Advancing elite athlete mental health treatment with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology November 10, 2020 Courtney C. Walton, Paul Liknaitzky 6 citations
Classical psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and DMT are being revisited in clinical research and show promise for improving well-being and reducing mental ill-health with a good safety profile. Elite athletes experience mental health problems at rates similar to or higher than the general population. Psychedelic treatment may help athletes with issues like therapeutic resistance, identity challenges during career transitions or injury, and interpersonal stress. As these treatments advance toward regulatory approval in the US and EU, it is timely to consider their application in elite sport. The article outlines sport-specific relevance, the roles of sports psychologists and psychiatrists, ethical and regulatory issues, and proposes initial research questions, arguing that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy should be investigated as a novel treatment for mental ill-health in elite athletes.