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The Healing Powers of Psychedelic Drugs

A glimpse at why negative stigma is overrated

By Zachary BoulangerPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
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The Healing Powers of Psychedelic Drugs
Photo by Tony Sebastian on Unsplash

There are substances found in nature that have been used in many spiritual traditions and various healing ceremonies as medicine for thousands of years that are known widely as “psychedelics”. This term was coined by one of the first researchers to study Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), Humphry Osmond in 1957. The word derives from the two Greek words “psyche” (mind) and “dele” (manifesting) in reference to how the substances literally manifest in the mind. In the mid-1900’s psychedelic compounds were deemed by many governments around the globe as having no use in society, and therefore made illegal. However, studies done before they had been associated with politics and a cultural movement, showed tremendous power in enhancing human life. Specifically in the treatment of mental illnesses such as addiction and depression. As a cultural shift is taking place more people have opened their eyes to the benefits that psychedelics have, previous research is starting to be accepted, and new research is being done to validate it and find out precisely how these substances can be used to benefit humanity. Psychedelic substances have allowed researchers to find breakthroughs in PTSD treatment, anxiety relief and depression in those with life-threatening illnesses, and new ways to treat addiction. Psychedelic substances have the power to treat and eliminate mental illnesses when combined with education and psychotherapy, and can even replace currently prescribed medications.

Though widely regarded as a “party-drug” that kills young people at festivals or raves, MDMA is actually a highly effective drug used in the treatment of PTSD. Also known as “Molly” or “Ecstasy”, MDMA is a vastly misunderstood drug. Because of their unregulated legal status, the majority of illicit substances such as MDMA are often cut with other drugs of unknown quantities. It is up to the individual user to test for purity and research safety protocols. However, MDMA in its purest form is safe to ingest, and when combined with psychotherapy has out-done the only two medications currently prescribed for the treatment of PTSD: Zoloft and Paxil (Feduccia et al., 2019). For those suffering with PTSD it has been a life-saver. It acts as a sort of blanket for the brain to relax to allow thoughts to be processed without the fear-response associated with PTSD.

Treatment is started by educating patients about the drug itself and acquainting them with the therapists that will be with them during their experience. After ingesting the drug, patients stay in a room usually with a bed, water, soothing music, and usually two trained therapists. They are encouraged to simply sit with their thoughts, and aren’t prompted with questions immediately. Once settled into the experience, psychotherapy commences. The success of MDMA for PTSD treatment lies in its ability to eliminate the fear-response associated with PTSD. It provides “enhanced fear extinction, memory reconsolidation, enhanced therapeutic alliance, widening a window of tolerance for distressing thoughts or experiences, and re-opening or enhancing a critical period for experiencing social reward” (Feduccia et al., 2019). Patients are simply able to talk through their trauma. This in itself is a breakthrough as typically it would be traumatic and fear-inducing. When the experience is over, the brain is rewired in a sense. The trauma associated with certain memories is decreased or eliminated altogether. The results last for years afterwards in some cases (Mithoefer, 2014).

Mental-illness diagnoses are rising in more people each year, especially anxiety and depression. Those who suffer from life-threatening illnesses such as cancer can experience tremendous amounts of symptoms related to these disorders. Studies that have investigated psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin have proven to be useful in treating them. The first study done since the 1970’s examining LSD was completed in Switzerland from 2008 to 2012. Participants were all diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses and each scored above 40 on the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, which indicates moderate to severe anxiety. Along with anxiety, patients suffered from severe depression, PTSD, Social Phobia, and more. The study lasted several months, and followed similar protocols to that of the MDMA trials. The results in the experimental dose group showed “a significant reduction in state [situational] anxiety, as experienced on a daily basis... the more stable personality-inherent feature of anxiety proneness (trait anxiety) showed a strong trend toward reduction.” (Gasser et al., 2014) The study also “demonstrated safety… with no drug related severe adverse events.” (Gasser et al., 2014) Meaning the drug did not cause any harmful side-effects that many currently believe it does because of the stigma surrounding psychedelics.

Another study done examining the effects of psilocybin, which can be found in certain mushrooms, showed highly positive results in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In fact, psilocybin is hypothesised, based on anecdotal (non-scientific) evidence and past research using other hallucinogens, to be more effective than current treatments. Current treatments available are estimated to be not entirely effective or fail entirely in 40% to 60% of patients (Moreno et al., 2006). Each participant in this study previously had gone through other treatments and failed. After receiving psilocybin however, the reduction of symptoms was achieved in each participant, and one had sustained the benefits at a six month follow-up (Moreno et al., 2006). These results are further proof that hallucinogenic substances can positively benefit mental-illnesses.

