EASTERN MYSTICISM AND THE RESOCIALIZATION OF DRUG USERS.

Eastern mystical movements operating in America recruit partly from young persons who have previously experimented with psychedelic drugs. This paper argues that these cults serve as a "half-way house" between the drug culture and reassimilation into conventional society. Since mystical experiences share elements with drug sensations, the former can operate as a substitute gratification for the latter and facilitate the termination of drug taking. Since mystical "trips" are less legally precarious and less physically incapacitating than drug "trips," the changeover from drugs to non-chemical mysticism tends to facilitate further adjustments in the direction of adopting conventional routinized life-styles. This analysis is exemplified by a case study of the Meher Baba cult which recruits from the drug culture. The writings of Meher Baba contain some elements which are congruent with the "psychedelic" emphasis on inner exploration and other elements which provide linkages with conventional norms. Baba followers tend to shift their emphasis from the passive-contemplative to the active-service oriented aspects of Baba's teachings as their drug experiences recede into the past. Socialization from the drug culture via Baba into conventional life-styles is thus a gradual process without sharp discontinuities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]