Inducing Effects of Illegal Drugs to Improve Mental Health by Self-Regulation Therapy: A Pilot Study
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health October 1, 2021 S. Amigó 3 citations
A brief psychological intervention called Self-Regulation Therapy (SRT), which uses suggestion and classical conditioning to reproduce the positive effects of illegal drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and ecstasy, improved coping with stress and emotionality in young adults. Fifteen volunteers (8 males, 7 females, average age 24.6) completed pre- and post-intervention assessments over 10 days and a 4-week follow-up. SRT outperformed no intervention across four coping strategies and both positive and negative emotionality, with improvements maintained at follow-up. The findings suggest that reproducing the positive effects of illegal drugs via SRT can enhance coping and emotional regulation.