A Forgotten Study That Still Matters
People often ask us at Vital Reset: Can psychedelics do more than help with trauma or depression? Can they unlock new ideas or help people solve hard problems?
It appears the answer is yes.
Back in 1966—long before psilocybin was legal in Oregon—a group of 27 engineers, scientists, and designers joined a special study. Each person had a hard problem they’d been working on for over three months without success. Two researchers, Dr. Willis Harman and Dr. James Fadiman, invited them into a safe lab setting. There, they were given a small, measured dose of mescaline, a psychedelic similar to psilocybin.
For the first few hours, they wore blindfolds and headphones to help them focus inward. Then, they turned their attention to the problem they had brought.
What happened was amazing.
Breakthroughs in One Day
One architect saw a full picture of a finished building before drawing it. A physicist imagined himself as a photon and saw the problem in a new way. An engineer pictured a working circuit board and fixed it on paper in minutes.
Out of 48 real-world problems brought to the session, 44 were solved.
The study was called Psychedelic Agents in Creative Problem-Solving. It showed that psychedelics might help people look at things in new ways, think more clearly, and solve problems they couldn’t solve before. You can read more about it in The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide by Jim Fadiman.
Why Didn’t This Study Get More Attention?
Sadly, the study came out just as the U.S. began banning psychedelics. The research was buried for decades. For nearly 60 years, scientists weren’t allowed to explore how psychedelics might help with creative thinking.
Now, things are starting to change.
At Vital Reset, we support clients who want more than emotional healing. Some feel stuck creatively. Some want new insight into their work or life path. Others just want to reconnect with their spark.
We believe healing and creativity go hand in hand.
Creativity Is Possible—Not Just a Side Effect
Over the years, many well-known people have talked about using psychedelics to spark big ideas. Steve Jobs said psychedelics helped him design the iPhone. Kary Mullis, the scientist behind the work that led to CRISPR, used psychedelics to understand how to manipulate DNA.
Today, thanks to Oregon’s psilocybin law, people can safely explore these states—with support. You don’t need to break the law or go it alone.
Healing. Growth. Insight. And sometimes—major breakthroughs.
At Vital Reset, we’re proud to continue what this early research started.
Want to Solve a Problem? Let’s Talk.
We use a structured process to help people explore big questions with psilocybin. Whether you’re coming on your own or as part of a small group, we’re here to support you. We work with individuals or groups of up to five.
If you’re ready to see things in a new way, reach out through our contact form or call us at 541-645-4485.
Let’s find out what’s possible.