Psychedelic therapy
[11][12] After ingesting the drug, the patient normally wears eyeshades and listens to music to facilitate focus on the psychedelic experience, with the therapeutic team interrupting only to provide reassurance if adverse effects such as anxiety or disorientation arise.
[24] Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, scientists in several countries (e.g., U.S.A.: Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, MKUltra) conducted extensive research into experimental chemotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs.
In addition to spawning six international conferences and the release of dozens of books, over 1,000 peer-reviewed clinical papers detailing the use of psychedelic compounds (administered to approximately 40,000 patients) were published by the mid-1960s.
[26] Researchers like Timothy Leary felt psychedelics could alter the fundamental personality structure or subjective value-system of an individual to great potential benefit.
[27] Psychedelic therapy was also applied in a number of other specific patient populations including individuals with alcoholism, children with autism, and persons with terminal illness.
During a congressional hearing in 1966, Senator Robert F. Kennedy questioned the shift of opinion, stating, "Perhaps to some extent we have lost sight of the fact that (LSD) can be very, very helpful in our society if used properly.
[30] The essay argues that individuals in government and the pharmaceutical industry sabotaged the psychedelic research community by canceling ongoing studies and analysis while labeling genuine scientists as charlatans.
Individuals having published information between 1980 and 2000 regarding psychedelic psychotherapy include George Greer, Ann and Alexander Shulgin (PiHKAL and TiHKAL), Myron Stolaroff (The Secret Chief, regarding the underground therapy done by Leo Zeff), and Athanasios Kafkalides.
[33] In the early 2000s, a renewal of interest in the psychiatric use of psychedelics contributed to an increase in clinical research centering on the psychopharmacological effects of these drugs and their subsequent applications.
Much of the renewed clinical research has been conducted with psilocybin and MDMA in the United States with special permission and breakthrough therapy designations by the FDA, while other studies have investigated the mechanisms and effects of ayahuasca and LSD.
[50] In 2024, an FDA advisory panel voted against approving MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, "raising questions about the credibility of the research being conducted and the safety of those involved in the trials".
[57] A 2012 meta-analysis found that "In a pooled analysis of six randomized controlled clinical trials, a single dose of LSD had a significant beneficial effect on alcohol misuse at the first reported follow-up assessment, which ranged from 1 to 12 months after discharge from each treatment program.
[60] Evidence suggests that ibogaine does have some reduction on opioid and cocaine misuse, but more well designed, larger randomly controlled trials are required to fully understand the therapeutic benefits.
[62] A systematic review completed in 2023, containing studies from the past decade, looked at the ability of psychedelic therapy in combination with psychotherapy to help reduce substance use, cravings, and abstinence of addictions including alcohol, cocaine, opioids, and nicotine.
[63] However, a systematic review of human and animal studies showed that a single dose of LSD for treatment of AUD led to greater odds of improvement in alcohol consumption than control participants.
[64] During the early 1950s and 1960s the National Institute of Mental Health sponsored the study of psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin and LSD to alleviate the debilitating anxiety and depression patients with terminal diagnoses may feel.
The psychologists leading psychedelic drug therapy trials found that end of life patients often experience the emotional turmoil of dying more than the physical aspects.
[70][72] Evidence is growing for the use of atypical psychedelics such as ketamine for treating depression in terminally ill patients, with repeated IV administration having the most therapeutic effect.
[78] In 2024, an FDA advisory panel voted against approving MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, "raising questions about the credibility of the research being conducted and the safety of those involved in the trials".
The researchers analyzed data from 480,000 U.S. adults collected by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health on their past use of psychedelics, including ayahuasca, dimethyltryptamine, LSD, mescaline, peyote, San Pedro, and psilocybin mushrooms.
The study suggests that the use of psychedelic drugs in men might be associated with a reduced likelihood of committing violence against intimate partners, potentially due to improved emotion regulation.
[12] The psychedelic therapy method was initiated by Humphry Osmond and Abram Hoffer (with some influence from Al Hubbard) and replicated by Keith Ditman,[93][94] and is more closely aligned to transpersonal psychology than to traditional psychoanalysis.
[25]: 196 The ultimate goal of the therapy is to provide a safe, mutually compassionate context through which the profound and intense reliving of memories can be filtered through the principles of genuine psychotherapy.
[100][101] Aided by the deeply introspective state attained by the patient, the therapist assists him/her in developing a new life framework or personal philosophy that recognizes individual responsibility for change.
Meckel Fischer developed her own system of psycholytic therapy which she conducted underground, in group weekend sessions of 15 to 19 people, using medium dosages of psychedelic substances.
[25] The term anaclitic (from the Ancient Greek "ἀνάκλιτος", anaklitos – "for reclining") refers to primitive, infantile needs and tendencies directed toward a pre-genital love object.
As a result, the treatment was developed with the aim to directly fulfill or satisfy those repressed, agonizing cravings for love, physical contact, and other instinctual needs re-lived by the patient.
With the intense emotional episodes that came with the psychedelic experience, Martin and McCririck aimed to sit in as the "mother" role who would enter into close physical contact with the patients by rocking them, giving them milk from a bottle, etc.
[106][page needed] A resurgence of public interest in psychedelic drug therapy in the 21st century has been driven in part by articles in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
[65] The first article to bring attention to the uses of psychedelic drugs for mental health was titled, "Seeking the Magic Mushroom", written by Robert Gordon Wasson and published in 1957 by TIME magazine.
