Psychedelics and hypnosis: Commonalities and therapeutic implications.

Psychedelics and hypnosis share overlapping applications and neurophenomenological features in treating psychopathologies, yet the potential of suggestion to shape psychedelic experiences for better therapeutic outcomes has been underexplored. This review compares the phenomenological and neurophysiological similarities and differences between psychedelic states and hypnosis, drawing on recent research and early studies of their combined use. Commonalities and differences suggest that coupling the two could enhance psychotherapy. The authors propose research paths for integrating hypnosis at different stages of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy—preparation, acute phase, and follow-up—to guide and integrate experiences. Harnessing suggestion may increase positive responses, including mystical-type experiences, thereby boosting therapeutic efficacy.

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Abstract

Recent research on psychedelics and hypnosis demonstrates the value of both methods in the treatment of a range of psychopathologies with overlapping applications and neurophenomenological features. The potential of harnessing the power of suggestion to influence the phenomenological response to psychedelics toward more therapeutic action has remained unexplored in recent research and thereby warrants empirical attention. Here we aim to elucidate the phenomenological and neurophysiological similarities and dissimilarities between psychedelic states and hypnosis in order to revisit how contemporary knowledge may inform their conjunct usage in psychotherapy. We review recent advances in phenomenological and neurophysiological research on psychedelics and hypnosis, and we summarize early investigations on the coupling of psychedelics and hypnosis in scientific and therapeutic contexts. Results/outcomes: We highlight commonalities and differences between psychedelics and hypnosis that point to the potential efficacy of combining the two in psychotherapy. We propose multiple research paths for coupling these two phenomena at different stages in the preparation, acute phase and follow-up of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in order to prepare, guide and integrate the psychedelic experience with the aim of enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Harnessing the power of suggestion to modulate response to psychedelics could enhance their therapeutic efficacy by helping to increase the likelihood of positive responses, including mystical-type experiences.