Charles Grob

Charles Grob is a professor of psychiatry and bio behavioral sciences and Director of Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He received his two BS degrees from Oberlin College and Columbia University before receiving an MD from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center. Grob’s research interests include anxiety and mood disorders and also self medication and substance abuse. The FDA approved one of his Phase 1 studies to study the psychological and physiological effects of MDMA and the hallucinogen Ayahuasca.^[1][2][3][4]

Grob is also the editor of the book Hallucinogens: A reader, originally published in 2002 this book is a collection of psychdellic texts covering a wide range of topics like shamanism, society and psilocybin research. It contains excerpts from figureheads of the psychedelic movement like Terrence McKenna, Albert Hoffman and Ralph Metzner.^[5][6]

Research projects

1) The Hoasca Project- Hoasca is a plant based botanically developed beverage that is used as a component of ritualistic practices in Brazil by the members of UDV, a syncretic religious movement in Brazil. It is the most comprehensive and in-depth study done on the relationship between Ayahuasca and mental health.^[7][8][9]

2) Psilocybin- Charles Grob conducted a study that observed the effect on psilocybin when used by patients with advanced cancer and existential anxiety.From 2004 to 2008 the research group at Harbor- UCLA Medical Center conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation examining the safety and efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for advanced-cancer anxiety. A total of twelve subjects were studied, all of whom tolerated the experimental treatment without adverse effects.^[10][11]

References