Psychedelic therapy: what is it?

It is a psychiatric method that uses psychedelic substances to treat various mental disorders. Our first thoughts might bring to mind drugs like LSD, which were fashionable in the 1950s and 1960s and were eventually banned.

However, science has been conducting regulated and medically recognized studies for decades. For example, there is evidence that psilocybin is an alkaloid with great mental health potential. It is the active ingredient of “magic mushrooms”, which are tropical mushrooms that could serve as antidepressants.

Research from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, highlights how psychedelic treatments could change the way we approach many disorders. We must remember that traditional approaches to severe depression or post-traumatic stress disorder are not always effective. Safe administration of psychedelic substances could be beneficial in this case.

In what areas has psychedelic therapy proven to be beneficial?

Thanks to studies by medical, academic and pharmacological institutions, the benefits of these substances are becoming increasingly known. Microdosing causes changes in the mechanisms of the brain that result in calming of emotional pain, increased mental focus, and altered perception. Significant improvements were achieved in the following areas:

Dependency

Persistent depression and anxiety

Terminal cancer with existential fears. In this case, the treatment improves the mood of patients.

Research published in The Lancet shows that treatment with methylenedioxymethamphetamine reduces symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers, police officers and firefighters, for example.