LSD (lysergic acid diethyl amide) is one of the major drugs making up the hallucinogen class. LSD was discovered in 1938 and is one of the most potent conscious-altering chemicals. It is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. LSD, commonly referred to as acid and sid, is sold in tablets, capsules, thin squares of gelatin, or "hits", generally consisting of a single color commonly referred to "windowpane", and occasionally liquid form, which is usually contained in small glass vials. It is odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter taste and is usually taken by mouth. Often LSD is added to absorbent paper, such as blotter paper, and divided into small, decorated squares, with each square representing one dose. These squares are usually on decorated paper, with characters such as Mickey Mouse, Beavis and Butthead, The Dancing Bears, and other well-known characters sometimes appearing on them.

The effects of LSD vary wildly from one user to the next. They depend on the amount taken; the user's personality, mood, and expectations; and the surroundings in which the drug is used. Usually, the user f

eels the first effects of the drug about 30 minutes after taking it. The physical effects include dilated pupils, extremes in body temperature (either very cold or very hot), increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors.

As with any hallucinatory substance, detractors are quick to pass judgment on the beneficial use of LSD. The suitability and success of LSD in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy is still a subject of controversy in professional circles. The same could be said, however, of other procedures employed in psychiatry such as electroshock, insulin therapy, or psychosurgery, procedures that entail, moreover, a far greater risk than the use of LSD, which under suitable conditions can be considered practically safe.

Another danger of lysergic acid diethyl amide 25 is that users experience flashbacks, recurrence of certain aspects of a person's experience, without the user having taken the drug again. A flashback occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few days or more than a year after LSD use. Flashbacks usually occur in people who use hallucinogens chronically or have an underlying personality problem; however, otherwise healthy people who use LSD occasionally may also have flashbacks. Bad trips and flashbacks are only part of the risks of LSD use. LSD users may also manifest relatively long-lasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe depression. It is difficult to determine the extent and mechanism of the LSD involvement in these illnesses.

In a second procedure, which is the favored treatment in the United States, a single, very high LSD dose (0.3 to 0.6 mg) is administered after correspondingly intensive psychological preparation of the patients. This method, described as psychedelic therapy, attempts to induce a mystical-religious experience through the shock effects of LSD. This experience can then serve as a starting point for a restructuring and curing of the patient's personality in the accompanying psychotherapeutic treatment. Humphry Osmond, a pioneer of LSD research in the United States, introduced the term psychedelic, which can be translated as "mind-manifesting" or "mind-expanding,"

Dr. Timothy Leary, a recently deceased ex-professor of Harvard, who was a strong advocate of LSD put forth a theory that there were 7 levels of Energy Consciousness. With what could be gleaned from the information that was shown, each step up on scale was towards a higher enlightenment. Each of these has a religious center and a drug which induces the level of consciousness desired.

Many people have reported that they feel almost a sixth sense while on LSD. They seem to know what other people that are "tripping" are thinking and feeling without it being said. There is an incredible empathy and wide reports of the their hallucinatory experiences being remarkably similar for how unpredictable the drug is considered to be. There have also been reports from people of "visions".

However, because forgotten or repressed experiences, under the influence of LSD, may become conscious with considerable speed, the treatment can be correspondingly shortened. To some psychiatrists, however, this reduction of the therapy's duration is a disadvantage. They are of the opinion that this precipitation leaves the patient insufficient time for psychotherapeutic working-through. The therapeutic effect they believe

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