Producing Altered States of Consciousness, Reducing Substance Misuse: A Review of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy, Transcendental Meditation and Hypnotherapy
Agnieszka D. Sekula, Prashanth Puspanathan, Luke A. Downey, Paul Liknaitzky
Psychoactives March 25, 2024 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/psychoactives3020010 via OpenAlex
Summary
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PP) and Transcendental Meditation (TM) show significant improvements in substance misuse and related emotional, cognitive, and social functioning. In contrast, hypnotherapy (HT) displays mixed and minimal results in treating substance misuse. The review discusses common features among these interventions and highlights research gaps in altered states of consciousness (ASC) interventions for addiction treatment.
Study at a glance
| Design | review |
|---|---|
| Population | interventions producing altered states of consciousness related to substance misuse |
| Key finding | Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and Transcendental Meditation are associated with significant improvements in substance misuse. |
Abstract
A set of interventions that can produce altered states of consciousness (ASC) have shown utility in the treatment of substance misuse. In this review, we examine addiction-related outcomes associated with three common interventions that produce ASCs: psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PP), Transcendental Meditation (TM) and hypnotherapy (HT). While procedurally distinct, all three interventions are associated with some common phenomenological, psychological, and neurobiological features, indicating some possible convergent mechanisms of action. Along with addiction and mental health outcomes, these common features are reviewed, and their impact on substance misuse is discussed. While our review highlights some mixed findings and methodological issues, results indicate that PP and TM are associated with significant improvements in substance misuse, alongside improvements in emotional, cognitive and social functioning, behavior-change motivation, sense of self-identity, and meaning. In contrast, and despite its broader acceptance, HT has been associated with mixed and minimal results with respect to substance misuse treatment. Authors identify key research gaps in the role of ASC interventions in addiction and outline a set of promising future research directions.