Psych Update: Could LSD be the New Form of Therapy?
The psychedelic revolution is upon us! In a recent study from Biological Psychiatry, researchers found that LSD-assisted therapy could provide incredible benefits to those struggling with anxiety disorders. For the first time ever, the double-blind, placebo-controlled study sought to corroborate findings from a small pilot study that found evidence that LSD-assisted therapy could reduce anxiety symptoms in patients with life-threatening illness.
How Does it Work?
The purpose of this study was to analyze whether three doses of LSD, administered in a therapeutic setting over 12 weeks, would have any significant effects on reducing anxiety and comorbid depression symptoms. The results were astounding – the researchers found that LSD produced strong reductions in anxiety, depression, and general psychiatric symptomatology compared with placebo. And even more striking is that these reductions were still observed 16 weeks after the last LSD treatment!
This is an incredibly impressive result – one that could potentially change the way we think about mental health treatments and therapies. It’s important to note that this is not advocating for recreational use of psychedelics – rather, this is suggesting that these substances can be used safely and effectively in a clinical setting to help patients manage their disorders. This type of therapy may also offer advantages over traditional pharmacological treatments due to its lack of side effects.
What Does it Mean?
These findings are incredibly exciting as they suggest that psychedelics may be an effective form of therapy for those suffering from anxiety or depression disorders. Furthermore, this research provides further evidence for the potential therapeutic uses for psychedelic drugs beyond those already being explored (such as psilocybin). As research continues to progress in this area, we may soon see greater acceptance and usage of these substances as legitimate forms of treatment for mental health issues.
With its lack of side effects and promising results from clinical studies, it seems like there’s much potential for LSD-assisted therapy to become commonplace in modern mental health practices. While more research needs to be done before we can confidently say that psychedelics are safe and effective therapies for mental health issues, this new study has definitely suggested great potential for its usage moving forward. We’re excited to see what else will come out of this field!