Freedom was the rallying cry of the 1960s. Freedom from war, from the social pressures exerted by the older generation and perhaps even freedom from oneself. The goal was to live in an uninhibited environment where experimentation of all kinds could thrive. It was in the context of this "hippie generation" that lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as "acid" on the street, came to pervade the lives of millions of young Americans. The best known of all psychedelic drugs, LSD had a profound effect on the vision of the counterculture that emerged on the streets of San Francisco in the 1960s. It gave people “freedom from the restrictions of ordinary consciousness and everyday socialized behavior” (Debold and Leaf 1967). As a result of the saturation of American society by LSD and the negative connotations that resulted from its rampant abuse, LSD was classified as a schedule one drug, indicating that it had no accepted medical use in the United States. Despite this claim, many researchers have claimed that LSD has proven to be a useful aid in psychotherapy and in other contexts as well. This issue has sparked controversy and many remain skeptical about its real benefits. The goal of this article is to understand LSD and its effects, as well as present a discussion of the possible benefits of its use in psychotherapy. The discovery of LSDLSD is a semisynthetic preparation derived from ergot, which grows as a parasite on rye grain and other cereals (Snyder 1986). The hallucinogenic properties of this substance were first discovered by Albert Hofmann in 1943 when he accidentally took some of the drug during its purification and crystallization. What Hofmann actually took was LSD-25, so called... middle of paper... medical use in the United States. Many are still waiting for the day when the doors are opened to conduct further research on this intriguing topic. .References1. Aghajanian, GK Serotonin and the action of LSD in the brain. Psychiatric Annals 24(3): 137-141 (1994).2. Bonson, KR & Murphy, DL Alterations in responses to LSD in humans with chronic administration of tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or lithium. Behavioral Brain Research 73: 229-233 (1996).3. Debold, RC & Leaf, RC LSD, Man & Society. Wesleyan University Press (1967).4. Sankar, D. V. LSD: a total study. PJD Publications (1975).5. Snyder, S. H. Drugs and the brain. American Science Library (1986).6. WWW1. Use and effects of LSD.7. WWW2. Visual phenomenology of LSD flashback.8. WWW3. Serotonin, LSD and the epiphysis (third eye).