Timothy Leary DEVIN J JOHNSON Birth Conceived the

Timothy Leary DEVIN J. JOHNSON

Birth • Conceived the day after Prohibition took effect – January 17 th, 1920 • Born October 22 nd, 1920; Springfield, Massachusetts • Only child

Father – Timothy “Tote” Leary • October 29 th, 1888 - 1 of 9 Children (13 Total) • WWI – United States Army Dental Corps, Lieutenant • West Point Military Academy, Captain • General Douglas Mac. Arthur; Captain Omar Bradley; Lieutenant George Patton • Started out as good husband, happy family • 1930, fell apart • Verbally and Physically abusive • Well-known alcoholic • Left Timothy and his mother at age 13; didn’t see him again for 23 years

Tote • $10, 000 inheritance from father’s death • $100 to Timothy • $1, 000 to Abigail • Lost it all the first night

Mother – Abigail Ferris • Married Tote January 7 th, 1918 • Tote originally courted older sister May • “Pill”; “Wet Blanket” • May came on their honeymoon • Very religious, from religious family • Sex is corrupting • Timothy would remain a constant disappointment to her all his life

High School • Classical High School • Many alumni to Ivy League • Shy as a young child, came out of shell in high school • Dressed expensively/elegantly • “’Brash, confident extrovert’” • “Someone with money who happened to be Catholic” • Very concerned with sex • School Senate President; Editor of school newspaper; golf team; glee club; assembly committee • Burned his bridge to Ivy League senior year. Missed more days than anyone; publicly criticized principal in school newspaper

College – College of the Holy Cross • Bad high school grades, no recommendations • Mother’s intervention • Fall, 1938 - 1940 • Jesuit school • Run like a monastery • Poor grades • Transfer to West Point or Naval Academy

College – West Point Military Academy • Transferred in Fall, 1940 • Timothy did not fit in • Poor grades • December 1940, Tim got into trouble • • Drunk on the train • Lied Asked to resign • Refused • Silenced • Court Martial • • Cleared, still silenced Made agreement to resign • Accept the decision of the court martial • Resigned from West Point Military Academy

College – University of Alabama • Applied to all 48 State Universities • First to accept him • Fall, 1941 • Excellent grades • Party, Party • ROTC • Deferred draft, active service • November, 1942 • Snuck into girls’ dorm • Expelled

College – University of Illinois • December, 1942 • Plan to get his life back on track • Good grades • Work over Christmas to earn money • Report to basic training

Basic Training • 1943, Fort Eustis, Virginia • December, 1941, U. S. entered WWII • Lay low, survive basic training • Selected for officer training • Entered psychology program • 3 months at Georgetown University • 6 months at The Ohio State (Carl Rogers) • Summer, 1944 • South Pacific, airborne division • “Suicide missions”

Avoiding the War • Dr. Ramsdell • Professor from Alabama • Deshon General Hospital, Chief Psychologist • July 15, 1944 • Report to Deshon General for rehabilitation for the deafened • Timothy Leary never fired a single shot • West Point; ROTC; Army

Marianne Busch • Deshon General • “Fell into bed as if it were meant to be. ” • Married April 14, 1945 • 11: 15 -11: 18

College – Back to University of Alabama • Dismissal overturned to suspension • Reinstated • Credit for time at The Ohio State • August 23, 1945 • Bachelor of Arts Degree – Psychology

More College – Washington State University • Tim & Marianne moved to West coast • Master’s thesis in Psychology • Under Lee Cronbach ( α ) • “Dragnet” Thesis • Relationship between hearing loss and intelligence scores on Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale

Even More College – University of California at Berkeley • September, 1947 • Accepted to Doctoral program in Psychology • 1950 • Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology • Worked for U. C. Berkeley in psych department

Kaiser Foundation • Helped form Psychology Division • Influx of WWII veterans with psychological issues • Psychological Treatment becoming mainstream • Time magazine, Spring 1956 • “Rising star in mainstream psychology”

Pop-Psychologist • 1955 study • 1/3 improved, 1/3 worsened, 1/3 stayed same • Same results in control and treatment • The Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality, 1957 • Personality types and interpersonal communication • “Leary Circle” personality test • Behaviorism • Challenged current beliefs • “Showman” • Redefining psychology

October 22, 1955 • Marianne committed suicide • “Infidelity” • Marriage was “open” • Feared Tim was going to run away with current girlfriend • Heavy drinking, tranquilizers • Depressed about marriage • Tim and Mary (mistress) married after

Europe • 1958, left to Spain with two children • Became deathly ill • Unknown illness • Lived • 1959, moved to Florence • Broke • Ran into Frank Barron (Berkeley) and David Mc. Clelland (Harvard) in Florence • Job at Harvard – “’…just what we need to shake things up at Harvard. ’” • Something about “magic mushrooms”

Harvard University • Moved to Newton, MA • Lecturer on clinical psychology

Trip to Mexico • 1960, travelled to Mexico for summer vacation • Leary, children, and Richard Alpert • First trip on “magic mushrooms” • Psilocybin mushrooms growing in Mexico • “Flesh of the Gods” • Changed Leary forever “In four hours by the swimming pool… I learned more about the mind, brain and its structures than I did in the preceding fifteen years as a diligent psychologist. ”