Addiction is a mental illness at crisis levels in modern society whether it be opiates, alcohol, nicotine, etc. There is no singular solution to this problem. However, many people have directly attributed overcoming addictions to a single or multiple psychedelic experiences. A clinical trial done using psilocybin, proved effective in smoking cessation. Ten of fifteen participants at a twelve-month follow-up had stopped smoking entirely, and thirteen “rated their psilocybin experiences among the five most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives.” (Johnson et. al, 2016) Psilocybin has recently become legalized in therapeutic settings in Oregon, United States, meaning research can be completed faster than in a regular clinical trial process.

LSD is one of the most well-known and misinterpreted psychedelics. It has been known to ease depression and help addiction. Co-founder of Alcohol Anonymous, Bill Wilson, was part of an original study of LSD when it was legal. Wilson believed that LSD could benefit alcoholics that simply could not find the “spiritual” part of the program. In his history of Alcoholics Anonymous, Ernie Kurts notes “here, then, is one clear reason why Bill Wilson experimented with LSD: he was seeking still further ways of helping alcoholics, specifically those alcoholics who could not seem to attain sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous because, apparently, they could not ‘get the spiritual’.” (Kurtz, 2008, p. 42)

The compound Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) can be synthesized, but is also found in the Amazonian drink Ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a drink used in spiritual ceremonies, but has grown popular in people seeking help with addiction. Much like other psychedelics, more research needs to be done to discover precisely how this substance works, and how to safely administer it. However, a study that followed an indigenous community in Canada struggling primarily with cocaine use reported that Ayahuasca retreats “helped participants identify negative thought patterns and barriers related to their addiction in ways that differed from conventional therapies. All participants reported reductions in substance use and cravings;” (Argento et. al, 2019) The benefits from DMT might come from its strength as it is very overwhelming, and can emulate a Near-Death Experience (NDE). These are experiences that occur in instances such as severe cardiac arrest, and are “associated with long-term positive changes in psychological well-being and related outcomes;” (Timmermann et al. 2018)

Though more research is needed to know precisely how these substances affect the brain, evidence from early and recent studies strongly indicate that psychedelic substances have immense power to improve the quality of human life. These substances can also replace currently prescribed medications and treatments as seen with MDMA and psilocybin. While mental health crises of all kinds continue to worsen, new solutions must be found. In the future, psychedelics can be expected to be commonplace solutions to these problems that modern medicines have only temporarily mended.

References :

Argento, E., Capler, R., Thomas, G., Lucas, P., & Tupper, K. W. (2019). Exploring ayahuasca‐assisted therapy for addiction: A qualitative analysis of preliminary findings among an Indigenous community in Canada. Drug and Alcohol Review, 38(7), 781–789. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.12985

Barker, S. A. (2018). N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an Endogenous Hallucinogen: Past, Present, and Future Research to Determine Its Role and Function. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00536

Feduccia, A. A., Jerome, L., Yazar-Klosinski, B., Emerson, A., Mithoefer, M. C., & Doblin, R. (2019). Breakthrough for Trauma Treatment: Safety and Efficacy of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Compared to Paroxetine and Sertraline. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00650

Gasser, P., Holstein, D., Michel, Y., Doblin, R., Yazar-Klosinski, B., Passie, T., & Brenneisen, R. (2014). Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 202(7), 513–520. https://doi.org/10.1097/nmd.0000000000000113

Johnson, M. W., Garcia-Romeu, A., & Griffiths, R. R. (2016). Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 43(1), 55–60. https://doi.org/10.3109/00952990.2016.1170135

Kurtz, E., & Kurtz, E. (2008). Drugs and the Spiritual: Bill W. Takes LSD. In The collected Ernie Kurtz (pp. 40–49). essay, Authors Choice Press.

Moreno, F. A., Wiegand, C. B., Taitano, E. K., & Delgado, P. L. (2006). Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Psilocybin in 9 Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 67(11), 1735–1740. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.v67n1110

Oram, M. (2018). The trials of psychedelic therapy: Lsd psychotherapy in the America. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Rehm, D., Shroder, T., Mithoefer, M., & Giordano , J. (2014). Using Psychedelic Drugs To Treat Mental Disorders. Diane Rehm. https://dianerehm.org/shows/2014-10-02/using-psychedelic-drugs-treat-mental-disorders.

Roberts, C. (2020, November 4). Oregon Legalizes Psilocybin Mushrooms and Decriminalizes All Drugs. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisroberts/2020/11/04/oregon-legalizes-psilocybin-mushrooms-and-decriminalizes-all-drugs/?sh=58eb2a84b51d.

Thoricatha, W. (2018, December 16). What is the Meaning of Psychedelic? Different Terms for Entheogens and What They Mean. Psychedelic Times. https://psychedelictimes.com/what-is-the-meaning-of-psychedelic-the-difference-between-psychedelics-hallucinogens-and-entheogens/.

Timmermann, C., Roseman, L., Williams, L., Erritzoe, D., Martial, C., Cassol, H., … Carhart-Harris, R. (2018). DMT Models the Near-Death Experience. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01424

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Zachary Boulanger

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