The Bad Seed: Mystical Experience and Time Travel in the Treatment of Psychopathy
Psychoanalytic Dialogues November 2, 2023 Noelle Burton 2 citations
A man diagnosed with psychopathy made dramatic therapeutic improvements after a psilocybin-induced mystical experience during psychoanalysis. Key therapeutic factors included tactful confrontation of his behavior, disclosure of the diagnosis, focusing on his resentment toward existence, using mental time travel to imagine his future self, and the analyst's spiritual work shaping countertransference. The patient was able to use psychoanalytic work done before the mystical experience afterward. This case adds to evidence for psychedelic-induced mystical experiences and offers guidance on providing psychoanalytic treatment prior to psychedelic medication.