Should Australian Psychology Consider Enhancing Psychotherapeutic Interventions with Psychedelic Drugs? A Call for Research

Abstract

International research is increasingly demonstrating that psychedelic‐assisted psychotherapy can enhance psychotherapeutic outcomes and be effective for some treatment‐refractory mental illnesses; however, there is an absence of any such research in Australia. A review of psychedelic science has been conducted with a focus on psychedelic‐assisted psychotherapy to highlight the degree to which such research is occurring overseas. While some studies are in their early stages and the methods are undergoing continuous refinement, other areas are more advanced, including 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine‐assisted psychotherapy which is commencing Phase III clinical trials. In all cases, evidence is mounting that psychedelics hold promise in enhancing psychotherapy and furthering current understandings of the brain. Given that there is no psychedelic science program in Australia, we propose that Australian psychologists join the global biomedical community and engage in formal psychedelic research.