Hallucinogens and Benefits

Hallucinogens

What are Hallucinogens?

  • Drugs that produce profound alterations in perception.

  • These alterations include unusual visual sensations.

  • Often changes in the perception of one’s own body.

  • Can be plant-derived or human-made.

  • Effects vary from relatively mild to major (dissociative).

"Good" Studies on Hallucinogens

  • Follow the scientific method:

    • Hypothesis formation.

    • Controlled test of the hypothesis.

    • Eliminating potential confounds.

    • Statistical analysis of data and significance testing.

  • Are ethical:

    • First, do no harm—minimize potential adverse effects.

    • Therapeutic context:

      • Screening to exclude those with and at risk for psychotic disorders.

      • Preparation of the participant for sessions.

      • Session monitoring and interpersonal support that encourages internal focus.

      • Post-session discussion of session experiences to leverage those experiences in encouraging enduring changes in behavior and attitude.

    • These factors maximize efficacy while minimizing psychiatric adverse effects.

Research Findings: MDMA

  • MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD—controlled studies (Maps.org).

  • 88% of participants with severe PTSD experienced a clinically significant reduction in PTSD diagnostic scores two months after their third session of MDMA-assisted therapy, compared to 60% of placebo participants.

  • 67% of participants in the MDMA group compared to 32% of participants in the placebo group no longer met the criteria for PTSD two months after the sessions.

Research Findings: LSD

  • LSD-assisted psychotherapy for end-of-life anxiety (Maps.org).

  • Controlled study found:

    • Two months after treatment, participants showed a reduction in anxiety (p=0.021)(p=0.021) with no acute or chronic adverse events persisting beyond 1 day after treatment.

    • No treatment-related serious adverse events.

    • Follow-up data at 12 months showed that anxiety reductions continued to last.

Research Findings: Psilocybin

  • Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depression Effective for Up to a Year for Most Patients; controlled study on treatment-resistant depression shows (Johns Hopkins).

  • Psilocybin fosters greater connections between different regions of the brain in depressed people, freeing them up from long-held patterns of rumination and excessive self-focus, according to a study by scientists at UC San Francisco and Imperial College London (2022).