A rapid narrative review of the clinical evolution of psychedelic treatment in clinical trials.
Ronit Kishon, Nadav Liam Modlin, Yael M. Cycowicz, Hania Mourtada, Tayler Wilson, Victoria Williamson, Anthony Cleare, James Rucker
Npj Ment Health Res July 2, 2024 DOI: 10.1038/s44184-024-00068-9 via PubMed Central
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractBefore psychedelics were prohibited, clinical research with complex psychiatric patients developed diverse treatment methods and practices that remain relevant today. These early studies, though lacking modern rigor, recognized that the treatment context and clinician's role are essential for positive outcomes. This review examines pre-prohibition clinical narratives about the phenomenology of psychedelic treatment and non-pharmacological factors in patient experience. It also explores clinician perspectives and psychological interventions from that era to inform future research directions and best practice guidelines for modern psychedelic research and clinician training.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Mental health treatment Clinical research Alternative medicine Therapeutic breakthroughs |
| Citations | 22 |
| Key finding | Pre-prohibition psychedelic research provides valuable clinical insights into treatment methodologies and the role of non-pharmacological factors, which can inform modern research and clinician training. |
Abstract
Pre-prohibition psychedelic research with complex psychiatric patients generated a wealth of treatment methodologies and practices, providing invaluable clinical insights pertaining to the medical administration of psychedelics in various mental health diagnoses. Building upon these early studies, which lack the rigor and research tools available today, contemporary psychedelic research has focused on investigating the safety and efficacy of psychedelics in randomized controlled trials via psychometric measures and symptom assessments. Both then and now, the treatment context and the role of clinicians in psychedelic treatment has been recognized as an essential feature for positive patient outcomes. To broaden the knowledge base of modern psychedelic research and support the training of clinicians conducting medically supervised psychedelic research studies, this paper provides a review of pre-prohibition clinical research narratives pertaining to the phenomenology of psychedelic treatment and the role of the non-pharmacological treatment factors in the patient experience. Lastly, this paper explores a range of clinician perspectives and psychological interventions employed in pre-prohibition psychedelic research to inform future research directions and best practice guidelines.