To the editor,
I’m glad that The Daily Princetonian has evinced an interest in the research the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies is doing — in fact, this work has a long history of connection to Princeton; Peter Lewis ’55, one of the university’s historically most generous donors and namesake of Lewis Library, was also a major donor to MAPS prior to his death last year. I am disappointed, however, that the emphasis of this article was oriented more toward reifying campus stereotypes rather than actually examining the research in question. MAPS’s studies of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy have been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, and suggest a treatment approach to a widespread, debilitating, and often deadly condition (Posttraumatic stress disorder) that may be much more effective and well-tolerated than currently-available treatments.
Psychedelic research is undergoing a renaissance at the moment: recent studies at Johns Hopkins and NYU are investigating the potential of psilocybin in the treatment of anxiety related to life-threatening illness, ongoing observational work is assessing the use of ibogaine as a treatment for opiate addiction, basic science research at Imperial College London is using psilocybin to examine functional connectivity between neural networks in the brain, and MAPS’s work with MDMA is being used in the treatment of PTSD and social anxiety in autistic adults. These substances are powerful tools for both healing and investigating the nature of consciousness — I’d encourage anyone who is intrigued by this work to take a closer look.
Sincerely,
Ben Shechet ’09Clinical Research Associate, MAPS
Editor's responseThe blog post in question was meant as a wink to the known use of recreational drugs within the premises of the Princeton Terrace Club. It was not meant to discuss any aspect of MAPS.
However, the blog post correctly notes that MAPS is a nonprofit focused on research with psychedelic drugs and advocates for Food and Drug Administration approval of those treatments, information that was taken directly from public records filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
As a biting post, it was published in The Prox, a blog within The Daily Princetonian whose tone is meant to be irreverent. Posts like these work under the premise that it is in the public interest to know how eating clubs work behind doors since they purposefully impose a veil of secrecy to protect themselves from scrutiny under university policies, law enforcement and the media.
In our view, there is an overriding public interest when an institution has something to hide.
“We at [Terrace] are a family, we protect each other, we don't hurt the mother [sic],” Terrace president Christopher St. John ’15 wrote to the club the morning after the ‘Prince’ article was published.
He then added in a second email to the membership: “In order for Terrace to survive we need to stick together. I hope we can all agree we want this place around for our 50th reunion, the chances of that are much lower if some of our membership chooses to create social discourse over tranquility.”
Marcelo RochabrunEditor-in-Chief
Read More
An open letter to President Eisgruber and VP Calhoun concerning minoritized student safety
Patrick Jaojoco, Brandi Bushman, and Humza Gondal"We — the undersigned leaders, community members, and allies of cultural affinity groups of Princeton University — condemn in the strongest possible terms the University’s utter disregard for the safety and wellbeing of its students of color."
"We — the undersigned leaders, community members, and allies of cultural affinity groups of Princeton University — condemn in the strongest possible terms the University’s utter disregard for the safety and wellbeing of its students of color."
On the occupation of Clio Hall and the treatment of Graduate School staff
Cole M. Crittenden“There are real power differentials on this campus, and we all have an obligation to be mindful of them. The students, postdocs, and faculty who occupied Clio Hall seem to have abused their privileges in the ways they treated staff as an expression of protest. That is wrong.”
“There are real power differentials on this campus, and we all have an obligation to be mindful of them. The students, postdocs, and faculty who occupied Clio Hall seem to have abused their privileges in the ways they treated staff as an expression of protest. That is wrong.”
Regulations on ‘disruption’ restrict dialogue at Princeton. Let’s change the standard.
Rishi Khanna“When Princeton administrators suppress mere disruptions tied to progressive speech, they effectively suppress a substantial portion of the speech itself.”
“When Princeton administrators suppress mere disruptions tied to progressive speech, they effectively suppress a substantial portion of the speech itself.”
