#73: Jonathan Moreno - Growing Up in a Mental Hospital, the Bioethics of Military Experiments, and the History of Psychedelics | The Psychedelic Series (3/5)
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Episode Description
When it comes to emerging psychedelic therapies, how did we get here and where we are going? In this episode, we dive into the historical context of neuroscience and ethical implications of psychedelic experimentation, in conversation with author and bioethicist Jonathan Moreno.
Jonathan Moreno grew up on the frontier of psychotherapy. The first 20 years of his life were spent as the center of a “laboratory of ideas” surrounded by mental patients and psychotherapists at his parent’s institute. His fascination with studying consciousness in treatment began there and took him on the journey to receiving his Ph.D. in philosophy, studying bioethics and military experiments, and eventually psychedelics.
You will learn about the unlikely interaction of psychedelics and national security, as well as how the historical context of human military experiments contributes to our current understanding of consciousness. Just press play.
Show Notes
It started in Vienna: Believe it or not, Jonathan Moreno’s life was intertwined with psychotherapy before he was even born. It all started with his parents.
Psychodrama, growing up: Jonathan Moreno describes how his upbringing surrounded by mental patients and psychotherapists shaped his life and future pursuits.
First encounters with LSD: At 10 years old in 1962, Jonathan Moreno recalls his first view into LSD in psychotherapy.
University and Experimentation: From studying philosophy to waking up at 3 am on the subway, if anything college was a time of discovery.
Studying Bioethics, Brain Science, Human Experiments: What’s so attractive about alternative states of consciousness? Jonathan Moreno searched for the answer while writing his dissertation and how the military mind race morphed into recreational use.
The Military and Consciousness Connection: Exploring the link between human experimentation on consciousness in the military and research today.
Beecher vs Leary Intergenerational Conflict: How conflicting approaches to LSD experimentation across generations shaped the field as we know it today?
Where are we in the field of psychedelic research: Is it possible to do ethical human research with psychedelics? Jonathan Moreno outlines why it is both possible and important, especially when it comes to treating mental health.
Looking to the Future: Beyond the ethical barriers with psychedelic research how can emerging therapies be made accessible to those who need them?
Links From the Episode
Jonathan Moreno’s Website: https://www.jonathandmoreno.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pennprof?lang=en
His Book ”Mind Wars: Brain Science and the Military in the 21st Century”:
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Wars-Science-Military-Century/dp/193413743X
Podcast Episode mentioned: Dr. Adam Gazzaley, UCSF — Brain Optimization and the Future of Psychedelic Medicine (#507): https://tim.blog/2021/03/30/adam-gazzaley-2/
