Introduction to the Symposium on Psychedelics and Psychoanalysis: A Conversation Long Overdue
P. Ringstrom
Psychoanalytic Dialogues September 3, 2022 DOI: 10.1080/10481885.2022.2107855 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that personal psychedelic experiences foreshadowed themes now emerging in research and clinical practice, and proposes that psychedelics can augment and deepen psychoanalytic treatment when used within a long-term process, framed through a theory of psychoanalytic play. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT By way of an introduction to a panel on psychedelics and psychoanalysis, the author recounts his young adult experiences with psychedelic drugs and how they forever influenced his perspectives on mental health and psychotherapy before there were conventions in our literature to ground his observations. The author’s experience foreshadows markers in research and clinical practice for which an evolving theoretical scaffolding is demonstrated in the articles that follow. The essay explores how neuroscience research on psychedelics suggests applications for psychotherapy, particularly as it can augment and deepen psychoanalytic treatment when used in the context of a long-term process. The author frames the use of psychedelics in relation to a theory of psychoanalytic play.