.jpeg)
A Brief History of Psychedelic Psychotherapy
... stepping back in
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the potential anti-depressant and anxiolytic benefits of psychedelics. Ketamine, in particular, has drawn research attention due its safety and novel mechanism of action on glutamatergic systems, as opposed to the serotonergic systems targeted by the traditional serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) currently used to treat anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that psychedelics other than ketamine can also be useful in the treatment of addiction, depression, and anxiety, and there is ongoing research into the use of psychedelics in the treatment of PTSD, OCD, and existential dread associated with the end-of-life stages of terminal diagnoses .melding psychoanalysis and indigenous practice ...
All of these studies, from the 1950s through the present are informed by a Western psychoanalytic perspective - psychedelics were and are theorized to have a therapeutic effect by allowing the individual to access unconscious material and resolve conflict, leading to a greater sense of self-awareness and emotional well-being. The theory of the unconscious as a product of internal mental activity, and containing drives and conflicts of which we are unaware, was pioneered by Sigmund Freud in the late 1800s. Of course, theories of alternate conceptual realities and the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances such as peyote, ayahuasca and soma to access such states were already known to non-Western cultures for thousands of years. Western anthropological interest in these practices blossomed in the 1960s, leading to the appropriation of South American, African, Indian and Tibetan ceremonial rituals involving indigenous mind-altering compounds into what is now known as “psychedelic psychotherapy”. Thus, from our perspective, modern psychedelic psychotherapy, as it is currently practiced and researched, is actually a blend of Western psychoanalytic principles and non-Western philosophical theory and religious practice.Swiss labs and Social Upheaval ...
Psychedelic psychotherapy is a form of therapy that involves the use of psychedelics, such as MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine, to induce an altered state of consciousness. This state is then used to explore and process unconscious material and to promote emotional healing and self-awareness. In the United States, the practice began in the 1950s and 1960s, when psychoanalysts and psychiatrists began to experiment with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) . LSD was synthesized in 1938 and discovered to have psychoactive properties in 1943 by the Swiss chemist, Albert Hoffman. Early studies conducted with LSD were primarily conducted in Europe and North America and showed promising results in the treatment of conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. However, the use of LSD and in therapy was heavily stigmatized and politicized after LSD leaked out of the laboratory and into countercultural, popular usage. This led to the criminalization and ban on usage of all psychoactive substances in the 1970s. As a result, research into the therapeutic use of psychedelics came to a halt for several decades.