What Is Psychedelic Therapy?

The illegal status of psychedelics presents challenges for patients to find qualified professionals who can provide these therapies legally and safely. Furthermore, the lack of access creates barriers for individuals to explore alternative and potentially transformative treatments for conditions that may be unresponsive to conventional approaches (Smith et al., 2022). Dismantling decades of stigma and overcoming criminalization will require continued advocacy from the counseling profession and mental health field. The integration of diverse and multicultural perspectives in psychedelic-assisted therapy represents an important element within this emerging field. This article explores the importance of embracing a multicultural and social justice lens within psychedelic-assisted therapy that examines the movement through a historical sociopolitical lens.

Teaching Adaptive Behavior and Goal Setting

The available archeological and anthropological evidence suggests that psychedelics have often been used in ritual settings (and they still are, as discussed below), generally accompanied by the invocation of a society’s religious worldviews by a religious leader (e.g., see Miller, 2019). We refer to this approach as “indigenous practices” as this is the term that has been used most by others in contemporary discourse, although we acknowledge that some may object to the use of the term indigenous term in this context. There are a number of contemporary religious traditions, such as the Peyote Church, in which psychedelic substances are ritually ingested. People who engage in these religious practices have a history of being oppressed by colonialists and in more recent eras by prohibition (e.g., see George et al., 2020). In addition, counselors must develop skills in culturally relevant communication to effectively engage with clients from various backgrounds. This includes being mindful of how different communities and clients may interpret the psychedelic experience.

In post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

McGinn and Sanderson (2001) describe cognitive restructuring as a process where “clients are trained to increase awareness of ongoing ‘stream of consciousness’ during episodes of increased affect, exposing these rigid ‘automatic thoughts’ which accompany emotional responses” (p. 29). alcohol rehab Self-monitoring is a skill taught to clients early in CBT, that aims “to train clients to pay attention to or monitor particular cognitions, emotions, and or behavior” (Egan et al., 2014, p. 137). Each week during the initial check in and homework review, the therapist can point out patterns and highlight the ways in which these emotions, thoughts, and behavior are affecting functioning. Psychedelics have shown great promise in treating mental-health conditions, but their use is severely limited by legal obstacles, which could be overcome. These key areas help individuals with PTSD to overcome avoidance and better address their PTSD symptoms while working through their trauma under the guidance of a therapist.

Eating disorders

• Having a diverse workforce also aligns with and promotes the broader principles of social justice and health care equity.
• Buller notes that ketamine therapies may be expensive since they’re not typically covered by insurance.
• Therefore, there is an urgent need for additional studies with Veteran participants within the VA medical setting, as well as additional studies on P-AT for PTSD and studies with larger, more diverse samples.
• As the field advances, understanding the mechanisms, risks, and ethical implications of psychedelic-assisted therapy will be critical in determining its place in psychiatric care.

While cost effectiveness, affordability, and accessibility are less problematic in clinical trials, these issues will be major challenges if psychedelic therapies 1 day become available to the general population. Meanwhile, 2016 brought a pair of double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trials with a total of 80 patients that looked at psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy’s effects on anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer 28•, 29•. These studies found strong reductions in both depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as improvements in quality of life and spiritual well-being, from psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. That same year, another pilot trial found success with psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression 30•. Moreover, the studies helped establish the safety of psilocybin, which was well-tolerated and did not cause any serious negative physiological or psychological consequences. Other research has supported psilocybin’s capacity to treat tobacco use disorder 31, alcohol use disorder 32, and obsessive compulsive disorder 33.

Tips for Talking to Your Doctor About Psychedelic Therapy

In Colorado, for doses over 2 milligrams, facilitators will screen participants at least 24 hours in advance, then supervise the session in which the participant consumes and experiences mushrooms, lasting several hours, plus a later meeting to integrate the experience. In February, about 40 people organized by the psychedelic advocacy group the Nowak Society gathered in Boulder to talk about the coming changes in Colorado. They included Mandy Grace, who received her state license to administer psychedelic mushrooms, and Amanda Clark, a licensed mental health counselor from Denver, who both praised the therapeutic power of mushrooms. This is when you will receive the psychedelic, which may be done intravenously, intranasally, intramuscularly, or orally, and varies by drug.

