All products featured on Self are independently selected by our editors.
However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
But now the global scientific community is going through something of a psychedelic renaissance.
Julia GR
What does psychedelic therapy actually look like?
This research follows asimilarly-designed November 2020 studyfrom some members of the same scientific team.
After that they underwent two day-long sessions with psilocybin administration, two weeks apart.
After the sessions the participant has another two to three hours of follow-up meetings with the facilitators.
The entire treatment process lasted about eight weeks.
This protocol is similarbut not totally identicalto that of other psychedelic-assisted therapy studies.
How does psychedelic therapy work?
Like antidepressants, psychedelics have effects on specific neurotransmitters,including serotonin.
But experts think psychedelics effectiveness is also due to their ability to reconfigure our neural architecture.
These biological changes likely reflect the psychologicaland sometimes spiritualchanges that can occur during the psychedelic experience.
Various drugs have psychoactive propertiesbut which ones hold the most therapeutic potential?
Some experts hesitate to classify ketamine as a genuine psychedelic, Dr. Davis included.
Thats the caveat: Its only been approved for that specific mental health condition.
In 2021, MAPS finalized the firstPhase 3 trialof the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for people with PTSD.
Hallucinogenic magic mushrooms have an ancient history.
Large doses, in particular, may elicit feelings of panic.
And in the past few years, the FDA gave twopsilocybin-assisted therapy programsBreakthrough Therapy status.
First accidentally synthesized by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1938, LSD is a potent, perception-changing synthetic chemical.
Its created from the lysergic acid found in ergot, which is a fungus that infects rye.
(And yes, the CIA did investigate LSD as apotential psychological weaponduring the Cold War.)
Will psychedelic-assisted therapy be accessible in the future?
As research continues, various forms of psychedelic-assisted therapy could eventually reach FDA approval.
But like any modern medicine, accessibility will be a huge concern.
Legislation is the biggest obstacle, Dr. Davis says.
Rescheduling drugs isnt an easy process, but some advocacy groups are trying to work toward just that.
This rescheduling would help nix psilocybins international research restrictions, potentially opening the doors for its medical use.
U.S. law prohibits patents on products of nature…. Then there will be an establishment of what constitutes adequate training and expertise.
Whennot ifthese therapies become legal, theyre likely to be very expensive.
The psychedelic renaissance is really a return to decades-old research and even older traditional spiritual practices.
And I do believe that the word is getting out.
