Treatment with psychedelics is psychotherapy: beyond reductionism
The Lancet Psychiatry December 12, 2023 Gerhard Gründer, Manuela Brand, Lea J. Mertens et al. 103 citations
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Dennis Scharf
Heidelberg University
3 papers in the library · 104 citations · publishing 2023-2026
Papers
Psychotherapeutisches Setting und Integration bei psychedelikaassistierter Therapie
Nervenheilkunde April 1, 2024 Manuela Brand, Luca V. Faerber, Laura Kaertner et al. 1 citation
This article examines the treatment of mental illnesses with psychedelic substances from a psychotherapeutic perspective, focusing on the role of integrating psychedelic experiences. It asks how extraordinary experiences under the influence of psychedelics can be harnessed for psychotherapeutic progress. After an introductory overview of phases of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), it describes a possibility for psychotherapeutically guided integration of psychedelic experiences using the example of treating treatment-resistant depressed patients with psilocybin in a clinical trial (EudraCT: 2019–003984–24; NCT04670081). The integration of psychedelic experiences into daily life is a scientifically little-studied but essential part of PAT. Evidence-based protocols should be developed to increase the efficacy and safety of therapy through integration methods. With the introduction of PAT into established healthcare systems, integration of psychedelic experiences is expected to become increasingly important.
Long-Term Efficacy of Psilocybin with Adjunct Psychotherapy in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression (EPIsoDE): 6- and 12-Month Naturalistic Follow-Up of a Phase 2b Trial.
Psychotherapy and psychosomatics May 27, 2026 Lea J Mertens, Felix Betzler, Manuela Brand et al.
A single 25 mg dose of psilocybin, or two such doses given six weeks apart, combined with psychotherapy produced a stable and clinically meaningful reduction in depression symptoms for up to twelve months in people with treatment-resistant depression. The average improvement on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was about 7.9 points at six months and 7.7 points at twelve months, with no significant difference between dosing groups. Restarting standard antidepressant medication during follow-up was strongly linked to higher depression scores. This naturalistic follow-up of a phase 2b trial is the largest and most complete long-term assessment of psilocybin for depression to date.