Psilocybin & LSD • PSYCHEDELIC • MIND EXPANDING/ENHANCING CHANGES IN MENTAL PROCESSES WITH LIMITED/NO ANS ACTIVATION • ADDITIVE EXPERIENCES, NO SUBTRACTIVE Psilocybin LSD • 200 species of mushrooms • Fungus found on grains • Serotonin Agonist • Closed-eye hallucinations; euphoria; synesthesia • Activation of SANS; Sensory Distortion • LD 50 = about 6 grams (High) • LD 50 = Incredibly high

Harvard Psychedelics Research Program • A Study of Clinical Reactions to Psilocybin Administered in Supportive Environments • What factors produce the best reaction to psilocybin? • Undergraduate/Graduate Students and Leary & Alpert • “Uncharted territory” • Everyone should take it • Powerful people – artists, politicians, business leaders • Heavy criticism • Concord Prison Experiment • Good Friday Experiment

LSD • Michael Hollingshead & the mayonnaise jar • Hesitant • “It was the most shattering experience of my life” • Enlightenment • Life is a game with roles • Reject your reality, imprint a new one • Psilocybin out, LSD in

International Federation for Internal Freedom • CIA kept close watch on Leary • LSD to research participants/students • FDA declared LSD dangerous • Administered by trained physician • Experimental, not for general psychiatric practice • IFIF • Research, scholarly journal • Train people to use drug safely • Anyone could request drug • Physically healthy, mentally healthy

Kicked out of Harvard • Harvard Center for Research in Personality • Heavy criticism • Questions about the legitimacy of experiment • Concerns for safety • Coercion • Harvard Crimson newspaper, others, picked up the story • Leary and Alpert fired in 1963 • “Cultists”

Millbrook • Rich benefactors • Commune • Drugs, meditation, orgies • Imprinting • CIA brainwashing • Eradicating previous conditioning (classical/operant) • Nena von Schlebrügge • Rosemary Woodruff • Richard Alpert • Hinduism • Baba Ram Dass

League of Spiritual Discovery • Hindu, Buddhism, other religions not enough • Started his own religion out of IFIF • Two commandments • Thou shalt not alter the consciousness of thy fellow man • Thou shalt not prevent thy fellow man from altering his own consciousness

Legal Issues • On vacation to Mexico • LSD legality challenged • Possessed marijuana • Public fear • Arrested on 3 felonies • “Dangerous drug” • April 1966, Milbrook house raided • Constant harassment by law • Minor charges • You can fly • Leary testified to keep LSD legal • Sensible use • Sensible testimony • October 6, 1966, illegal • 10/6/66

Legal Issues, Continued • 1968, Laguna Beach, California • Arrested again on marijuana possession • Contested Marihuana Tax Act of 1937; won • Subsequently overturned 1965 conviction • Ran for Governor of California in 1969 • John Lennon support • “Come Together” • 1970 • 10 -year sentence for 1965 offense • 10 -year sentence for 1968 offense • Controlled Substances Act • Arrested • Psychological evaluation • Low-security prison • Escaped • Richard Nixon: • “The most dangerous man in America”

Traveling Abroad • Algeria • Eldridge Cleaver & Black Panther Party • Switzerland • High-profile arms dealer • Imprisoned by Swiss government, not extradited • Rosemary went back to U. S. to live as a fugitive • Kabul, Afghanistan • Captured on American airline • United Kingdom • Sought asylum from UK government (nope)

Back to Prison • Folsom Prison • 5 years for escape, plus original 10 -year sentence • Next to Charles Manson • Released in 1976 by Governor Jerry Brown • Witness Protection • 11: 35 -11: 38

Afterwards • Lecturing, Author • Philosophy • Icon • Political debate tour w/ Gordon Liddy (man who raided Millbrook) • Left-wing vs. Right-wing • Technology • Space travel • Computers • Internet

Death • Terminal prognosis, 1995 • Broadcast his last months • May 31 st, 1996

Jack and Susan • Estranged from father • Denounced him • Cop informant • Never reconciled • 1990, arrested for killing her boyfriend • Convicted, mentally unstable • Committed suicide in jail

Prisoner's dilemma payoff matrix Legacy • Counter-Culturist • Game Theory • Representative Realism • Truth is in the eye of the beholder • Transactional Analysis • I’m OK, You’re OK • 11: 40 -11: 42 A B A stays silent A betrays B stays silent -1 0 -1 -3 B betrays -3 -2 0 -2

Discuss This Stuff • Considering the pleasurable and euphoric effects of LSD, do you think it would be beneficial or appropriate to give dying/end-of-life patients doses to calm death-anxiety? • Eminem, Steve Jobs, and Trey Parker & Matt Stone are all widely-known and widely-successful creators, all who attribute at least some of their success to LSD. With that in mind, do you believe we are missing out on a opportunity of creative art and technology expansion?

Sources for Future Students, Yo • The Famous People - Timothy Leary • Wikipedia - Timothy Leary - References & External Links • Biography. com - Timothy Leary • Google Books - Timothy Leary Biography • Book – The Harvard Psychedelic Club • Book – I Have America Surrounded