Has anyone tried it or know people who tried psychedelic assisted psychotherapy?
I heard about it on a podcast and did a little reading on it. It looks to be a promising new type of therapy when combined with talk therapy, and shown positive effects for PTSD, depression and anxiety.
From my understanding, it kinda opens up neuropathways, like “resetting” the brain, so in the following weeks, you have an opportunity to change perspective and thought processes (the idea being to replace the unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones) in that time period.
The downside is that it is not studied well and there are no established protocols.
I also found that there is a clinic an hour away from me that provides this and am seriously thinking about trying it.
Any thoughts/experiences/advice welcomed.
Here’s a simple primer on it if anyone is wondering what I am talking about.
Not tried it, probably not offered any where around here. I could see how it could be helpful. The few times I’ve done them over the years since college, I do come out of it with a fortitude to make changes for the better of one type or another. And that’s just unguided sitting around listening to music and such.
You lost me at, “it is not studied well and there are no established protocols.â€
I like evidence-based medicine. Mental health is a really big deal, and I personally prefer to stick with the dependable, well-studied, tried-and-true lifestyle choices and medications that we have.
As you live and gain experiences and mature, your brain is changing. The changing nature of our bodies means we don’t have to look for agents of change. We just need to steer ourselves in the right direction. A disruption that resets your brain is a quick fix that is appealing, I’m sure. But like any quick fix, there are drawbacks. There is safety in slow progressions. There is safety in science-based medicine. I would be concerned about creating a new vulnerability.
Being vulnerable because of a mental health deficit is a huge deal. If you suffer a catastrophic event or negative result which puts you in the care of others because you cannot care for yourself, you are at increased risk of harm from simple negligence and willful misconduct. It is a loss of control that can impact you in significant ways. When you are a reasonably capable adult, no one can take care of you better than you. Guard that.
Maybe things aren’t perfect for you, but you seem like a regular, consistently reasonable person. Your present state seems pretty good to me. If I were you, I would maximize gains through the natural maturing process, tried-and-true lifestyle choices, and the well-studied medications that we have.
Not tried it, probably not offered any where around here. I could see how it could be helpful. The few times I’ve done them over the years since college, I do come out of it with a fortitude to make changes for the better of one type or another. And that’s just unguided sitting around listening to music and such.
When you were hanging out and having a psychedelic experience, you may or may not have begun that process with a mental health problem. i would assume using psychedelics with a healthy brain is a different thing than using psychedelics to fix an injured brain.
If we analogize this to physical ailment, would you recommend someone with broken arm go to a licensed doctor practicing evidence-based medicine or would you send the person to a clinic that offers an alternative? Maybe the alternative is to do gentle weightlifting. Weightlifting when you are healthy is a fine thing. Is it good for a broken bone?
My spouse and I have a friend who is rather eccentric, to say the least. He went to San Francisco to visit a friend, and went to a “therapy” session where he claims he was given LSD and it was life changing. I’m not so sure it was life changing, and I’m pretty sure it’s unethical for a therapist to see someone for 10 minutes and tell them they need LSD therapy, knowing they will never see this person again.
I just thought of something else, Sam Harris has discussed this topic a few times on his podcast with leading researchers in the area, might be worth checking those out. I’m pretty sure there have been some clinical trials.
I don’t want to pooh-pooh your idea and leave you hanging.
What about adventure?
Adventure opens new ideas and disrupts thought patterns. Being in a new culture helps us reassess our ideas about what is possible. It exposes us to people who are kind to us and see us in a new light. It helps us see ourselves in a new light. It helps expand our ideas about what is possible. It helps us set new and exciting goals.
Has anyone tried it or know people who tried psychedelic assisted psychotherapy?
I heard about it on a podcast and did a little reading on it. It looks to be a promising new type of therapy when combined with talk therapy, and shown positive effects for PTSD, depression and anxiety.
From my understanding, it kinda opens up neuropathways, like “resetting” the brain, so in the following weeks, you have an opportunity to change perspective and thought processes (the idea being to replace the unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones) in that time period.
The downside is that it is not studied well and there are no established protocols.
I also found that there is a clinic an hour away from me that provides this and am seriously thinking about trying it.
Any thoughts/experiences/advice welcomed.
Here’s a simple primer on it if anyone is wondering what I am talking about.
No personal or second hand experience, but I find it fascinating.
I think evidence based medicine is amazing for many life saving thing, but as far as mental health, it seems ill suited to the task.
I too believe in evidence based stuff (other than cryptids, cos’ those are real), hence my want into researching more into psychedelic therapy. And you succinctly pinpointed my fear as well about potentially uncovering new vulnerabilities.
