What Is Psychedelic Therapy and the Benefits

Psychedelic therapy is a therapeutic practice that incorporates the use of psychedelic drugs. For hundreds of years, numerous civilizations have employed hallucinogenic drugs in holistic medical and spiritual traditions. What Is Psychedelic Therapy

Psychedelic research flourished throughout the 1950s and 1960s until such chemicals were deemed illegal in the United States. While psychedelic substances like LSD and psilocybin are currently banned in the United States, they are thought to have the potential to cure a variety of illnesses such as anxiety, despair, and addiction.

Researchers have received permission from regulators to undertake trials on the use of these drugs to treat a variety of diseases throughout the previous two decades. Psilocybin, for example, has been shown by studies to be not only safe but also to have considerable good impacts on well-being.1

Some psychedelic compounds have been shown in studies to elicit long-lasting and profound psychological and behavioral changes when used under supervision in a properly controlled context.

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Types of Psychedelic Therapy

There are a variety of chemicals that can produce psychedelic effects. Among the most prevalent psychedelic substances and their applications are:

• Ayahuasca: This South American drink is said to assist with addiction, anxiety, and sadness. Ayahuasca side effects may include serotonin syndrome and drug problems.
• LSD: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) can cause mood, perceptual, and awareness changes. Addiction and anxiety therapy are two possible applications.
• Psilocybin: Psilocybin, like LSD, affects consciousness, emotions, and perceptions. It is being researched for its potential application in the treatment of addiction, anxiety, and depression.
• MDMA (ecstasy): While not a traditional psychedelic, MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) is a drug that induces “psychedelic effects” such as euphoria, altered perceptions, heightened arousal, and enhanced sociability. According to research, it may have therapeutic promise in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Techniques used

Individual practitioners give psychedelic treatment in their unique ways because there is no standardized technique of administration and practice. However, there are many elements that are frequently shared:

• A modest to moderate dosage of a psychedelic substance is administered.
• Professional supervision throughout the psychedelic experience
• Psychedelic doses should be repeated every one to two weeks.

Set and setting are important things to consider during a psychedelic trip. Sets include factors like mood and expectations. The space in which the session takes place, as well as the interaction with the therapist, are referred to as the setting. The objective is to feel at ease with the therapist and the environment in which the session will take place. It is also critical for patients to enter the experience calm and attentive.

Following the psychedelic experience, the following phase is a process called integration. These psychotherapy sessions are intended to assist the person in processing, making sense of, and finding meaning in his or her psychedelic experience.

Microdosing

Microdosing is a type of psychedelic treatment that includes ingesting very tiny, non-hallucinogenic dosages of psychedelic drugs. MD supporters argue that even extremely tiny dosages can have positive health impacts such as improving performance, boosting energy, and lowering depression.

While there is some evidence that microdosing may be advantageous, additional research is required.

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What Psychedelic Therapy Can Do

A variety of possible uses for psychedelic treatment have been discovered by researchers. Anxiety, depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, and PTSD have all been shown in studies to react well to psychedelic-assisted therapy.

• Anxiety and mood disorders: Psychedelics appear to offer potential mood effects that might aid with depression therapy. A 2016 randomized double-blind controlled experiment discovered that psilocybin medication significantly reduced anxiety and despair in cancer patients.
• Alcohol and drug use disorders: Early studies indicated that LSD might aid in the rehabilitation of substance use problems. Some newer data suggests that psychedelic therapy has promise as an addiction treatment.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Research also shows that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may be beneficial in the treatment of PTSD. MDMA is well known as the active component in the club drug ecstasy (or molly), but it also contains psychedelic properties that have been demonstrated to be beneficial for severe types of PTSD that have not responded to other forms of treatment. What Is Psychedelic Therapy

Benefits of Psychedelic Therapy

Psychedelics are potent drugs with significant mind-altering properties. These medications are thought to function by influencing brain circuits that use the neurotransmitter serotonin. Among the possible advantages of these drugs are:

• Relaxation feelings
• enhanced sense of well-being
• Enhanced social connectivity
• Introspection
• Spiritual encounters

While psychedelics can have good effects, it is also typical for people to experience negative consequences such as:

• Time perception has been altered.
• Reality distortion
• Perceptual experiences that have been distorted
• Perceptions or feelings that are intense
• Paranoia
• Seeing, hearing, or experiencing things that one would not normally encounter

These effects are a sort of drug-induced psychosis that disrupts a person’s capacity to communicate with others, think logically, and understand reality, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), .5Psychedelic therapy has the ability to help ease the symptoms of some mental illnesses when administered in a therapeutic context where a qualified expert can assist a person comprehend and integrate these experiences.

