Do Psychedelics Facilitate Emergence of Unconscious Psychological Processes?
Psychodynamic psychiatry September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1521/pdps.2023.51.3.270 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | 5ht-2a activation Rebus model Catharsis Entropy Insight Unconscious |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key findings | The psychedelic experience is associated with increased subjective access to and awareness of emotions, memories, and perceptions normally outside conscious awareness, which may constitute an important therapeutic mechanism. |
Abstract
Psychedelic substances have a long history of use in traditional healing and religious ceremonies worldwide and are increasingly being investigated for their possible therapeutic usage. However, there is still a lack of consensus regarding how best to characterize the psychological effects of psychedelics and how they bring about the positive therapeutic outcomes observed in clinical studies. The aim of this article is to review available evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies on psychedelic-assisted therapy, as well as neurobiological studies, in relation to the hypothesis that psychedelics facilitate the emergence of emotionally charged unconscious material, originally proposed by pioneering psychedelics researcher Stanislav Grof. The reviewed process studies of therapeutic mechanisms in psychedelic-assisted therapy and qualitative studies of treatment participants clearly indicate that the psychedelic experience is associated with the subjective experience of having increased access to and awareness of emotions, memories, and perceptions that are normally avoided or outside of conscious awareness. Brain-imaging studies point to several different neurobiological effects of psychedelics that might be related to these subjective psychological experiences. Available evidence also indicates that this process might constitute an important therapeutic mechanism in psychedelic-assisted therapy, worthy of further investigation.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Unique Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Psilocybin Therapy Versus Escitalopram Treatment in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction March 7, 2024
- ‘Mind-Revealing’ Psychedelic States: Psychological Processes in Subjective Experiences That Drive Positive Change Psychoactives September 27, 2024
- Psychedelics in the Treatment of Neurologic and Psychiatric Disorders: Coincidence or a New Point of View. Molecular Neurobiology June 4, 2025
- Psychoanalytically informed MDMA-assisted therapy for pathological narcissism: a novel theoretical approach. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025
- How to Change Minds Ethically: Doxastic Vulnerability, Epistemic Harm Reduction, and the Role of Therapists in Psychedelic Therapy Journal of Applied Philosophy October 24, 2025
and 8 more in the library
Cites 32
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up. Psychopharmacology November 8, 2017
- Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Frontiers in Pharmacology January 17, 2018
- Psychedelics and the essential importance of context. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 15, 2018
- Global Street Food: la cocina de la calle Diseño interior 2009
and 27 more in the library