Exposure therapy under psilocybin for general anxiety disorder and claustrophobia
Gabriel Thorens, Louise Penzenstadler, Leonice Furtado, Federico Seragnoli, Stéphane Rothen, Cédric Mabilais, Daniele Zullino
Research Square (Research Square) May 12, 2023 preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2859973/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Patient with generalized anxiety disorder and claustrophobia |
| Interventions | Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy imaginary exposure exercise classic exposure therapy in an elevator |
| Topics | Anxiety Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psychotherapist Beck depression inventory Exposure therapy Clinical psychology Feeling |
| Key findings | Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy combined with exposure therapy reduced anxiety and fear of closed spaces in a patient with GAD and claustrophobia who had not responded to conventional treatment. |
Abstract
Abstract Case report of a patient with GAD and claustrophobia who underwent exposure therapy using psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. The patient had failed to respond to conventional psychotherapeutic treatment. After three sessions of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, the patient experienced a reduction in anxiety and fear associated with closed spaces, elevators, and planes. The protocol included both an imaginary exposure exercise and a classic exposure therapy in an elevator during the psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. the patient experienced a significant improvement in his score on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Fear Questionnaire before and after therapy. He reported a generalization of the treatment effects, feeling more relaxed and having a greater willingness to confront fearful situations. He also described a shift in his perception of fearful stimuli, which may be explained as the development of new memory representations and a major disconfirmatory experience.