Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy and Attachment: Observed Reduction in Attachment Anxiety and Influences of Attachment Insecurity on the Psilocybin Experience
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science December 9, 2020 Christopher S. Stauffer, B. Anderson, Kile Ortigo et al. 65 citations
Attachment insecurity, measured as anxiety and avoidance, is an early-life risk factor for psychopathology. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy may reduce attachment anxiety. In a study of 18 male long-term AIDS survivors with moderate-severe demoralization, attachment anxiety decreased significantly from baseline to three months after a single psilocybin session embedded in group therapy. Attachment avoidance did not change. Higher baseline attachment anxiety predicted stronger mystical-type experiences during the psilocybin session, while higher baseline attachment avoidance predicted more challenging experiences. These results suggest that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy could be optimized by considering individual attachment styles.