International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England)
December 1, 2024
Helena D Aicher, Max Wolff, Uwe Herwig
10 citations
The renewed interest in psychedelics for treating mental health disorders is often called the "Psychedelic Renaissance," but this article argues it does not represent a true paradigm shift in psychiatry. Instead, the authors contend that current developments are better understood as enhancements to existing therapeutic frameworks, building on extensive mid-20th-century research. They emphasize integrating psychedelics within a broader bio-psycho-social model, combining pharmacological, psychological, and contextual factors. The therapeutic potential is described as working as "nonspecific amplifiers" of psychological processes rather than introducing entirely new mechanisms. The article cautions against "psychedelic exceptionalism" and overselling psychedelics as a revolutionary treatment, advocating for a balanced, integrative approach.
Nervenheilkunde
April 1, 2024
Uwe Herwig
3 citations
Psychedelics are attracting renewed scientific and clinical interest in psychiatry. After a period of therapeutic use in the mid-20th century, research largely ceased following legal prohibitions. Only in recent years has their clinical potential been investigated again with modern methods. The ability of psychedelics to induce qualitatively altered states of consciousness, including psychodynamic experiences and insights, suggests they could support psychotherapeutic processes. Current clinical trials focus on indications such as treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol dependence. However, a specific psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in the strict sense is not yet being studied. Beyond expanding the evidence base, much work remains before broader clinical use becomes possible.
Nervenheilkunde
June 1, 2024
Uwe Herwig
1 citation
Humans have used psychedelic substances for millennia. Scientific investigation, first pharmacological then psychiatric, began in the late 19th century. Clinical applications, especially to support psychotherapy, were implemented from the mid-20th century and saw broader use in the 1950s and 1960s. After criminalization in the 1970s, few studies occurred until the late 20th century, mainly on neurobiological basics. From the 2000s onward, new clinical studies emerged, with a sharp increase in recent years, particularly regarding psilocybin for depression. Today, broader professional and societal discussion is underway, and the question of introducing psychedelics into clinical psychiatry in Germany is being considered.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
April 1, 2026
Jonathan Stellmacher, Christopher Schmidt, Helena Aicher et al.
Therapists in Switzerland who provide psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) adapt psychotherapeutic techniques to the psychedelic context but retain similarities to non-psychedelic practices. The psychedelic and psychotherapeutic elements work synergistically, amplifying general therapeutic factors such as trust, a sense of profundity, and the emergence of therapeutic experiences. Therapists agreed that psychedelics act as unspecific catalysts for psychotherapeutic processes, while also acknowledging unique interactions between the drug and therapy. For specific indications, incorporating psychedelics into long-term psychotherapy may strengthen therapeutic processes.
Fortschritte der Neurologie · Psychiatrie
April 1, 2024
Stefan Borgwardt, Tomislav Majić, Mihai Avram et al.
Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, and 5-MeO-DMT are attracting renewed psychiatric, psychotherapeutic, and neuroscientific interest, driven by recent clinical trials suggesting therapeutic benefits for treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, and existential distress in life-threatening physical illness. Despite these promising effects, the substances carry unique risks due to the phenomenology of their central nervous system effects, the temporal dynamics of their psychological impacts, and their biological action profile, distinguishing them from many other psychoactive drugs.