• During these integration sessions, you can also capitalize on the increased neuroplasticity from treatment, which can reinforce your learning.
• They advised her specifically to not seek psychiatric intervention or medication as it could impair the process of “rebirth” following her “ego death” and would prolong her symptoms.
• Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, used LSD during supervised experiments with Betty Eisner, Gerald Heard, and Aldous Huxley.
• Wolfgang hopes a new generation of soldiers could benefit from the drug’s consideration as a breakthrough therapy.
• While further research is needed, current trials are underway to better determine the applications and effectiveness of using different psychedelic drugs to treat specific conditions.

What to know about psychedelic therapy

In low doses, it has shown to be beneficial in numerous trials exploring its potential to treat depression, but its effects are short-lived. The pharmaceutical company Lykos Therapeutics, formerly MAPS PBC, made a major push in December 2023 for MDMA to receive FDA approval. When approval was denied in August 2024, the result came as a shock to advocates for psychedelic-assisted therapy, many of whom were veterans and their family members. To increase affordability for patients in Colorado, Poinsatte said, healing centers plan to offer sliding-scale pay options, and discounts for veterans, Medicaid enrollees, and those with low incomes. The dawn of state-regulated psychedelic mushrooms has arrived in Colorado, nearly two years since Oregon began offering them.

Psilocybin therapy

To be clear, our view that cognitive-behavioral approaches should be considered default for psychedelic treatments rests upon the context in which psychedelic administration is being delivered. We do not posit that all psychedelic use everywhere should be grounded in cognitive-behavioral approaches. Not only are cognitive-behavioral approaches effective for these outcomes, but they are also currently the gold standard of evidence-based care (APA Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice, 2006; David et al., 2018). Reiterating the synergy mentioned above regarding the overlap between the effects of psychedelic experience are psychedelics addictive and processes and outcomes targeted in cognitive-behavioral approaches, these approaches are the best fit empirically and ethically. Finally, there are several notable ways cognitive-behavioral approaches may benefit from the partnering with psychedelic administration. First, psychedelics have an impact on processes, notably psychological flexibility (Close et al., 2020; Davis et al., 2020a) and outcomes (e.g., depression and anxiety, Davis et al., 2021; suicidal ideation; Zeifman et al., 2020) explicitly targeted by cognitive-behavioral approaches.

Worldviews provide a framework for understanding distressing experiences but also guidance on what to do about them. Westerners in psychedelic use settings may navigate multiple internalized worldviews simultaneously, selectively determining which takes precedence in what situations. Dr. A’s continued ambivalence towards the psychiatric treatment that she sought out after her schism with the leaders may be consistent with her negotiation of conflicting worldviews.

• A 2020 study of 28 people with a history of eating disorders found that psychedelics significantly reduced participants’ reported depression symptoms.
• This, along with the predictability and familiarity, can encourage rapport between session therapists and patients.
• The adequacy of masking for both patients and providers should be assessed, along with patients’ treatment expectations before treatment.
• Enthusiasm for psychedelic treatments has spurred several movements promoting their decriminalization and legalization.
• During an initial consultation, a psychiatrist will determine if using psychedelics is a safe and effective treatment option.

The medication sessions are separated by at least 21 days, and each requires the engagement of 2 therapists. There are three 90-minute preparation sessions prior to the first medicine session and each medicine session is followed by three 90-minute integration sessions during which the patient has an opportunity to process their experience with the therapist(s). A 2014 study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that psilocybin-assisted therapy significantly improved smoking cessation rates compared to conventional treatments. Few treatments are available for patients with mood disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who have already failed multiple interventions. After several decades when research into psychedelics was effectively halted by federal legislation, the past several years have shown the re-emergence of thoughtful investigations studying the utility of compounds such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybin.

Benefits of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

In many cases, healthcare professionals recommend this form of therapy for people whose symptoms have not responded well to standard medications or therapies. There’s still a lot to learn about the potential of psychedelic therapy, but the existing research is promising, particularly for those with severe PTSD. As a result, some participants in studies or treatments have alleged unethical and sometimes even criminal behavior. Read reviews, evaluate accreditation, and consider how you might ensure accountability should anything go awry during or after treatment. The association also welcomes questions or concerns about psychedelic-assisted therapy, and can make recommendations to help guide you.