There is no doubt that people who experience depression, anxiety, PTSD, and a number of other conditions can feel trapped by their disorder(s). Studies continue to find benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Legislatures in some states and municipalities have already begun to take action to sanction use of these therapies.
Psychedelic assisted therapy means to take a traditional therapy format, while the client is provided doses or microdoses of psychedelic substances. Substances like psilocybin, MDMA, and Esketamine are thought to create openness to experience and open pathways in the brain that have otherwise been solidified following continued use of maladaptive coping habits.
Therefore, these substances appear to facilitate easier learning of new coping strategies. In particular, they appear to help individuals be more open to modifying rigid beliefs. They also appear to enhance social learning at critical periods during the change process.
Improvements in social learning may one reason that psychedelics also appear to benefit the therapeutic relationship in therapy. All these changes appear especially helpful for those who may have shown previous resistance to counseling.
Pros: Research continues to show benefits of psychedelic assisted therapy for depression, PTSD, and a few other difficulties. They appear to provide a good option for those who have continued to show difficulty benefiting from more traditional treatments. Information and therapist resources also continue to become available. For example, Dr. Rick Strassman has a good book on the topic.
Limits: Psychedelics appear to only have fleeting benefits without counseling. Without learning new skills, people tend to return to their environments and fall back into old maladaptive habits following psychedelic use. Additionally, psychedelic assisted therapy does not treat everything (counter to increasing claims). Other means of assisted psychedelic use (e.g., weekend retreats) are not well-tested, so their efficacy remains uncertain.
Therapy assisted with psychedelics and similar substances seems to be extremely helpful for multiple difficulties. And helpful for those who have shown treatment resistance to prior treatments! Some claim this method is “the future” of psychosocial treatments, but more time and research will tell.
