Naturalistic psychedelic therapy: The role of relaxation and subjective drug effects in antidepressant response
Journal of Psychopharmacology September 20, 2024 Abigail E Calder, Benjamin Rausch, Matthias E Liechti et al. 17 citations
In Switzerland, where psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is permitted under a limited medical use program, patients receiving PAT and healthy volunteers given LSD or psilocybin reported similar overall drug effects and mystical experiences. However, patients reported lower ratings of ego dissolution. Depressive symptoms, measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, significantly decreased in patients. The strongest predictor of antidepressant improvement was relaxation during the session, while mystical-type experiences did not predict antidepressant effects. Most patients had mild adverse effects that resolved within 48 hours. Hourly assessments of drug effects may better predict clinical outcomes than retrospective measures of mystical experience.