Psychedelic therapy in practice. Case studies of self-treatment, individual therapy, and group therapy
April 23, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/9yxwp_v2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnographic case studies |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | People who overcame serious issues including alcoholism, severe anxiety and depression, suicidal behavior, and psychotic disorders |
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Group psychotherapy Psychotherapist |
| Key findings | Thirteen ethnographic case studies demonstrate how people alleviated or overcame serious issues caused by various adversities, highlighting the possibility of healing. |
Abstract
This compilation focuses on success stories—cases of courage, innovation, and the application of knowledge and power in overcoming illness and suffering. It features thirteen ethnographic case studies that describe how people were able to alleviate or overcome serious issues including alcoholism, severe anxiety and depression, suicidal behavior, and psychotic disorders caused by ignorance, neglect, violence, war, and sexual abuse. It is a tribute to the possibility of healing.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelic Therapy (Utilizing LSD) with Cancer Patients Cancer patients | 1970 | Clinical description and case report | |
| Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in adolescents with multiple psychiatric diagnoses. Adolescents aged 14–19 with comorbid psychiatric diagnoses including... | 2023 | Case series | n = 4 |
| Prolonged adverse effects from repeated psilocybin use in an underground psychedelic therapy training program: a case report | 2025 | Case study | |
| Suicide of a patient shortly after psilocybin-assisted psychedelic therapy: A case report 60-year-old man with recurrent depression and history of delusions | 2025 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Cannabis-assisted psychotherapy for complex dissociative posttraumatic stress disorder: A case report 28-year-old female with complex dissociative posttraumatic stress disorder | 2023 | Case study | n = 1 |