On Redescribing the Indescribable: Trauma, Psychoanalysis and Psychedelic Therapy
British Journal of Psychotherapy June 30, 2023 Nadav Liam Modlin, Joanne Stubley, Carolina Maggio et al. 11 citations
The psychedelic state is an interdependent intrapsychic, somatic, interpersonal, and spiritual happening that can bring forth unconscious desires and traumas, experienced as both cathartic and anxiety-provoking. In clinical trials, these effects often co-occur. Amid renewed interest in psychedelics for mental health, gaps remain in understanding extra-pharmacological factors and therapeutic models. Drawing from psychoanalytic perspectives, this paper explores intersections between psychedelic therapy and psychoanalysis for traumatic stress. It considers the psychedelic state as an attempt to make the unconscious conscious by immersing in a bewildering waking-dream, a willful vulnerability to build trust, and an indescribable experience to redescribe the traumatic past.