Go Ask Science

There are some things that define a moment — and then quietly fade away. Video rental stores. Pay phones. Telephone books. Floppy disks. And, of course, my personal nemesis: paper maps. Unfold them once, and they never quite go back the same way.

But history rarely moves in a straight line. What disappears doesn’t always stay gone. Fashion thrives on this cycle — skinny jeans, platform shoes, peplum tops, statement necklaces — all making their inevitable return. Even technology, usually obsessed with the “next big thing,” has its throwback moments. Vinyl records and turntables, once boxed up and forgotten, are now prized again for their warmth and authenticity.

And now, perhaps one of the most surprising revival of all: psychedelic drugs — once sidelined, now being taken seriously again.

The First Trip
In 1943, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann was working at Sandoz Laboratories, researching compounds for medications that could stimulate circulation and respiration. One compound, lysergic acid diethylamide — LSD — had been synthesized years earlier but set aside as unremarkable.

Curious, Hofmann revisited it. During the process, he accidentally absorbed a small amount through his skin. What followed was unlike anything he had ever experienced — vivid colors, distorted perceptions, and a profound shift in consciousness. Intrigued, he deliberately took a measured dose days later to better understand its effects.

That second experiment became the first intentional “acid trip.” As the effects intensified, Hofmann rode his bicycle home through a surreal landscape of warped streets and shifting reality — an experience both unsettling and groundbreaking.

A decade later, in 1953, psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond began exploring LSD’s therapeutic potential, particularly for treating alcoholism (now known as alcohol use disorder, or AUD). Working with Abram Hoffer, he treated nearly 2,000 patients, with 40–45% remaining abstinent after a year.

The Backlash
Then the cultural context changed.

As psychedelics moved beyond the lab and into the broader counterculture — becoming associated with anti-war protests, social upheaval, and recreational use — public perception shifted sharply. Concerns about safety, misuse, and broader societal impact took center stage.

By the early 1970s, LSD and similar drugs were classified as Schedule I substances, effectively shutting down research for decades altogether.

A Second Look
Now, decades later, the conversation is changing again.

In a notable shift, President Donald Trump recently signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies, including the FDA, to accelerate research and ease restrictions on psychedelic compounds such as LSD, psilocybin (the active compound in “magic mushrooms”), and MDMA (commonly known as Molly or Ecstasy).

The move reflects a growing body of research suggesting these substances may hold real promise in treating conditions like severe depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even the existential distress that can accompany terminal illness.

On the heels of the signing of the Executive Order, the FDA has granted priority review vouchers to two companies studying psilocybin — the active compound in “magic mushrooms”— for treatment-resistant depression. Another company received a similar designation for methylone, a drug related to MDMA, aimed at treating PTSD.

The Trip Isn’t Over
Not everything that fades is gone for good. Sometimes ideas simply wait for the right moment to return.

Psychedelics now occupy that uneasy but fascinating space between history and possibility. They are no longer defined solely by their past, but not yet fully understood in their future. What once drifted through songs like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and White Rabbit is shifting from metaphor to measurement — moving out of the cultural imagination and into the realm of scientific inquiry.

Happy reading,
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.