How should psychotherapy proceed when adjoined with psychedelics?

Abstract

Over the past few years, research and public interest in psychedelic agents – such as psilocybin and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) – for mental health purposes has skyrocketed. The therapeutic approach to the use of these agents involves three components: preparation, drug administration, and integration. This bundled treatment has been termed psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). The basic assumptions and methods of PAT, however, have remained unchanged since the 1950s, despite notable advances in the treatment of mental disorders.