>"I'm not sure doing something to your brain which actually screws up the process of thinking necessarily leads to an improved thinking process afterwards"

What makes you think lysergic acid or some other mind altering drug "screws up the process of thinking", when it actuality...it expands it? Look at the Nobel Prize winner who came up with his formula while doing lysergic acid. A lot of doctors, psychiatrists and clinicians from the 50's and 60's actually started the expansion of consciousness that has brought us much of our creativity and culture of awareness. I worked with some of these doctors and their stories are fascinating. Read some of their journals. Some are in their 80's now and some have offed their mortal coil, but they are/were true pioneers. Many of these men held many patents and were well-respected in their fields.

As to your comments about "drugs" (which one big lump for you)
>"any more than breaking a leg makes you walk any better after it heals. It might make you look more carefully at where you're walking to avoid it in the future."

Totally biased, and without knowledge.
Give a man a hammer and a nail. He might bash his finger and bleed.
Others will build. It's not the tool, it's how it's used.