AJN On the Cover

A growing field of psychedelic-assisted therapy uses psychoactive substances such as MDMA and psilocybin to treat mental health disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and addiction. Both MDMA and psilocybin received breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and are being studied in clinical trials. Nurses are positioned to play important roles in this area, as their skills align with supporting patients through therapeutic psychedelic experiences, including holding space for healing during birth, illness, and death.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Figure: This month's cover features a colorized magnetic resonance imaging scan of a human brain—a nod to Penn and colleagues' article “Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy,” which presents an overview of a growing field that nurses are positioned to be part of. Photo by Daisy Daisy / Shutterstock.This month's cover features a colorized magnetic resonance imaging scan of a human brain—a nod to Penn and colleagues' article “Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy,” which presents an overview of a growing field that nurses are positioned to be part of. The use of psychoactive substances to treat mental health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and addiction is an area of recently renewed interest. Two psychedelics in particular—3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (commonly known as MDMA) and psilocybin—were granted “breakthrough therapy designation” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2017 and 2018, respectively; both are currently being studied in clinical trials. In their article, Penn and colleagues discuss the potential roles of nurses in the future of psychedelic-assisted therapy and offer suggestions for getting involved in this area. The Organization of Psychedelic and Entheogenic Nurses notes that nursing skills are aligned with the therapeutic psychedelic experience: “Nurses have always held the space for the patient to heal, often for extended periods of time, and through the rites of passage of birth, illness, and death.” See “Supporting the Patient on LSD Day,” a 1964 AJN article reprinted in this issue, for a nurse's detailed account of facilitating lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) therapy.—Diane Szulecki, editor