Learning to Let Go: A Cognitive-Behavioral Model of How Psychedelic Therapy Promotes Acceptance
Max Wolff, Ricarda Evens, Lea J. Mertens, Michael Koslowski, Felix Betzler, Gerhard Gründer, Henrik Jungaberle
Frontiers in Psychiatry February 21, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Experiential avoidance Context archaeology Cognition Psychotherapist Psychopathology Cognitive behavioral therapy Parallels Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 188 |
| Key points | Proposes that psychedelic-induced belief relaxation enables operant conditioning and corrective learning, leading to lasting increases in acceptance and reductions in psychopathology. |
Abstract
The efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental disorders has been attributed to the lasting change from experiential avoidance to acceptance that these treatments appear to facilitate. This article presents a conceptual model that specifies potential psychological mechanisms underlying such change, and that shows substantial parallels between psychedelic therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy: We propose that in the carefully controlled context of psychedelic therapy as applied in contemporary clinical research, psychedelic-induced belief relaxation can increase motivation for acceptance via operant conditioning, thus engendering episodes of relatively avoidance-free exposure to greatly intensified private events. Under these unique learning conditions, relaxed avoidance-related beliefs can be exposed to corrective information and become revised accordingly, which may explain long-term increases in acceptance and corresponding reductions in psychopathology. Open research questions and implications for clinical practice are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theorizing that Psychedelic Assisted Therapy May Play a Role in the Treatment of Trauma-Induced Personality Disorders. | 2024 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Awe: a putative mechanism underlying the effects of classic psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy | 2018 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ethical and legal issues in psychedelic harm reduction and integration therapy | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psychedelics and Psychotherapy: Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches as Default | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 151
- Predicting Reactions to Psychedelic Drugs: A Systematic Review of States and Traits Related to Acute Drug Effects. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science March 5, 2021
- Psychedelics and Psychotherapy: Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches as Default Frontiers in Psychology May 23, 2022
- Post-Psychedelic Reductions in Experiential Avoidance Are Associated With Decreases in Depression Severity and Suicidal Ideation Frontiers in Psychiatry August 7, 2020
- Treatment with psychedelics is psychotherapy: beyond reductionism The Lancet Psychiatry December 12, 2023
- Does Psychedelic Therapy Have a Transdiagnostic Action and Prophylactic Potential? Frontiers in Psychiatry July 19, 2021
and 146 more in the library
Cites 69
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- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition Choice Reviews Online July 1, 2005
and 64 more in the library