The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy

Pahnke, Walter N.; Kurland, Albert A.; Unger, Sanford M.; Savage, Charles; Grof, Stanislav

doi:10.1001/jama.1970.03170240060010

Cited by 161 publications

(115 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Patients with life-threatening illnesses confront an existential threat from shortened life expectancy that often causes periods of suffering, pain, and anxiety. Congruent with earlier studies (Pahnke et al, 1970), the results in the experimental dose group show a significant reduction in state anxiety, as experienced on a daily basis. Furthermore, the more stable personality-inherent feature of anxiety proneness (trait anxiety) showed a strong trend toward reduction.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases

Gasser¹,

Holstein²,

Michel³

et al. 2014

Journal of Nervous &Amp; Mental Disease

562

532

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A double-blind, randomized, active placebo-controlled pilot study was conducted to examine safety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)-assisted psychotherapy in 12 patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases. Treatment included drug-free psychotherapy sessions supplemented by two LSD-assisted psychotherapy sessions 2 to 3 weeks apart. The participants received either 200 μg of LSD (n = 8) or 20 μg of LSD with an open-label crossover to 200 μg of LSD after the initial blinded treatment was unmasked (n = 4). At the 2-month follow-up, positive trends were found via the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in reductions in trait anxiety (p = 0.033) with an effect size of 1.1, and state anxiety was significantly reduced (p = 0.021) with an effect size of 1.2, with no acute or chronic adverse effects persisting beyond 1 day after treatment or treatment-related serious adverse events. STAI reductions were sustained for 12 months. These results indicate that when administered safely in a methodologically rigorous medically supervised psychotherapeutic setting, LSD can reduce anxiety, suggesting that larger controlled studies are warranted.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases

Gasser¹,

Holstein²,

Michel³

et al. 2014

Journal of Nervous &Amp; Mental Disease

562

532

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…All groups showed consistent improvements and no significant difference was found between the LSD groups and the control groups. A similar approach, and non-significant result, was found in two further controlled studies by Bowen (Bowen et al, 1970) and Tomsovic (Tomsovic and Edwards, 1970), with borderline significant results found by Pahnke (Pahnke et al, 1970).…”

Section: E1970 Studies With Alcoholismsupporting

confidence: 63%

Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future

2018

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a b s t r a c tThe classical psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide and mescaline, were used extensively in psychiatry before they were placed in Schedule I of the UN Convention on Drugs in 1967. Experimentation and clinical trials undertaken prior to legal sanction suggest that they are not helpful for those with established psychotic disorders and should be avoided in those liable to develop them. However, those with so-called 'psychoneurotic' disorders sometimes benefited considerably from their tendency to 'loosen' otherwise fixed, maladaptive patterns of cognition and behaviour, particularly when given in a supportive, therapeutic setting. Pre-prohibition studies in this area were sub-optimal, although a recent systematic review in unipolar mood disorder and a meta-analysis in alcoholism have both suggested efficacy. The incidence of serious adverse events appears to be low. Since 2006, there have been several pilot trials and randomised controlled trials using psychedelics (mostly psilocybin) in various non-psychotic psychiatric disorders. These have provided encouraging results that provide initial evidence of safety and efficacy, however the regulatory and legal hurdles to licensing psychedelics as medicines are formidable. This paper summarises clinical trials using psychedelics pre and post prohibition, discusses the methodological challenges of performing good quality trials in this area and considers a strategic approach to the legal and regulatory barriers to licensing psychedelics as a treatment in mainstream psychiatry.

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“…For those who did quit on the first session, the additional psilocybin sessions were meant to support motivation for long-term abstinence. This approach was informed by studies of hallucinogen-facilitated substance dependence treatment in which investigators described an extended, time-limited, post-session period (sometimes referred to as an “afterglow”) associated with decreased substance use, elevated mood and energy, decreased anxiety, and increased capacity for close interpersonal relationships (e.g., Bowen et al, 1970; Pahnke et al, 1970). As investigators have suggested, long-term abstinence may be enhanced by including multiple sessions, which may work by extending the “afterglow” period through the time of greatest relapse risk, or by increasing the probability of a transformative mystical experience (Grinspoon and Bakalar, 1979; Halpern 1996; Osmond et al, 1967; Savage and McCabe, 1973; Smart et al, 1966).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilot study of the 5-HT_2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction

et al. 2014

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Despite suggestive early findings on the therapeutic use of hallucinogens in the treatment of substance use disorders, rigorous follow up has not been conducted. To determine the safety and feasibility of psilocybin as an adjunct to tobacco smoking cessation treatment we conducted an open-label pilot study administering moderate (20mg/70kg) and high (30mg/70kg) doses of psilocybin within a structured 15-week smoking cessation treatment protocol. Participants were 15 psychiatrically healthy nicotine-dependent smokers (10 males; mean age of 51 years), with a mean of 6 previous lifetime quit attempts, and smoking a mean of 19 cigarettes per day for a mean of 31 years at intake. Biomarkers assessing smoking status, and self-report measures of smoking behavior demonstrated that 12 of 15 participants (80%) showed seven-day point prevalence abstinence at 6-month follow-up. The observed smoking cessation rate substantially exceeds rates commonly reported for other behavioral and/or pharmacological therapies (typically <35%). Although the open-label design does not allow for definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of psilocybin, these findings suggest psilocybin may be a potentially efficacious adjunct to current smoking cessation treatment models. The present study illustrates a framework for future research on the efficacy and mechanisms of hallucinogen-facilitated treatment of addiction.

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The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy

Cited by 161 publications

References 18 publications

Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases

Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases

Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future

Pilot study of the 5-HT_2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction

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The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy

Cited by 161 publications

References 18 publications

Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases

Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases

Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future

Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Pilot study of the 5-HT_2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction