Mind-Altering Substances and the treatment of Trauma

Trauma is defined by the American Psychological Association as an emotional response to a terrible event like violence or natural disaster, which is a major public health problem. In fact, at least 8% of Americans experience PTSD at some point in their lives. PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is an anxiety disorder that affects nearly 8 million US adults each year at some point in their lifetime. It often presents as nightmares or flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, hypervigilance, a quick startle response, panic attacks, and intrusive thoughts or memories. Prolonged exposure to trauma, especially by trusted individuals, can lead to Complex PTSD that may or may not include dissociation, depersonalization, and/or derealization.

Common treatment options for trauma survivors with PTSD are psychotherapy- either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). However, there has been progress made about using psychedelics in combination with psychotherapy in the past decade or so. Currently, there are studies combining Cognitive Processing (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) in combination with MDMA. Future studies include the combination of EMDR and MDMA.

PTSD patients often have difficulty recalling and emotionally processing their memories, if they have them at all. Sometimes they are triggered by certain sounds, objects, colors, smells, etc., and have absolutely no idea why. This is where psychedelics can come into play; they elicit a hypnosis-type mindset allowing subconscious triggers/memories to be processed more easily. If the patient also experiences dissociation, the use of psychedelics has been shown to help the integration of the ‘parts’ associated with it.

Psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms, is the main focus of this study. In one study, 12 out of 15 participants with clinically diagnosed PTSD showed improvement after just two sessions using psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.

A study also found that MDMA (known as Ecstasy on the street) can effectively treat PTSD. MDMA studies are currently being conducted in the US. Outcomes of many of those studies have yet to be thoroughly interpreted, but some research articles can be found. The use of psychedelics in the treatment of PTSD is becoming more common thanks to these studies and hopefully will continue. To read the first published study in Nature Medicine (May 10, 2021), click here.

Other psychedelics, such as LSD and Mescaline, have been used in the treatment of PTSD but research is not as well documented.

Many of these psychedelics are Schedule I substances; therefore, receiving funding for human trials is difficult. Because of this, most studies are taking place in other countries where the laws are less strict. However, it wasn't always this way in the United States. Let's take a brief trip down memory lane:

• 1912- MDMA was first synthesized by Merck

• 1984/85- DEA criminalizes MDMA (click here to access the long list of documents used in hopes of blocking this action)

• 1992- First Phase 1 clinical trial is approved in the US

• 2000- First Phase 2 clinical trial is approved in the US

• August 2017- the FDA grants MDMA the designation "Breakthrough Therapy," and the first Phase 3 trial is approved.

If these trials eventually grant doctors the ability to prescribe these medications for treatment, the prescription would be for the clinic/doctor specifically. They are not medications that will be handed out to patients. Treatment would take place in an office with trained professionals. To be clear, psychedelics aren't the treatment but rather the vessel to open the patient up to process the trauma using other methods such as EMDR, CPT, CBT, prolonged exposure, and the like.  

There have also been several studies in other countries regarding the many churches' use of ayahuasca and peyote in children. Results showed that these children were found to be more mature and experienced less mental distress vs. children in traditional 'Christian Church’s."

Psychedelics are real medicine. However, they are not a magic bullet to treat anything and everything under the sun. As researchers continue to discover that psychedelics could effectively treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is important to note that psychedelics aren't the enemy but a key to becoming a more effective healer.

Psychedelics could be used as a tool to help the masses but works best in conjunction with somatic-based trauma therapies and counseling, which each require a personal investment from the client. The idea of psychedelics being a 'quick fix' is currently causing a rift between those who would like to see it legalized and those who would like to keep it out of the hands of trained professionals.

If you would like to learn more about the use of psychedelics or find out about local trials, you can check out MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) website here: https://maps.org/

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