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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)

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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.

In the evidence

This study is part of the evidence base for 2 syntheses in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Adults aged 22 to 69 with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis 2017 Qualitative study n = 13
Psychedelic therapy for smoking cessation: Qualitative analysis of participant accounts Participants who completed a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation pilot study 2018 Qualitative follow-up study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis n = 12
Cancer at the Dinner Table: Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer-Related Distress Adult participants with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis 2017 Qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis n = 13
Reports of self-compassion and affect regulation in psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. non-Hispanic White cisgender men and women with alcohol use disorder 2023 Qualitative study n = 13
Expert Opinion on Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for People with Psychotic Symptoms Experts in psychiatry, clinical psychology, medicine, and psychedelics 2022 Qualitative study n = 12

Citations in the library

Cited by 491

and 486 more in the library

Cites 20

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Related reading

Explore topics

Depression Psychedelic-assisted therapy Psilocybin

By condition and practice

Psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy Psilocybin for depression