Source: Adobe Stock/ Used with Permission Walking away from May’s American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in New York City, I was stunned by how many sessions focused on psychedelics. Though an advisory committee to the FDA voted 9-2 against recommending the use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) for the treatment of post- traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) earlier this month, there continues to be a sense of optimism bubbling around this class of drugs. My experience at the annual meeting was a strong indication that it’s not just patients who believe that psychedelics could be highly effective tools within the field of psychiatry, but that researchers and clinicians also believe psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy may bring relief to patients who have long struggled with difficult to treat conditions. Why All the Optimism?

The psychedelic renaissance that began 20 years ago was inspired by anecdotal evidence and promising results from a few observational studies. Since that time, the evidence has been buttressed by preclinical and phase I and II trials, with study results showing that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with MDMA, psilocybin (the compound found in “magic mushrooms”), and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) can help patients with not only PTSD, but also mood, anxiety , substance use, and even eating disorders, just to name a few.

Just how much better the treatment appears to be when compared to conventional treatment modalities is hard to believe. The use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD will serve as a good example.

PTSD is a condition that represents a dysfunction in trauma response, resulting in the symptoms that characterize the disorder: intrusive thoughts, memories, or dreams about the traumatic event; “flashbacks”; difficulty remembering the event; exaggerated startle responses; and avoidance of stimuli associated with the event. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD in the U.S. is estimated to be 6.9 percent (1), while the estimated annual cost of PTSD treatment in just the U.S. is $232.2 billion .

Standard treatments for PTSD include cognitive processing therapy, cognitive therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, individual cognitive behavioral therapy with trauma focus, and prolonged exposure (2). Standard pharmacological treatments to manage symptoms include […]

Keep the Psychotherapy in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy