Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
September 21, 2020
Monnica T. Williams, Sara Reed, Jamilah R. George
62 citations
African American women have been largely absent from psychedelic research as both participants and researchers, and little attention has been paid to how psychedelics might address traumas caused by racialization. In an FDA-approved clinical trial and training exercise, three African American female therapists each used MDMA once. The primary themes that emerged from their varied experiences were strength, safety, connection, and managing oppression/racialization. These experiences were personally meaningful and instructive for how Western models of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy could be more effective and accessible to the Black community. The paper discusses the importance of facilitator training that incorporates cultural, racial, and spiritual themes, and considers Functional Analytic Psychotherapy as an adjunct to current psychedelic-therapy approaches.
Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
September 21, 2020
Emily Blatchford, Stephen Bright, Liam Engel
27 citations
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy shows promise for treating various psychological conditions, and increased empathic functioning may be one mechanism behind its clinical effects. Neuropsychological and clinical evidence suggests that psychedelics can enhance empathy through actions on the 5-HT system, default mode network, neural connectivity, and ego dissolution. These changes in empathy are likely linked to well-documented increases in the personality trait of openness following psychedelic use. Enhanced empathic function may have clinical benefits by fostering greater social connectedness and promoting prosocial attitudes and behaviors.
Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
September 21, 2020
NiCole T. Buchanan
27 citations
The mental health field, including psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, has not adequately centered the needs of people of color. Monnica Williams and colleagues show that Black women and other people of color experience harm when therapists are unaware of and ill-equipped to address race-related topics. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy training has benefits but is limited for therapists who have not deeply reflected on their own racism, privilege, and oppression. Leaders in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy must adopt a standard of intersectional cultural humility for all practitioners. Increasing the number of trained therapists of color is essential to address racial disparities in access to these trauma treatments.
Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
March 30, 2020
Claire Wilson, Trevor Millar, Zak Matieschyn
11 citations
Ibogaine, a naturally occurring psychedelic medicine, may help treat opioid use disorder by reducing withdrawal symptoms and supporting abstinence. A case series of two individuals who accessed ibogaine through unregulated clinics in Vancouver found that one client achieved total abstinence from all opioids within 5–6 days of starting treatment, experienced no withdrawal symptoms, and remained abstinent for 3 years. The second patient stopped non-medical opioids after the first treatment and used ibogaine to reduce opioid agonist therapy, maintaining abstinence for 2 years. The psychoactive experience may also help realign values and reduce depression, though further studies are needed to establish safety and efficacy.
Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
September 21, 2020
Monnica T. Williams, Amy Bartlett, Tim Michaels et al.
7 citations
Equity and diversity are essential for inclusive psychedelic research, yet oversights and misattributions of key figures persist. Dr. Valentina Pavlovna Wasson, an important early contributor to Western psychedelic science, remains under-recognized. Researchers must critically examine the foundations of psychedelic studies with an intersectional lens to avoid replicating social and cultural inequalities in the field's research and history.