MortalityAugust 30, 2020Mackenzie Blomstrom, Andrew Burns, D. Larriviere et al.
ABSTRACT The fear of death and dying is a multifaceted and prevalent source of human distress that can cause significant psychological and existential distress, especially at the end of life. Analysing current therapeutic approaches to this issue to identify promising modalities and knowledge gaps could improve end of life experiences and reduce human suffering. In this systematically...
Abstract The concept of self and self‐referential processing has a growing explanatory value in psychiatry and neuroscience, referring to the cognitive organization and perceptual differentiation of self‐stimuli in health and disease. Conditions in which selfhood loses its natural coherence offer a unique opportunity for elucidating the mechanisms underlying self‐disturbances. We assessed the...
The medium- to long-term consequences of COVID-19 are not yet known, though an increase in mental health problems are predicted. Multidisciplinary strategies across socio-economic and psychological levels may be needed to mitigate the mental health burden of COVID-19. Preliminary evidence from the rapidly progressing field of psychedelic science shows that psilocybin therapy offers a promising...
Abstract The purpose of this work is to construct a strong theoretical base for analytical psychology to engage with psychedelic therapy by drawing out tools already present in Jungian thought. This is done by first offering a brief history of psychedelic therapy and Jungian psychology, focusing on the work of three analysts. Stanislav Grof’s work with LSD therapy is then outlined and explored...
Abstract Despite observed correlations between acute glucocorticoid release, self-reported anxiety, and long-term treatment outcomes for human studies using psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy approaches, the mechanistic relationship between psychedelic-dependent stress and subsequent behavioral responses remains unclear. Using rodents, direct manipulation of stress-associated hormone responses...
Psychedelic therapy shows promise as a novel intervention for a wide range of mental health concerns but its therapeutic action is incompletely understood. In line with acceptance and commitment therapy's (ACT's) transdiagnostic model, qualitative research has suggested that reductions in experiential avoidance are an important component of therapeutic outcomes associated with psychedelics....
Mike Jay has written widely on the history of science and medicine, and particularly on the discovery of psychoactive drugs during the 18th and 19th centuries. His books on the subject include Emperors of Dreams: drugs in the nineteenth century (2000, revised edition 2011) and most recently High Society: mind-altering drugs in history and culture (2010), which accompanied the exhibition he...
Aims Functional neurological disorder (FND), formerly known as conversion disorder, causes a high burden of disability and distress, and is amongst the most commonly encountered conditions in neurology clinics and neuropsychiatry services, yet the therapeutic evidence base is limited. Research into psychedelics such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is currently being...
Robin Carhart-Harris moved to Imperial College London in 2008 after obtaining a PhD in Psychopharmacology from the University of Bristol and an MA in Psychoanalysis from Brunel University. At Imperial, he has designed and/or carried out brain imaging studies involving LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and DMT, plus a clinical trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, and an ongoing study...
The psychedelic drugs have unusually wide-ranging effects that vary greatly depending on the setting and the user’s personality and expectations. The fact remains that psychedelic drugs were used for more than fifteen years by hundreds of psychiatrists who considered them relatively safe therapeutic agents. Psychedelic therapy for alcoholism is based on the assumption that one overwhelming...