Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy
The first time I heard of psychedelic therapy I have to admit that like many people, I had fear and misinformation based connotations. Wow has my view changed…. I am now a strong plant medicine advocate for its healing and transformational potential. There are now hundreds of university studies investigating the impacts of psychedelics (also commonly known as plant medicine depending on the source) showing promising potential to assist many mental health struggles where conventional medicine, psychology and psychiatry has had limited effectiveness. After more than 23 years working as a therapist and Clinical Psychologist, I had also personally struggled with chronic experiences of depression, over responsibility and difficulty managing high sensitivity and intuitiveness from a young age.
The challenge we come up against is that the human mind (or ego) is very good at getting stuck in rigid ways of being or experiencing the world. Psychedelics open a window to experiencing a different state of being or consciousness - for many people connecting them to profound experiences of connectedness, peacefulness and expansive awareness and experiencing being unhooked from the critical default mode part of the brain.
Psychedelic Therapy is currently a tricky area in Australia due to current legal frameworks however many very promising trials are occurring in Australia and overseas making this an important area to watch for future options. Currently there are some specially qualified doctors and psychiatrists in Australia who are legally allowed to administer Ketamine to patients who meet strict criteria. I have learnt a lot about psychedelic assisted therapy over the three years and had the privilege of working in conjunction with a doctor using ketamine therapy with one of my previous longer term clients. I believe it holds enormous hope in improving long term conditions such as chronic depression, anxiety, PTSD and end of life anxiety. Australia is becoming more proactive in this space with some recent legislation allowing psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA and Psilosybin under very limited conditions however this is likely to be very slow to access.
There is also an underground movement in people accessing these approaches. Others choose to travel overseas to access these approaches as they are legal in some countries but the quality and degree of regulation varies. The two most commonly used and researched approaches involve use of psilosybin (from magic mushrooms) and MDMA (not strictly a psychedelic) administered in a therapeutic session with a therapy guide over a course of up to three sessions several months apart (usually). The training and mindset of the therapists, the safety of the environment and the degree to which a person has sufficient insight and has done therapeutic groundwork are extremely important. Psychedelic therapy for many people holds significant promise to be able to access transformational change to a degree beyond traditional therapy and medical treatment approaches and a combination of both can be optimal. I have had experience in doing integration work with MDMA, ketamine, psilocybin and ayahuasca. These approaches are pathways to accessing lightness, a deep sense of connection and meaning, psychological flexibility and letting go of old unhelpful patterns. There are many pathways and psychedelic therapy certain isn’t right for everyone.
I think very differently about mental health and I don’t think it always fits into the medical model (though I am very supportive of some of the wonderful evidence based approaches and medicines which continue to make a big difference for people) but I think we need to look much wider to some of the causes of the current rates of mental health distress and I would love to see options that reconnect people to feeling empowered, having a sense of belonging and purpose and feeling cared for and valued as part of humanity.
ABC 2023 Documentary Changing Minds
Transformations - Healing Trauma with Psychedelic Therapy
Also recommend - Decomposing the Shadow: Lessons from the Psilosybin Mushroom by James Jesso
John Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research is a wonderful guide to learning more about psychedelic therapy and research
The Australian Psychedelic Society
The Ego Staircase - How the Mind Traps Perception
Latest information and research regarding MDMA for treatment of PTSD