Mechanisms of therapeutic change after psychedelic treatment in OCD.
Gayle Maloney, Terence Ching, Stephen A Kichuk, Christopher Pittenger, Benjamin Kelmendi
Psychiatry research June 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115907 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAbout 30-50% of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder do not respond to standard treatments. Recent pilot data suggest benefit from both psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy and imagery rescripting. Both interventions appear to allow reprocessing of negative emotions and core beliefs linked to past aversive events. The authors propose that basing psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy on an imagery rescripting framework may provide synergistic benefits in reducing symptoms, modifying core beliefs, and supporting value-based living.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy Imagery rescripting |
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Imagery rescripting imrs Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OCD Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy pap Psychological mechanisms |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key finding | Basing psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy on an imagery rescripting framework may provide synergistic benefits in symptom reduction, modification of core beliefs, and value-based living. |
Abstract
Novel treatments are required for the 30-50% of individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who remain resistant to first-line pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments. Recent pilot data suggest benefit from psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) and from imagery rescripting (ImRs). We explore psychological mechanisms of change underpinning both interventions that appear to allow for reprocessing of negative emotions and core beliefs associated with past aversive events. A next critical step in PAP is the development of psychotherapeutic frameworks grounded in theory. We propose that basing PAP on an ImRs framework may provide synergistic benefits in symptom reduction, modification of core beliefs, and value-based living.