From the 1960s to the present day, American research into the therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs has focused on their ability to facilitate “mystical” experiences in test subjects. “Mysticomimetic” research has close ties to perennialist notions of religion that gained popularity over the course of the 20th century. Figures such as William James and Aldous Huxley promoted perennialist...
Although existential suffering is amongst the most devastating forms of distress experienced by many patients nearing the end-of-life, it is often unsatisfactorily addressed due to a paucity of effective interventions. However, both historic and recent studies of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy have reported marked alleviation of this suffering. As such, this article seeks to advance the...
Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Ethics CornerFull AccessEthics Committees ReimaginedClaire Zilber, M.D.Claire Zilber, M.D.Published Online:28 Jan 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.2.25The APA and district branch (DB) ethics committees used to stay busy processing complaints from patients, their family members, and colleagues about members who allegedly engaged in...
Amid an international pandemic and a worsening mental health crisis, ketamine-assisted therapy is emerging as a promising solution for those deemed “treatment resistant.” Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are on the rise, with accelerating direct (e.g., burden of suffering) and indirect (e.g., disability/role impairment and impact on family) costs. Psychedelic-assisted...
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one of the latest mindfulness-based behavior therapies shown to have compelling evidence and efficacy with a wide range of clinical conditions. ACT is so hard to categorize that it is often described as an amalgamation of existential, humanistic, cognitive-behavioural therapy. ACT is often referred as process-based CBT and is one of the ‘third-wave' of...
Advocates of the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs have argued that a promising approach to treatment was prematurely abandoned in the 1960s primarily because of Richard Nixon's 'War on Drugs'.This paper (1) briefly describes research in the 1950s and 1960s in North America on the use of LSD to treat alcohol dependence, anxiety in terminal illness, and anxiety and depression; and (2)...
A 49-year-old woman was diagnosed with an ER + , PR-, HER2 + , BRCA- invasive ductal carcinoma which progressed metastatically to include bone, liver, and lymph node involvement. Standardised care included a 26-month treatment period with targeted chemotherapy and a ketogenic diet. The patient also began a course of cannabinoid-based therapy, consisting initially of a titrated high-dose...
This chapter discusses the spiritual and psychosocial aspects of care using a narrative approach. It suggests that far more suffering in patients with advanced illness results from psychic rather than from physical distress, assuming physical symptoms are reasonably palliated. Categories of psychic distress described include depression, anxiety, and delirium. A discussion of anticipatory and...
Abstract In this essay, I outline an approach to analytical psychology based on the emerging disciplines of psychedelic neuroscience and psychedelic assisted therapies. During the 1950s Jung made brief comments on the use of psychedelics in traditional cultures and therapeutic contexts. I analyse these comments in the light of consequent research in the field. Contemporary psychedelic...
Research, Society and DevelopmentAugust 22, 2021Myla Christie Araújo Custódio Bonifácio, Pietra Bruna Batrbosa Bento, Kaynara Trevisan et al.1 citation
Este trabalho discute acerca da ação da psilocibina no organismo humano e seu potencial terapêutico enquanto tratamento principal ou adjuvante para certos distúrbios psiquiátricos, mais especificamente a depressão e a ansiedade, como aquelas encontradas em pacientes que estão em cuidados paliativos e enfrentando o processo de fim de vida, mas também em pacientes nos quais o tratamento...