Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression
Rosalind Watts, Camilla Day, Jacob Krzanowski, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris
Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 19, 2017 DOI: 10.1177/0022167817709585 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Open-label Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Patients with treatment-resistant depression enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin |
| Intervention | psilocybin |
| Duration | 6-month follow-up |
| Topics | Depression Psychedelic-assisted therapy Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psilocybin therapy Psychedelic treatment Mushroom therapy Entheogenic medicine Trd Severe depression Chronic depression Mental well-being Mental health Psychological health Emotional health Interconnectedness Relatedness Belonging Social connection Self-connection Emotional acceptance Emotional processing Emotional regulation Affective acceptance |
| Citations | 582 |
| Key findings | Patients reported psilocybin treatment fostered connection and emotional acceptance, unlike conventional treatments which they felt reinforced disconnection and avoidance. |
Abstract
Objective: To identify patients’ perceptions of the value of psilocybin as a treatment for depression.
Method: Twenty patients enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression participated in a semistructured interview at 6-month follow-up. Thematic analysis was used to identify patients’ experiences of the treatment and how it compared with previous treatments.
Results: Two main change processes were identified in relation to the treatment. The first concerned change from disconnection (from self, others, and world) to connection, and the second concerned change from avoidance (of emotion) to acceptance. A third theme concerned comparison between psilocybin and conventional treatments. Patients reported that medications and some short-term talking therapies tended to reinforce their sense of disconnection and avoidance, whereas treatment with psilocybin encouraged connection and acceptance.
Conclusions: These results suggest that psilocybin treatment for depression may work via paradigmatically novel means, antithetical to antidepressant medications, and some short-term talking therapies.