Some people claim to experience mystical or spiritual experiences after using psychedelic drugs. They may express sentiments of serenity, pleasure, oneness, or empathy.

According to one research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the mood enhancements caused by psychedelic substances appear to have long-term advantages.6 Even after the effects of psilocybin wore off, people reported better well-being and increased social connectivity.

The effectiveness

Psychedelic therapy has a lot of potential for treating a wide range of mental health disorders, including addiction and depression. While further study is required, current trials are underway to better evaluate the applicability and efficacy of employing various psychedelic medications to treat certain illnesses.

Anxiety and Mood Disorders

Psilocybin-assisted treatment was also linked to enhanced quality of life, optimism, and decreased mortality anxiety. Approximately 80% of individuals continued to improve six months later.

Another research surveyed music festival participants to assess the impact of real-world psychedelic usage. Participants claimed that consuming LSD and psilocybin improved their mood and made them feel more socially connected. They further stated that the effects lasted long after the medications had worn off.

Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders

According to a 2015 study, psilocybin-assisted treatment is connected with decreased drinking, decreased alcohol cravings, and greater abstinence. However, the efficacy of psychedelic therapy for alcohol and substance abuse has yet to be shown. According to one 2012 study, a single dosage of LSD had a favorable effect on alcohol usage for six months following therapy, but the results were not significant at the 12-month point.

One 2019 study involved polling persons who had already quit drinking after consuming psychedelics. While only 10% of respondents took psychedelics on purpose to reduce their alcohol use, more than 25% claimed that the hallucinogenic experience played a role in decreasing their alcohol consumption.

It is crucial to remember, however, that research like this relies on self-reports from persons who have previously used psychedelics. More research utilizing randomized clinical trials is needed to evaluate whether psychedelic therapy is actually useful in the treatment of alcohol and drug use problems.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Clinical trials have shown that the therapy is effective in the long term for the treatment of PTSD. According to one study, 54% of participants no longer satisfied the criteria for diagnosis after therapy. Only 23% of individuals in the control group satisfied the diagnostic criteria after being followed up on.

The advantages appear to be long-lasting: a year after treatment, 68% of individuals who had MDMA-assisted therapy did not match the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.

Things to put into Consideration

While psychedelic treatment is usually seen to be safe and well-tolerated, there are certain dangers and side effects to consider. Classic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin carry minor hazards in terms of physical or psychological dependency, as well as the following risks.

Negative Psychological Reactions

It is important to consider the possibility of negative psychological responses such as anxiety, panic, and paranoia. Psychedelic usage can sometimes result in what is described as a “bad trip.” These experiences are characterized by strong and scary anxiety and a dread of losing control.

Possible Personality Changes

Some argue that these medications have the potential to have long-term mind-altering and personality-changing impacts. One research, for example, discovered that psilocybin treatment was connected with gains in extroversion and openness. These findings imply that after receiving psilocybin-assisted treatment, people may become more outgoing and eager to attempt new things.

Dangers of Self-Treatment

Another possible source of worry is the use of psychedelic drugs for self-treatment. Self-medication has a variety of hazards, including the psychological risks of having a terrible trip, the likelihood of drug interactions, and the fact that many street drugs are compounded with unknown and potentially hazardous compounds.

The effects of psychedelic chemicals are unpredictable and vary based on the amount of the substance ingested as well as the individual’s personality, mood, and circumstances. What Is Psychedelic Therapy

How to Get Started

In 2019, the FDA designated psilocybin-assisted treatment as a “breakthrough therapy.” This classification is intended to expedite the development and review of medications that preliminary clinical studies suggest have the potential to treat critical illnesses.

Clinical studies investigating the use of LSD and psilocybin as therapies for alcoholism, anxiety, and depression are now ongoing.

Signing up for a research study is an option if you want to attempt psychedelic treatment. The National Institute of Health (NIH) can help you find clinical studies that are looking for volunteers. MAPS and the John Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research may also support research and trials that are now accepting volunteers.

Never attempt to self-medicate using psychedelics. People are given a specific, pure dose in therapeutic settings, are supervised during the psychedelic experience, and receive professional aid from a therapist to assimilate the experience.

It is also worth noting that, while psychedelic therapy has shown to be effective in the treatment of a variety of diseases, researchers are currently investigating the precise mechanisms of action. More studies will enable scientists to determine which pharmaceuticals are most beneficial for certain disorders, what dosages should be utilized, and when such therapies should be avoided.