Psychedelic-augmented psychotherapy for overcoming traumatic dissociation: A review of neuroscientific and phenomenological evidence

Abstract

The renewed interest in entactogens and classical psychedelics, particularly in the context of psychotraumatology, has led to the positioning of psychedelic-augmented psychotherapy (PAP) as a highly promising therapeutic approach for traumatic dissociation. In this comprehensive review, findings from empirical studies are combined with observations of patients' phenomenological experience manifesting during the course of PAP. The implications of PAP in relation to the ‘structural dissociation model,’ which assumes the presence of an emotional part (EP) and of an apparently normal part (ANP) of the personality, are highlighted. Three different pathogenic dynamics are considered that typically occur in complexly traumatized patients: phobic avoidance of traumatic memories, contextualization deficit and traumatic attachment. In summary, by re-evaluating phenomenological experiences against the background of neurobiological mechanisms, PAP offers a promising avenue for a deeper understanding and therapeutic resolution of traumatic dissociation, which could fundamentally improve the treatment paradigm for many trauma-related disorders.