Psychedelics and Evidence-based Psychotherapy: A Systematic Review with Recommendations for Advancing Psychedelic Therapy Research.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy varies widely in how it is implemented, and there is no agreement on the best way to combine the drug experience with psychotherapy. This systematic review evaluates existing approaches to integrating psychotherapy with psychedelics and offers recommendations for developing and optimizing evidence-based treatments that combine both elements to maximize therapeutic benefit and enable clear scientific conclusions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Administration of psychedelics for mental health treatment, typically referred to as "psychedelic-assisted therapy," is a broad term with a very heterogeneous implementation. Despite increasing interest in the clinical application of psychedelic compounds for psychiatric disorders, there is no consensus on how to best integrate the psychedelic experience with evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatment. This systematic review provides a timely appraisal of existing approaches to combining psychotherapy with psychedelics and provides clear recommendations to best develop, optimize, and integrate evidence-based psychotherapy with psychedelic administration for straightforward scientific inference and maximal therapeutic benefit.