Psychotherapy Reinvented? - Q/A with a Psychologist about Psychedelics in therapy
Psychotomimetic drugs, more commonly known as Psychedelics (like LSD, Ketamine, Lysergic and MDMA) have been a topic of discussion for a while now, due to the increasing interest in their amalgamation with conventional therapy practices. According to the National Library of Medicine, the starting point of research between psychosis and psychedelics can be traced all the way back to the mid -1900’s, however the research was impacted due to the moral backlash that it received after the 1960’s. Even though there is still research pending, psychotomimetic drugs have become legalized to be used in a safe, therapeutically supported in environment. This is a Q&A with Claudius Dada who is a Provisional Registered Psychologist in Calgary. Dada also wrote a research paper in 2017, exploring the efficacy of Ketamine as an antidepressant.
Q -How is psychedelic psychotherapy different from traditional ways of treatment?
A: Psychedelic psychotherapy differs from traditional forms of treatment primarily due to the use of psychedelic substances in a controlled therapeutic setting. Standard psychotherapy, which is also known as talk therapy, counselling, psychosocial therapy or, simply therapy is the treatment of mental health problems by talking with a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health providers. A psychotherapy session consists of the patient taking part in learning about their condition, moods, feelings, thoughts and behaviors and responding to these challenging situations with healthy coping skills. In psychedelic assisted therapy substances such as psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, or ayahuasca are used in therapeutic sessions to achieve these goals.
Q -We heard that you wrote a research paper, how was it related to psychedelic therapy. What were the results that were found in the investigative paper?
A: Yes, I composed a paper during my graduate studies in 2017 exploring the efficacy of Ketamine as an antidepressant. The leading treatment of Major depression and Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) are a combination of Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy. Ketamine used in pharmacotherapy was found to lead to more rapid and long-lasting benefits compared to traditional Antidepressants (SSRI). Also, Ketamine shows to treat a greater scope of depression symptoms and types than previous antidepressants, including the elusive Treatment-resistant depression. With more research on the efficacy of Ketamine to come, the therapeutic effects of Ketamine will shed more light in treating other mood disorders that function in the same way as depression.
Q ⁃In your experience, what kind of patients would benefit the most from psychedelic assisted therapy and what about the legal and ethical side of inculcating psychedelics into therapy?
A;The Canadian guideline recommends that IV ketamine be used as a third-line treatment for adults with treatment-resistant depression.
Q ⁃ What are your opinions about it? As a psychologist, do you think it has the potential to revolutionize therapy?
A: I do, especially for individuals who are resistant to normal forms of therapy. There is 1-3 of people suffering from depression whose symptoms do not improve based on the classical forms of treatment. TRD is diagnosed in patients who have a failure to respond to at least two different types of antidepressant drugs at the recommended maximum dose for a period of 4 weeks or longer (Serafini, Howland, Rovedi, Girardi, Amore, 2014)
While there is still a lot of research pending, there are various people who believe that these drugs have the potential to make far-reaching changes in standard therapy practises. Reid Robinson, an American board-certified psychiatrist, known for his work in psychedelic medicines, states that, “Psychedelic medicine is forging ahead as a promising new treatment paradigm, and has the potential to treat various mental health conditions. The emerging results likely have implications for future psychiatric research, education and policy- and most importantly, they are poised to offer new therapeutic options and improve the lives of those we serve.”
