Towards social curative psychedelic treatment
Martha Newson, Leor Roseman, S. Alexander Haslam
Discover Mental Health March 21, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s44192-026-00426-3 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsychedelic-assisted therapies are effective for mental health conditions but are usually delivered individually, missing opportunities to build shared social identity among participants. Group-based interventions foster empathy, connectedness, and social functioning. Integrating 'social cure' principles from social identity theory could enhance therapeutic efficacy by promoting interconnectedness in supportive group settings. This article argues for combining these approaches, which have developed separately, to provide a theoretical foundation for group-based therapies and guide responsible implementation of socially informed psychedelic treatments, leading to a more comprehensive and socially embedded mental health care model.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Mental health Psychological intervention Identity music Social identity theory Social relation |
| Key finding | Integrating social identity theory's 'social cure' principles into psychedelic-assisted therapies could enhance treatment efficacy by fostering shared identity and interconnectedness in group settings. |
Abstract
Recent advances in psychedelic-assisted therapies highlight their efficacy in treating various mental health conditions. Nevertheless, the fact that delivery is generally individualised may limit therapeutic outcomes by failing to capitalise on opportunities to build and harness a sense of shared social identity among participants in ways hypothesised by ‘social cure’ research. In line with this approach, evidence suggests that group-based interventions generally help to foster empathy, connectedness, and social functioning. Accordingly, integrating “social cure” principles informed by social identity theorising into treatment has the potential to enhance therapeutic efficacy by promoting interconnectedness within a supportive group setting. Building on these insights, this article makes the case for integrating these two approaches to mental health treatment, which have hitherto been advanced in parallel within separate spheres of psychiatry. This speaks to the problem that while research into group-based therapies is burgeoning, it still lacks comprehensive theoretical underpinning. This collaboration will also be crucial for the development of guidelines to ensure responsible and effective implementation of socially informed psychedelic therapies, in a way that ushers in a more comprehensive and socially embedded approach to mental health care.