Milan Hausner, M.D., with Erna Segal (2009). "LSD: The Highway to Mental Health." ASC Books. ISBN: 978-0-9797838-0-7. www.ASCbooks.com. US $18.95.
293 +xvi Pages, Preface by Dr. Milan Hausner, Publisher's Foreword, "The Genesis of LSD: The Highway to Mental Health" by Erna Segal, Introduction by Dr. Oscar Janiger, 22 Chapters, Conclusion, Epilogue, 2 Appendices, Bibliography of Dr. Hausner's Publications, General Bibliography, Index.
"There was a big gap in my knowledge about psychedelic psychotherapy that I didn't even know existed until I ran across Hausner's "LSD: The Highway to Mental Health." I had hardly considered: What happened to LSD psychotherapy in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) after Stan Grof came to the US? Grof wasn't the only researcher from there. What about the others? "Highway" helps fill in that gap.
The book describes the work of Dr. Milan Hausner at his clinic at Sadska, near Prague, where as Medical Director of the psychiatric clinic he supervised over 3,000 LSD therapeutic sessions from 1954 to 1980. As Grof says on a back cover blurb, 'He has amassed information that is invaluable for the theory and practice of psychotherapy.'
Hausner attributes emotional disorders to the patients' lack of understanding of hidden thought processes which occur from a combination of dysfunctional social learning processes and faulty parenting. His method of bringing these thought processes to consciousness is a system he calls Pathogenic Confrontation Model within a system of Multigroup Community Therapy. In order to reset patients' irrational attachments to faulty ideas and emotions, psychotherapy confronts patients' own past illness-producing experiences and replaces their dysfunctional reactions during the more congenial atmosphere of the therapeutic relationship between patient and therapist.
This is therapy in the psycholytic line of many small to medium dose sessions, rather than the unitive consciousness, mystical experience line. In his clinic, 'dosages of LSD ranging from 50 to 400 [micrograms] and were administered in up to 60, sometimes 90, sessions on an inpatient-and weekend-basis in conjunction with psychotherapy.' While 400 micrograms is far above the usual psycholytic dose, apparently such doses were the exception.
Part of the unlearning of faulty patterns of behavior took place in Multigroup Community Therapy. Patients and staff held daily meetings and the patients took a role in running the hospital. This social learning process helped patients build reality-based interpersonal skills and practice them with others.
After 10 chapters of theory and description of Hausner's model, "Highway" presents 11 chapters of case histories and back-matter enrichments. Enriched with excerpts from transcripts of sessions, these chapters focus on depression, schizophrenia, double bind, archetypes, sexuality, and other presenting problems.
As well as filling in the gap about treatment that continued in Czechoslovakia, "LSD: The Highway to Mental Health" presents its psycholytic methods of treating inpatients, a way to use group processes, and social learning as adjuncts on the way to mental health. As in addition to a place in university, medical school, and city libraries, "Highway" deserves a place in the library of anyone doing LSD-based therapy or investigating it, on the shelves of psychedelic book collectors, and of historians of the 60s and of the history of psychotherapy."
Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Northern Illinois University Co-editor of "Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogenic Substances as Treatments"
Reviews for "THE ADEMIAN LINE"
THE ADEMIAN LINE by Erna Olinger
"The Ademian Line" follows the life of Isa, a woman searching for ways to escape the besieged planet. She struggles to change the chaos and madness that surrounds people. During her attempt to change the world, Isa comes into contact with the aliens and learns that they have been using Earth as a penal planet and have populated it with the mutant genes of Ademian. Humans are Ademian's doomed descendants. Ademian is exiled to Terra (Earth) from Haverdan, his home planet situated in the Celstra constellation in a solar system at the far end of the Galaxy. Ademian possesses mutant genes, which the Haverdanians consider harmful and intolerable. Thus they punish him with exile on a distant planet instead of terminating him. The Haverdanians believe that greed, selfishness and megalomania are the principal crimes and deserve the ultimate punishment. This means that Ademian's genes will always plague most of the people living on Terra. The book relates Isa's pursuit to persuade the aliens to give her the powers that will allow her to alter the state of the world. "The Ademian Line" is an extraordinary work of science fiction that imaginatively interprets global disorder. Telling an adventurous story with a highly captivating end, Erna Olinger gives new direction to thought. She takes the reader on an enthralling journey that adds a different perspective to life and challenges regular life. With vivid, lifelike characters, "THE ADEMIAN LINE" TRANSPORTS THE READER INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD. IT IS A DEEPLY ENTERTAINING, INSIGHTFUL BOOK THAT NEVER FAILS TO ENTERTAIN."
--BookWire Review....June 29, 2005
"THE ADEMIAN LINE" IS A GREAT BOOK! A BOOK FOR OUR TIME
"I just finished reading this book. A friend gave it to me and said I MUST read it. It didn't take long. From the get go it kept me involved. I can't imagine anyone coming up with such an AMAZING story. It's a story that is hard to refute. I won't spoil it for you and tell you more than the publisher does. What comes the closest is the BookWire Review. They understand! For anyone, whether you like science fiction as I do, or don't like science fiction. This book is so imaginative, so readable that anyone will understand it. What I particularly like is that it is a modern sci-fi. It takes place now - here and now! It presents a total explanation why the world is so screwed up and I only wish the solution was available as the author presents. Buy this book! It is a 5 star treasure!"
--John Rivers, Amazon Review….October 15, 2005
The Da Vinci Code of Science Fiction
"The Ademian Line" is an absolutely wonderful book! Please read and share! I wouldn't classify it so much as science fiction but more visionary fiction. I didn't want it to end. It's such a logical explanation of who we are and where we came from that I expect some theologians would be hard pressed to argue with it other than to start quoting scripture. I love scripture and have done a lot of study but it all fits together if you let it. After looking at the picture of this woman I felt such an affinity to her and was devastated to learn that she passed away in 2003 while awaiting a liver transplant one day before her 65th birthday."
