Top 10 Articles Introducing Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
The positive effects of serotonergic hallucinogens have long been recognized by recreational users, however, the history of academic research on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics has been turbulent, to say the least.
For more than a decade, we have been observing a Psychedelic Renaissance – a growing interest in the exploration of the potential of psychedelics in the treatment of mental health disorders. Substances such as psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and ayahuasca are being investigated the world over. From university research groups to forward-looking therapists’ offices. All with the hope of establishing effective methods of improving global mental health.
In this top 10, we will introduce the history and current state of the research on psychedelic-assisted therapy, as well as its challenges and future perspectives.
Why Psychiatry Needs Psychedelics and Psychedelics Need Psychiatry
A very straightforward and down-to-earth briefing of the problems involved in psychedelic research has been published by Ben Sessa in 2014. In ‘Why Psychiatry Needs Psychedelics and Psychedelics Need Psychiatry’ the UK-based psychotherapist argues that we have to reject the enthusiastic, yet naïve notion of creating a utopian society thanks to the use of psychedelics. Instead, researchers and healthcare professionals should focus on realistic and non-biased views of psychedelics as novel players in the pharmaceutical market.
Psychedelics: Where we are now, why we got here, what we must do
The historical context of research on psychedelics is extensively discussed in ‘Psychedelics: Where we are now, why we got here, what we must do’. In their 2018 commentary, Belouina and Henningfield travel through the rise, the fall, and the current renaissance of psychedelics as medical agents. Drawing conclusions from the historical context and paying close attention to health policymakers and their influence on science, the authors set a trajectory for the immediate future of clinical advances in the field of psychedelic research.