Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: Where is the psychotherapy research?
Jacob S. Aday, David P Horton, Gisele Fernandes‐osterhold, Aoife O’donovan, Ellen Bradley, Raymond C. Rosen, Joshua Woolley
November 6, 2023 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/s3yjd via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) combines a psychedelic substance with psychotherapeutic support, yet the specific role and necessary components of the psychotherapy itself remain understudied. This review examines current PAP clinical trial models and theoretical frameworks, then draws lessons from traditional psychotherapy research on standardizing treatments, identifying mechanisms of change, and optimizing trial designs. The authors conclude that PAP is a unique transdisciplinary intervention and call for increased research on its psychotherapeutic component to inform best practices and federal guidelines.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Psychotherapist Clinical trial Psychology Intervention counseling Leverage statistics |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key finding | The psychotherapeutic component of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is understudied, and future research should adopt transdisciplinary methodologies to identify best practices and inform federal guidelines. |
Abstract
Rationale: Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has emerged as a potential treatment for mental health conditions, such as substance use disorders and depression. The current model for PAP emphasizes the importance of psychotherapeutic support before, during, and after ingestion of a psychedelic to maximize safety and clinical benefit. Despite this ubiquitous assumption, there has been surprisingly little empirical study concerning the “psychotherapy” in PAP, leaving critical questions about the necessary and sufficient components of PAP unanswered. Objectives: As clinical trials for psychedelic compounds begin the transition from demonstrating safety and feasibility to evaluating efficacy, the role of the accompanying psychotherapy must be better understood to enhance scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying therapeutic change, optimize clinical outcomes, and ensure safety.Results: The present paper first reviews the current status of psychotherapy in the PAP literature, overviewing both published clinical trial psychotherapy models and putative models informed by theory. We then delineate lessons that PAP researchers can leverage from traditional psychotherapy research regarding standardizing treatments, identifying mechanisms of change, and optimizing clinical trial designs. Throughout this review, we underscore the need for increased research on the psychotherapeutic component of treatment in PAP. Conclusions: PAP is a highly unique and transdisciplinary intervention, and future research designs should consider transdisciplinary research methodologies to identify best practices and inform federal guidelines for PAP administration.