Currently, my situation and state of mind is fairly stable (though certainly below baseline of where I would like to be) and have been seeking “traditional” counselling. It just felt like things have plateau and stagnated. So when I heard about this, it felt like a chance to take another revolutionary step upward in improving.
I certainly won’t jump into it, but definitely curious enough to learn more.
As for adventure, you are 100% right. I enjoy adventures and travelling and never saw it the way you described. I have a new appreciation for it now. I take mini adventures, but not nearly as often as I should. I need to plan another one…
Has anyone tried it or know people who tried psychedelic assisted psychotherapy?
I heard about it on a podcast and did a little reading on it. It looks to be a promising new type of therapy when combined with talk therapy, and shown positive effects for PTSD, depression and anxiety.
From my understanding, it kinda opens up neuropathways, like “resetting” the brain, so in the following weeks, you have an opportunity to change perspective and thought processes (the idea being to replace the unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones) in that time period.
The downside is that it is not studied well and there are no established protocols.
I also found that there is a clinic an hour away from me that provides this and am seriously thinking about trying it.
Any thoughts/experiences/advice welcomed.
Here’s a simple primer on it if anyone is wondering what I am talking about.
No personal or second hand experience, but I find it fascinating.
I think evidence based medicine is amazing for many life saving thing, but as far as mental health, it seems ill suited to the task.
I don’t think evidence based medicine is the problem. I think psychedelics should be subjected to the same sort of clinical trials for efficacy and safety as any other drugs. The problem here is really two fold. One is psychedilics haven’t been studied nearly to the extent they should have thanks the villification they received in the 60’s, only now are we getting to the point where the studies can be carried out. Two, many drugs for mental health either just don’t work all that well and/or have significant side effects. So it’s not that there is a problem with evidence based medicine, it’s just that the evidence isn’t all that good for the options that exist.
I don’t think evidence based medicine is the problem. I think psychedelics should be subjected to the same sort of clinical trials for efficacy and safety as any other drugs. The problem here is really two fold. One is psychedilics haven’t been studied nearly to the extent they should have thanks the villification they received in the 60’s, only now are we getting to the point where the studies can be carried out. Two, many drugs for mental health either just don’t work all that well and/or have significant side effects. So it’s not that there is a problem with evidence based medicine, it’s just that the evidence isn’t all that good for the options that exist.
My main point being that evidence based medicine is much more difficult to apply when the evidence is not objective in nature.
Has anyone tried it or know people who tried psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy?
Only from experience with someone who was self-medicating without sharing her “protocol” with her therapist (I’m talking about the girl who tried to make her own hashish from bong water; she was quite the Alchemist, NOT)
I have a few acquaintances who have done some version of it. Seemed like it was net positive experience for them, though different folks did different kinds of drugs/settings.
At risk of being judgey, the one guy who I think was most ‘legit’ in his need and approach was also the most measured in his description of its efficacy. He’s a military vet with PTSD and related health issues; did a psilocybin treatment regimen in a supervised environment with folks who seemed about as a well-qualified as this wild west field gets right now. He said it was very helpful but also very much not a silver bullet.
Others I know are more type A, tech bro types, couple of whom did ayahuasca retreats, another’s ‘treatment’ was LSD-based. They didn’t just do it recreationally, but it didn’t sound as professional as the first dude I described. They raved about their respective experiences, but I take many things I hear from these particular folks with a large grain of salt.
People who are trapped in rigid thought processes and beliefs might benefit from losing themselves for a bit.
But,
You can’t be Lost all the time.
You are not lost if you know when and where you will find yourself.
That’s just a temporary vacation from your daily reality. That might be a little beneficial.
That might be addictive.
People with certain mental illness really, really, really don’t need to be more Lost.
Schizo diseases.
Mania.
Psychopaths and narcissists!
Psychedelics did not benefit Charles Manson or Ted Bundy.
Lost is not entirely safe. Lost is not entirely comfortable.
Lost like “health” is religious. Science might not be a good approach.
I can lose myself in psychedelics.
But I can also lose myself in:
Love
Singing Black Gospel
An endurance race
Meditation
And even…
Mountains, forest, canyons and deserts…
I was high in the mountains of Oaxaca.
In a hamlet surrounded by cloud forest and small corn fields.
The “chicken bus” came by twice a week.
There was a small guerilla army nearby.
There was one person in the village who spoke good Spanish…
She also sold Magic Mushrooms.
She told me to only take a little.
'"They are very strong "
“Go for a walk in the forest” she advised.
“But don’t go to far.”
You might get lost.
I took more than she advised.
I went much further than she recommended.
I was not at a point in life where I really needed to be THAT lost.