The author discusses the symbolic significance of the use of hallucinogenic drugs. Her impression is that in certain cases the person takes drugs during a critical life situation because he is afraid he will fail to meet its new and frightening demands. At such times the unconscious wish may be that he will be permitted to regress to a more immature and dependent level of functioning without feeling guilty, irresponsible, or inadequate. This does not exclude other motivations, such as a wish for euphoria and attempts to satisfy oral, dependent cravings, to alleviate anxiety, or to deal with feelings of depression. Guttman postulates that beyond the first 'trip' the experience may be repeated because of secondary gratifications rather than because of a need to solve an acute conflict.