Crude but effective propaganda techniques, the screaming and so on at the end.
Yes, I've done my share of LSD and other psychedelics, in moderation, and it provided some interesting and useful insights including some that addressed core philosophical and religious issues. I've also known three people who ended up very psychotic from doing it in excess. Two of these people ended up indistinguishable from acute schizophrenics, one of those recovered, one didn't.
Moderation means: relatively low dosage, in a quiet and meditative setting from beginning until end, a few times a year but not more than that.
And yes, these things are potentially dangerous, and you do not want to lose your mind, it is not a joke.
The "interesting" thing about LSD is that it provided routine access to a range of states of consciousness and latent abilities that were considered highly unusual at the time. Since then, numerous non-drug techniques have been developed to access most, perhaps all, of those states and abilities. Using the natural techniques takes more patience and effort, but is rewarded in the long term and does not entail the risk of going over the edge.
And in any case, psychedelics are not a substitute for reflection, meditation, prayer, etc., or for the study of philosophy, religion, psychology, and so on, or even a substitute for cognitive psychotherapy. At best they provide a glimpse of various points further down the path, which can be helpful at times. But there are no easy answers or magic shortcuts; and in the end, with or without psychedelics, you still have to do the daily work of meditation and so on.
