’s so frustrating. I think if society were more open and realistic about drugs, we would all be happier, Feilding smiles. – As I said, something is starting to change and we have a chance for real progress, but we still have a lot of work to do.
Mental health in the UK
Every sixth Briton faces various mental health problems once a week
19 481 – Number of children who used the children’s helpline for people having suicidal thoughts in 2015/2016
8,25 percent – Cutting the budget for psychiatric treatment in 2011-2015
20 percent – Increase in referrals to community health teams (the UK mental disorder treatment system) over the same period
9,7 percent – Percentage of Britons meeting most criteria in the diagnosis of anxiety and depression
(data from 2014)
2100 – So many hospital places for patients with mental disorders were dismantled in the UK from 2011 to 2016
41 percent – This number of patients referred for therapy with an interview must wait at least three months to start treatment (May 2016)
£ 600m – Additional amount for psychiatric treatment pledged by the government until 2020/2021. The budget from 2010 to 2015 decreased by the same amount.