How should psychotherapy proceed when adjoined with psychedelics?
World Psychiatry January 12, 2024 Marc J. Weintraub, David J. Miklowitz 6 citations
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) combines preparation, drug administration, and integration, but its methods have remained largely unchanged since the 1950s. Preparation typically lasts two to eight hours over one to three sessions, while drug sessions involve 6-8 hours of monitored introspection with eyeshades and classical music. Integration varies widely, from a single phone call to nine psychotherapy sessions, often using non-directive approaches from psychoanalysis or person-centered therapy. The text argues that these psychosocial components have not been rigorously tested for their relative benefits and recommends updating them with evidence-based treatments like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which targets shared mechanisms of emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and prosocial engagement. Combining psychedelics with structured psychotherapy may produce synergistic, longer-lasting improvements.