Residential Psychedelic (LSD) Therapy for the Narcotic Addict
Archives of General Psychiatry June 1, 1973 DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1973.01750360040005
Summary
A compelling finding reveals that chronic heroin abusers undergoing brief residential psychedelic therapy showed significantly higher abstinence rates. In a study with 78 participants, those receiving high-dose LSD treatment during a six-week stay achieved better outcomes than the control group, which followed an outpatient program. Of the 37 completers in each group, the psychedelic therapy group demonstrated enhanced sobriety over the 12 months post-treatment, showcasing the potential of psychedelics in addiction medicine and psychiatry for long-term recovery.
Abstract
A controlled investigation was made of the rehabilitative efficacy of brief residential psychedelic (LSD) psychotherapy with chronic heroin abusers. Seventy-eight volunteer addict inmates from Maryland correctional institutions were randomly assigned to the following: a treatment condition–psychedlic therapy (incorporating one high-dose LSD administration) during a six weeks residence in a halfway house type of facility; or a control condition–an outpatient clinic program including daily urine monitoring and weekly group psychotherapy. All subjects (37 completers in each group) were treated identically save for the initial six-week period of residential treatment. Major outcome criteria were based on evaluative assessments (including daily urine surveillance) of the treatment and control groups covering the 12 months following discharge to the community. Comparative verified abstinence data throughout the first posttreatment year were significantly in favor of the treatment group.