DPT as an Adjunct in Brief Psychotherapy with Cancer Patients
William A. Richards, John C. Rhead, Stanislav Grof, Louis E. Goodman, Francesco Di Leo, Lockwood Rush
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying February 1, 1980 DOI: 10.2190/ngub-v4rm-t7dc-xth3
Summary
For cancer patients experiencing psychological distress, a novel therapeutic approach shows promise. A pilot project combined brief verbal therapy with a single session of DPT, a short-acting psychedelic drug. Thirty patients participated over four weeks, receiving about twelve hours of conventional interaction plus the drug-assisted session. Data analysis revealed this combined therapy significantly enhanced their quality of life, offering a positive outlook for future interventions.
Abstract
Thirty cancer patients suffering from psychological distress participated in a pilot project of individual psychotherapy that offered – over a four week period of time – approximately twelve hours of conventional verbal interaction and a single intensive drug-assisted therapy session that employed dipropyltryptamine (DPT), a short-acting psychedelic drug. The efficacy of the total therapeutic approach in enhancing the quality of life is indicated by the analysis of data from psychological tests and independent ratings completed before and after the treatment intervention. The relative merits of DPT in comparison with LSD and the need to pursue a controlled study are discussed.