Psychedelic Therapy Could be a New Treatment Option for PTSD

According to a recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Canadian researchers are re-examining the use of psychedelic drugs to “open clinical doors and therapeutic doors long closed,” according to Dr. Evan Wood, Professor of Medicine and Canada Research Chair  at the University of British Columbia. 

Psychedelic drugs are substances, such as lyserigc acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), that “have a strong effect on one’s ‘conscious experience'”. Researchers are using studies from the 1950s and 1960s to inform their reserach, and have already performed some small, controlled trials.

Previous studies have examined using LSD-assisted psychotherapy to reduce anxiety from terminal illness, an active molecule in psilocybin as part of therapy for alcohol addiction, and MDMA to reduce PTSD symptoms in individuals with chronic-treatment resistant PTSD.

The researchers leading the current studies plan on examining how psychedelic drugs as treatments for addiction and PTSD. Despite the fact that previous studies raised some ethical issues, these researchers are confident that using psychedelics as therapeutic agents “can conform to the rigorous scientific, ethical and safety standards expected of contemporary medical research.”