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PSYCHEDELICS IN MENTAL HEALTH:

Hope is on the Way

Jennifer Allen, LMFT, ATR-BC

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PSYCHEDELICS?!

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YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS

Politics meets science. Government sponsored adds with scare tactics.
Why?
What is a drug?
What makes one a medicine and one a poison?

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REMEMBER THESE? MISINFORMATION

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UPDATED RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY AND AN UPDATED MESSAGE

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This image shows different sections of the brain, the top row on placebo and the bottom row under the influence of LSD. The orange and red areas indicate a greater amount of neural activity in the LSD group.

Photograph: Imperial/Beckley Foundation 2016 David Nutt Imperial College SQ Online MRI MEETS LSD: THE FIRST BRAIN SCANS CONDUCTED

GRACE SAHYOUNI

Psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin & mescaline:

Do NOT cause brain damage
Are NOT addictive
DO correlate with lower mental health problems

Psychedelics and Mental Health a Population Study, Krebs& Johanson, 2013

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YET…CURRENT DEA DRUG SCHEDULING

Schedule I drugs = no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Illegal
Schedule II drugs
Schedule III drugs= moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. These are often perscription meds
Schedule IV drugs
Schedule V drugs= deemed safest

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CURRENT SCHEDULE OF DRUGS

Schedule I: heroin, LSD, marijuana, MDMA, methaqualone, psilocybin and peyote
Schedule II: Vicodin, cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, Dilaudid, Demerol, OxyContin, fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin
Schedule III: Products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dose: Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone
Scehdule IV: Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Talwin, Ambien, Tramadol
Schedule V: Robitussin AC, Lomotil, Motofen, Lyrica, Parepectolin

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REALITY CHECK: DRUG HARM SCALE

Top 3 overall harm = Alcohol, heroin, crack cocaine

6th tobacco,

8^th Cannabis,

11^th Ketamine,

16^th Anabolic steroid

17^th Ecstacy

18^th LSD

20^th Mushrooms/Psilocybin

Top4 for drug related mortality

Heroin, Alcohol, Cocaine and Tobacco

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS

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BICYCLE DAY, MUSSELS AND SEROTONIN

Albert Hoffman accidentally discovers LSD 2/15/1943.

LSD and serotonin similarities stimulate theory of serotonin in brain. Neuroscience is born!

Betty Tordhog (1953) discovers serotonin in cow’s brains through a study of mussels.

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SIMILAR MOLECULES

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HOW DO THEY WORK?

https://thethirdwave.com

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HOW DO THEY WORK?

Increased connectivity.

Parts of the brain that don’t usually speak to each other connect.

The brain also shows more connectivity throughout, so the “ruts” seen in depression, anxiety and OCD are broken up and more connections between different parts of the brain are made.

The result is what is referred to as “ego dissolution” where the limited sense of self is dissolved and re-emerges with great connectivity to self and the natural world.

This is often experienced as a spiritual or “mystical experience.” In fact, studies with psilocybin correlate the mystical experience to the level of improvement – be it depression, addiction or anxiety (Richards, Panke1962).

Neuroplasticity = connections of nervous system are constantly changing. Retrograde signaling is when synapse transmits backwards - from post to pre synaptic cleft, which increases neuroplasticity. Endocanabanoids (called this as they stick to same receptors in brain as THC) do this. Psychedelics increase retrograde signaling which increases neuroplasticity which also means the experience (good or bad trips) encode more robustly.

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PSILOCYBIN – “MAGIC MUSHROOMS”

“teonanacatl” or flesh of the Gods

Used by indigenous cultures – Mazotec in Mexico. In 50s, Maria Sabina shares with Gordon Wasson who reports experience in LIFE magazine.

1959 Albert Hoffman synthesizes psilocybin

1962 Good Friday Experiment = Mystical Experience can be prompted by Psilocybin

Positive outcomes for end of life anxiety, depression, anxiety, OCD, nicotine & alcohol addiction .

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PSILOCYBIN STUDY WITH CANCER PATIENTS

51 Patient with life-threatening cancer.
80% decreases in anxiety and depression & improvement in attitude, mood, relationship& spirituality
TRAIT anxiety decreases!
(Griffiths, et al. 2016)

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QUALITY OF LIFE AND DEATH ACCEPTANCE

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MDMA -AKA ECSTASY, MOLLY,

3,4methylenedioxymethamphetamine – synthesized in 1912 by Merk Lab, but not until 1960’s when its psychoactive qualities are realized by Sasha Shulgin.

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MAPS-MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHEDELIC STUDIES

https://youtu.be/6ClPE7lLqsc
https://maps.org
Rick Doblin founder MAPS
Mission: developing medical, legal, and cultural contexts for the careful uses of psychedelics & marijuana

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MDMA AND PTSD

Ted talk of Rick Doblin – The Future of Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy

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https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/mapscontent/research-archive/mdma/PTSDandMDMA.png from the MAPS website

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MDMA – ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY

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PSYCHEDELIC ASSISTED THERAPY

Annie and Micheal Mithoefer created the first manual for this from their MAPS studies with MDMA. This will serve as the standard for medical MDMA.

Inner Healer is accessed

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COMPETENCIES OF A PSYCHEDELIC PSYCHOTHERAPIST

Empathetic abiding presence;
Trust enhancement
Spiritual intelligence
Knowledge of the physical and psychological effects of psychedelics
Therapist self-awareness
Ethical integrity
Proficiency in complementary techniques

Janis Phelps Director of the first certified psychedelic therapy and research program at California Institute for Integral Studies

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BREAKTHROUGH THERAPY STATUS AND EXPANDED ACCESS

Breakthrough therapy status of drug is a term from the FDA used when preliminary clinical evidence shows the drug to be better than anything else we have for serious or life-threatening conditions. The FDA will then speed up the process of development.
Expanded Access granted by the FDA and allows for the use of an investigational new drug outside of a clinical investigation (study) for patients who have serious or immediately life- threatening disease or condition and there is no comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy to diagnose, monitor, or treat the disease or condition.

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KETAMINE

For TRD, suicidality, PTSD, OCD, chronic pain
Glutamate antagonist
Causes enhanced synaptic plasticity
Different than classic psychedelics – dissociative
Quick acting but requires continued treatment
Esketamine IV breakthrough status 2013
FDA approves Spravato (nasal spray) 2019
Caution for addiction with self-administration
Best results are with Ketamine Assisted Therapy
www.Ketaminetrainingcenter.com