The Ultimate Consciousness Drug That is Experiencing a Resurgence
Research into using lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to treat depression is being renewed. LSD was extensively investigated in humans in the 1950s and ‘60s and was shown to attenuate depressive symptoms. As mentioned earlier, clinical research with LSD ended in the 1970s due to regulatory restrictions but its use for personal and recreational purposes continued. With the renewed interest in the use of hallucinogens in treating psychiatric disorders, researchers are reconsidering LSD’s antidepressant potential.
After a long pause, researchers recently presented the results of the first LSD study approved by the FDA in 40 years. The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) completed the first double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the therapeutic use of LSD in human beings since the early 1970s. In the study, 12 subjects found positive trends in the reduction of anxiety following two LSD-assisted psychotherapy sessions. The researchers noted that LSD is known for its ability to catalyze spiritual or mystical experiences and to facilitate feelings of interconnection.
Picking up where the medical community left off in the ‘60s, the scientists investigated the effects of LSD-assisted therapy on 12 terminally ill patients approaching death. The findings of this controlled study published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease showed that LSD paired with psychotherapy alleviated end-of-life anxiety and improved mood in patients suffering from terminal illnesses.
The study was conducted in Switzerland where scientist Albert Hoffman first synthesized LSD in 1938. For the study, researchers separated the 12 patients into two groups that underwent two preparatory therapy sessions before being administered LSD. For the trial, patients stopped taking any anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications and avoided alcohol for 24 hours prior to the study. One group was administered a regular dose of LSD and the other group received a microdose. Each individual underwent two dosing sessions separated by a few weeks and were assisted by psychotherapists.
The low-dosage group reported that their anxiety actually got worse, while the higher-dosage group said their drug-therapy sessions had profound positive effects on their anxiety and mood. The researchers considered this a clinical indication that psychedelic therapy had potential as a mental health treatment.
The Swiss group’s clinical trial was a first step. The same group, based at the University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, have a large placebo-controlled study planned for 2020 to evaluate the potential benefits of LSD-assisted psychotherapy in patients suffering from majoring depressive disorder.
While it is unknown from a medical standpoint what exactly happens to the brain under the effects of LSD, researchers have some theories. A 2018 study found LSD reduced activity in the posterior cingulate cortex and the temporal cortex, brain areas important for establishing a sense of self.
Using fMRI neuroimaging, researchers at the University of Zurich found that LSD altered brain activity in cerebral regions involved in differentiating between oneself and another person. The researchers found that LSD-induced states of consciousness blurred the boundaries between self and others due to the alteration of the serotonin receptor 5-HT2A. This receptor as been found to be defective in several psychiatric disorders, including depression.
For the Swiss study, 24 adults received either 1) LSD, 2) placebo or 3) a small dose of LSD and ketanserin, an antihypertensive drug. After dosing, participants engaged in a gaze-following game with a virtual human-like character. It was at this point that the LSD caused dysregulation in the posterior cingulate cortex and the temporal cortex. The implications of this research are that depressed patients may be helped by LSD because it takes the focus off the self and the ego. People who are depressed tend to ruminate and become overly self-focused and LSD may disrupt this action.
Accumulated research to date suggests psychedelic drug assisted psychotherapy may emerge as a potential breakthrough treatment for several types of mental illnesses including types of depression that are refractory to current evidenced based therapies.
Randi Fredricks, Ph.D.
When the men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice
I think she’ll know
—White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane 1967
Author Bio
Randi Fredricks, Ph.D. is a leading expert in the field of mental health counseling and psychotherapy, with over three decades of experience in both research and practice. She holds a PhD from The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and has published ground-breaking research on communication, mental health, and complementary and alternative medicine. Dr. Fredricks is a best-selling author of books on the treatment of mental health conditions with complementary and alternative medicine. Her work has been featured in leading academic journals and is recognized worldwide. She currently is actively involved in developing innovative solutions for treating mental health. To learn more about her work, visit her website: https://drrandifredricks.com
References
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