LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects
Peter Gasser, Katharina Kirchner, Torsten Passie
Journal of Psychopharmacology November 11, 2014 DOI: 10.1177/0269881114555249 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective follow-up with qualitative content analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases |
| Intervention | LSD-assisted psychotherapy |
| Duration | 12-month follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety LSD Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Psychotherapist Situational ethics Clinical psychology Qualitative research |
| Citations | 458 |
| Post-publication review | 1 comment on PubPeer (opens in new tab) · last active September 2016 |
| Key findings | LSD-assisted psychotherapy produced sustained reductions in anxiety and improvements in quality of life over 12 months, with no lasting adverse reactions. |
Abstract
Objective: A recently published study showed the safety and efficacy of LSD-assisted psychotherapy in patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases. Participants of this study were included in a prospective follow-up.
Method: 12 months after finishing LSD psychotherapy, 10 participants were tested for anxiety (STAI) and participated in a semi-structured interview. A Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) was carried out on the interviews to elaborate about LSD effects and lasting psychological changes.
Results: None of the participants reported lasting adverse reactions. The significant benefits as measured with the STAI were sustained over a 12-month period. In the QCA participants consistently reported insightful, cathartic and interpersonal experiences, accompanied by a reduction in anxiety (77.8%) and a rise in quality of life (66.7%). Evaluations of subjective experiences suggest facilitated access to emotions, confrontation of previously unknown anxieties, worries, resources and intense emotional peak experiences à la Maslow as major psychological working mechanisms. The experiences created led to a restructuring of the person’s emotional trust, situational understanding, habits and world view.
Conclusions: LSD administered in a medically supervised psychotherapeutic setting can be safe and generate lasting benefits in patients with a life-threatening disease. Explanatory models for the therapeutic effects of LSD warrant further study.