Annales Médico-psychologiques revue psychiatrique
July 10, 2024
Federico Seragnoli, Gabriel Thorens, Louise Penzenstadler et al.
8 citations
A team at Geneva University Hospitals developed an interdisciplinary model for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) that combines the altered state of consciousness induced by LSD or psilocybin with traditional dialogue-based psychotherapy. Since 2014, Swiss law has allowed exceptional medical authorizations for these substances. From September 2020 to February 2024, the team received 224 personal authorizations (114 for LSD, 110 for psilocybin) and conducted 396 individual sessions. The protocol includes patient selection, preparatory psychoeducation, controlled substance administration, and integration sessions. The authors argue that psychedelic-induced consciousness alteration can act as a catalyst to revive stalled psychotherapeutic processes and call for continued research and broader clinical integration of PAP.
Cognitive Therapy and Research
March 29, 2025
Federico Seragnoli, Fabienne Picard, Gabriel Thorens et al.
4 citations
The noetic (insightful) quality of mystical-type experiences in psychedelic-assisted therapy may arise from changes in metacognition—the ability to monitor and evaluate one's own thoughts. Drawing on existing metacognition models, the authors propose that psychedelics activate procedural, performance-based metacognitive feelings, producing an 'Aha!' experience interpreted as a feeling of epistemic gain. This framework could help explain therapeutic mechanisms such as intention setting, music's role, traumatic memory recall, and spiritual bypassing. The paper reviews theoretical links between metacognition and altered states like meditation and lucid dreaming, then outlines future research directions.
Headache The Journal of Head and Face Pain
May 1, 2024
Jonathan A. Leighton, Cyril Petignat, Brian E. Mcgeeney
2 citations
A patient with SUNCT, a severe headache disorder causing intense, short-lived pain, found that ayahuasca—a psychoactive brew traditionally used by South American indigenous groups—completely stopped their attacks after other treatments had failed. Inhaled DMT, the main psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca, and a strong dose of LSD also temporarily eliminated symptoms. This case suggests that serotonergic psychedelics may offer a new avenue for treating SUNCT and similar headache conditions.