Journeying to Ixtlan: Ethics of Psychedelic Medicine and Research for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

This review (2022) investigates six ethical issues concerning psychedelic medicine and research involving persons living with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)/ADRD, including autonomy, consent, ego dissolution, caregiving, exploitation of patient desperation, and methods to mitigate inequity.

Abstract

“In this paper, we examine the case of psychedelic medicine for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). These “mind-altering” drugs are not currently offered as treatments to persons with AD/ADRD, though there is growing interest in their use to treat underlying causes and associated psychiatric symptoms. We present a research agenda for examining the ethics of psychedelic medicine and research involving persons living with AD/ADRD, and offer preliminary analyses of six ethical issues: the impact of psychedelics on autonomy and consent; the impact of “ego dissolution” on persons experiencing a pathology of self; how psychedelics might impact caregiving; the potential exploitation of patient desperation; institutional review boards’ orientation to psychedelic research; and methods to mitigate inequity. These ethical issues are magnified for AD/ADRD but bear broader relevance to psychedelic medicine and research in other clinical populations.”

Authors: Andrew Peterson, Emily A. Largent, Holly F. Lynch, Jason Karlawish & Dominic Sisti

Summary of Journeying to Ixtlan

Carlos Castaneda’s 1972 book Journey to Ixtlan describes his apprenticeship with a Yaqui shaman, Don Juan, who helped him understand the holistic transformation of being in the presence of all living things.

Shortly after the publication of Ixtlan, Castaneda was revealed as a likely fraud. His books abound with factual inconsistencies and misattributed quotes to Don Juan originating from Wittgenstein and C.S. Lewis.

Castaneda exploited the psychedelic enthusiasm of the 1960s by beckoning his acolytes to find their “true selves” in the Sonoran desert. A biotech company has filed a provisional patent for a psychedelic-based treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

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