EmmaDegerstedtweek4Neruro

Week 4: Neuroscience and Art

Lecture III, (1) regarding the use of the drugs; LSD and cocaine, was my main interest this week. In high school I witnessed a person on "hallucinogenic mushrooms" begin yelling at a piece of toast that was "threatening him". This "bad trip" experience was enough to keep me from experimenting with drugs. 

(2)

Having read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, which popularized LSD, I found it interesting that most of the scientists who were studying these drugs, were experimenting on themselves. This book was controversial because it inadvertently advertised for this drug and raised "ethical concerns" "about whether psychotropic drugs should be used to treat legitimate disorders or as quick fixes to solve problems related to the exigencies of the life some individuals aspire to" (Anker/Frazzetto 819) (3).  In lecture, professor also mentioned Leary, the psychology professor that had a ninety percent success rate using these drugs on prisoners keep them from becoming repeat offenders. 

(4)

Similarily, I discovered the "co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) believed that LSD could be used therapeutically to cure alcoholism." (MBD 1) He believed using the hallucinogenic drug would lead to a spiritual awakening. The idea that ‘The brain is a very strange and marvellous thing. It is not like the heart or a kidney, it is thinking flesh’ (Anker/Frazzetto 817) reminded me of one of my favorite films, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This film explores the idea of erasing conscious memories and the complications that arise.

 (5)

(1) "Neuroscience pt3." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 19 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5EX75xoBJ0#t=30>.

(2) "Suncoast Rehabilitation Center Looks at the History of Hallucinogenic Drugs." Suncoast Drug Rehab Center RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2014. <http://www.suncoastrehabcenter.com/blog/suncoast-rehabilitation-center-looks-at-the-history-of-hallucinogenic-drugs/>.

(3) Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Science and Society ." Neuroculture 10: 815-821. Web.

(4) "How Founder of AA Wanted To Use LSD To Get People Off Alcohol." Political Blind Spot. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://politicalblindspot.com/how-founder-of-aa-wanted-to-use-lsd-to-get-people-off-alcohol/>.

(5) "A whole lotta gumption!." SheKnows. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1027919/15-inspiring-movie-quotes-from-strong-female-characters>.