An Ode to Roland Griffiths
A Leader in the Psychedelic Research Renaissance Has Passed at age 77
By Mark Haden
After being diagnosed with colon cancer two years ago, Roland Griffiths has sadly passed on this week.
Roland was a leader in the world of psychedelic research partly because his approach, credentials and research history were impeccable. He was a distinguished professor who brought credibility to the field of psychedelic research. I first noticed Roland’s work with his 2006 paper “Psilocybin and can occasion mystical type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance”. While other psychedelic researchers were focussed on outcomes related to specific diagnosis, Roland expanded the research net to include the study of mysticism and spiritual experiences.
What researchers now know is that having a spiritual experience is highly correlated with positive treatment outcomes. In other words, a mystical experience is often a crucial element to the process of making lasting change in people’s lives. Roland was the one who documented this and gave research the tools to actually measure the mystical experience. The economist described that paper with the headline The God Pill.
Roland was relentless and prolific in his leadership of the psychedelic team at John Hopkins where they collectively produced many groundbreaking publications. This work was a vital voice in bringing psychedelic medicines to psychology, psychiatry, clinical social work and other healing professions.
Before Roland died he took LSD and had a conversation with the cancer that was killing him. He talked about this experience openly with heartfelt clarity and a spiritual groundedness that is palatable. The integrity that he brought to his process of dying was a reflection of the integrity that he had in his entire life. Thank you Roland for everything that you have done and thank you for your compassionate and wise leadership in both life and death.
Roland’s work offers a legacy that drives many of us forward and inspires our psychedelic treatment work at Qi Integrated Health. Our offering of psychedelics to help heal many different mental health conditions is the heart-felt continuation of everything Roland stood for. I aspire to bring the compassion and integrity that Roland embodied to our healing work. Many of us continue to build Roland’s vision of widespread legal access to psychedelics for both healing and spiritual journeys.
Mark Haden
Mark is a major figure in the field of psychedelic medicines and the Clinical Supervisor for the Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Programs here at Qi Integrated Health.
