Myron Stolaroff
Encyclopedia
Myron J. Stolaroff is an author
and researcher who is best known for his studies involving psychedelic psychotherapy
. He also conducted clinical studies which attempted to measure the effects of LSD
on creativity
.
Stolaroff was born in Roswell, New Mexico
. In 1941, he received a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering
from Stanford University
and from 1946 to 1960 he worked for the recording equipment manufacturer Ampex
, first as a senior design engineer and later as Director of Instrumentation Marketing.
He founded the International Foundation for Advanced Study in Menlo Park
and served as its president from 1960 to 1970. During this time, he was the executive administrator for a research group conducting clinical studies with LSD and mescaline
which was administered to about 350 participants. The research resulted in six published papers on psychedelic therapy with Stolaroff as co-author on most of the articles. The Foundation's research came to an end in 1965 when the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) revoked research permits for psychedelics.
Stolaroff attempted to continue psychedelic research using unscheduled compounds from 1970 to 1986, until the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986 was passed and halted his research again. Stolaroff also worked as a Consulting Engineer and as a General Manager of Multi-Media Productions, a manufacturer of social studies and sound filmstrips for public schools. He retired in 1979.
He published professional papers in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Gnosis, the Yearbook for Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness, and many others. Stolaroff currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Albert Hofmann Foundation. He is also a consultant to the Heffter Research Institute
and is on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics.
Connie Littlefield, Writer/Director
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and researcher who is best known for his studies involving psychedelic psychotherapy
Psychedelic psychotherapy
Psychedelic therapy refers to therapeutic practices involving the use of psychedelic drugs, particularly serotonergic psychedelics such as ergine, LSD, psilocin and DMT...
. He also conducted clinical studies which attempted to measure the effects of LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
on creativity
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
.
Stolaroff was born in Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
. In 1941, he received a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and from 1946 to 1960 he worked for the recording equipment manufacturer Ampex
Ampex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
, first as a senior design engineer and later as Director of Instrumentation Marketing.
He founded the International Foundation for Advanced Study in Menlo Park
Menlo Park
Menlo Park may refer to:*Menlo Park, New Jersey, USA*Menlo Park, California, USA*Menlo Park, Pretoria, South Africa...
and served as its president from 1960 to 1970. During this time, he was the executive administrator for a research group conducting clinical studies with LSD and mescaline
Mescaline
Mescaline or 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class used mainly as an entheogen....
which was administered to about 350 participants. The research resulted in six published papers on psychedelic therapy with Stolaroff as co-author on most of the articles. The Foundation's research came to an end in 1965 when the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) revoked research permits for psychedelics.
Stolaroff attempted to continue psychedelic research using unscheduled compounds from 1970 to 1986, until the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986 was passed and halted his research again. Stolaroff also worked as a Consulting Engineer and as a General Manager of Multi-Media Productions, a manufacturer of social studies and sound filmstrips for public schools. He retired in 1979.
He published professional papers in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Gnosis, the Yearbook for Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness, and many others. Stolaroff currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Albert Hofmann Foundation. He is also a consultant to the Heffter Research Institute
Heffter Research Institute
The Heffter Research Institute was incorporated in New Mexico in 1993 as a non-profit organization to support and promote investigation into the medical uses of psychedelic hallucinogens...
and is on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics.
Books
- The Secret Chief: Conversations With a Pioneer of the Underground Psychedelic Therapy Movement, full text (1997)
- Thanatos To Eros, 35 Years of Psychedelic Exploration, full text (1994)
Papers
- Stolaroff, MJ. (1999). "Are Psychedelics Useful in the Practice of Buddhism". Journal of Humanistic Psychology 39:1. pp. 60-80. Abstract full text
- Stolaroff, MJ. Wells, CW. (1993). "Preliminary Results with New Psychoactive Agents 2C-T-2 AND 2C-T-7". Yearbook for Ethnomedicine. full text PDF
- "Harman, WW. McKim, RH. Mogar, RE. Fadiman, J. Stolaroff, MJ. (1966). "Psychedelic agents in creative problem-solving: a pilot study." Psychol Rep. 1:211-27. PMID 5942087
- Savage, C. Stolaroff, MJ. (1965). "Clarifying the Confusion Regarding LSD-25". J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. full text PDF
- Savage, C. Stolaroff, M. Harman, W. Fadiman, J. (1963). "The Psychedelic Experience". J Cardiovasc Nurs. 15:4-5. PMID: 14089792
- Sherwood, JN. Stolaroff, MJ. Harman, WW. (1962). "The psychedelic experience - a new concept in psychotherapy". J Neuropsychiatr. 4:69-80. PMID 13977209 full text PDF
Film
- Hofmann's Potion: The Early Years of LSD - story consultant
Connie Littlefield, Writer/Director
External links
- Erowid, Myron Stolaroff Vault
- Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics, Board of Advisors