Ram Dass

Ram Dass aka Richard Alpert ( born April 6, 1931) was first psychology professor at Harvard University, before he was Hindu, and because of mind-expanding experiments became known.

After his psychology degree he made at Tufts University Bachelor of Arts, reached at Wesleyan University with a master's degree and then a doctorate at Stanford University. Together with Ralph Haber 1958 he undertook the first empirical study to test anxiety.

Timothy Leary and Alpert were dismissed from Harvard in 1963, after they had under the Harvard Psilocybin Project controversial studies, eg on the effects of LSD performed. Then they continued their experiments continued privately in New York. 1967 Alpert traveled to India, where he immersed himself in meditation and yoga practices. After Neem Karoli Baba, a Hindu guru in Uttar Pradesh hit, and had become his followers, he converted to Hinduism and became Ram Dass ( Servant of God = ). After his return to the United States Ram Dass founded clubs devoted to the expansion of consciousness and wanted to promote spiritual growth.

In 1997 he suffered a stroke, which caused aphasia; he continued to work as a teacher.

Publications (selection)

• Ralph Haber, Richard Alpert: Test Anxiety, in: Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, Volume 13, 1958