Psychoanalysis Meets LSD: Argentina’s Lost 1950s Era Of Psychedelic Therapy
Between 1957 and 1967, Argentina experienced a brief yet profound intersection of psychoanalysis and psychedelics, with thousands of therapeutic sessions conducted through the controlled use of LSD and other substances. These treatments, led by pioneering psychotherapists like Dr. Alberto Fontana and Luisa Gambier de Álvarez de Toledo in Buenos Aires, sought to unlock repressed emotions and traumas.
The story, recounted by Marcelo Leite, Ph.D., in Folha de S.Paulo and later translated for the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, highlights an era that blended science and alternative therapy in ways that foreshadowed modern approaches.
Integrating Psychedelics Into Psychoanalysis
Fontana’s work combined LSD, psilocybin and mescaline with psychoanalysis, aiming to help patients access deeply rooted issues. In a country known for its strong psychoanalytic tradition, he incorporated psychodrama and group sessions, often with minimal doses that avoided intoxication but allowed for emotional breakthroughs.
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