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Psychotherapy

ISSN 0033-3204

3 papers in the library · 70 citations · publishing 1965-2025

Papers

A new behavior change program using psilocybin.

Psychotherapy January 1, 1965 Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Presnell Madison et al. 29 citations

A new rehabilitation program for prisoners uses consciousness-altering drugs, specifically psilocybin, within a collaborative group setting to produce lasting changes in thinking and behavior, aiming to reduce recidivism. The program avoids traditional doctor-patient roles, is relatively short, and includes built-in evaluation. It is designed to be run by non-professionals with egalitarian wisdom. Recidivism rates are high: 50 to 70 percent of released offenders return within five years, with a national average of 67 percent. The program builds on prior methods such as guided group interaction and psychodrama, but centers on shared insight experiences induced by psilocybin.

Holotropic breathwork: An experiential approach to psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy January 1, 1996 Sarah W. Holmes, Robin G. Morris, Pauline Rose Clance et al. 28 citations

Adding six monthly sessions of Holotropic Breathwork to experientially oriented psychotherapy reduced death anxiety and increased self-esteem more than psychotherapy alone. The study compared two groups of 24 subjects each: one group received a combination of experiential psychotherapy plus breathwork, while the other received only psychotherapy. No differences were found between groups on feelings of affiliation with others or on distress from self-identified problems. The findings suggest that experiential approaches may be useful for addressing death anxiety and self-esteem.

A critical evaluation of psilocybin-assisted therapy protocol components from clinical trial patients, facilitators, and caregivers.

Psychotherapy January 13, 2025 Roman Palitsky, Jessica L Maples-Keller, Caroline Peacock et al. 13 citations

In an open-label trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for cancer-related demoralization and chronic pain, patients, facilitators, and caregivers identified key components and improvements for the treatment protocol. Using the Enhanced Critical Incident Technique, interviews revealed critical incidents, wish list items, and contributing factors related to therapy aspects like intention-setting and overall protocol transitions. The findings emphasize tailoring treatment to individual medical history, supporting common therapeutic factors, and ensuring collaborative care. Nine topic areas for protocol improvement emerged from the data.