LSD-Assisted Psychotherapy (Final Report) Colby Pearl & Moussa Issa

For the past 50 years Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, also known as LSD, has been banned and denominated as a schedule 1 drug. Because this substance is illegal there has been little to no research done to find out the effects it has, and what its uses could be. With the legalization of cannabis in the recent past and talks of psilocybin mushrooms, psychedelic mushrooms, becoming legal, I can only wonder which drugs may become legal next. This sparked my interest and got me thinking, “what good could come out of legalizing LSD?” So, after a bit of research I’ve learned that if taken in the right setting, this drug has potential to cure your psychological problems.

            The stigma behind LSD in one of the biggest problems to face while considering this to be a legal substance. What I mean by that is, nowadays if you were to hear someone talking about LSD, they probably won’t be using it for a therapeutic or psychotherapy use, but more so just to get high and have hallucinations. There is so much more to this substance than just another way to get high, we could use it to treat depression, anxiety, and even help someone overcome their drug dependency. I am going to be looking at LSD from a therapeutic view and try to really find out some of the ways it can help you.

            During the year 1938, in Basel Switzerland, a chemist named Albert Hoffman was working in his lab in search for a blood stimulant actually discovered LSD.  Although this substance was synthesized in 1938, it wasn’t until Hoffman accidently consumed some in 1943 that the hallucinogenic effects were discovered. From the 1940’s up until the 1960’s, psychiatrists used LSD in experiments trying to discover if this substance had any medical benefits. This was later popularized in the 1960’s by individuals who were psychologists, such as Timothy Leary, a Harvard Psychologist. The popularity of LSD increased tremendously throughout the 60’s which causes LSD to become a symbol of the 1960’s counterculture, spreading this drug from America to the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. During this time many people got their hands on this drug and started to abuse it, using it for a way to escape the problems of society. While this was going on the military was researching and looking into using it as a potential chemical weapon. These military based experiments started in 1951 and continued until the United States officially put a ban on this substance in 1967, halting all research and experiments on LSD as a whole.

 Lysergic acid diethylamide is a schedule 1 drug that is made up of a synthetic chemical found in ergot, which is a fungus that infects rye. This substance is synthesized in laboratories, first being in a crystal form and then changing it into a liquid. It belongs to a group of drugs known as psychedelics, meaning while taking this drug you will experience changes to your mood, perception and thought. Scientists believe that the drug works by influencing the receptors involved in regulation of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain. Users of LSD will call this hallucinogenic experience a “trip”, this will typically last around 12 hours or so. “Although LSD can produce some extreme, short-term psychological effects, the use of psychedelic drugs (LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline) have not been linked to the development of mental health problems.” (Buddy T. 2018). A problem for users of LSD is that this drug is unpredictable, meaning that the same dose from the same batch can affect one person completely different than it would affect someone else. On the contrary one thing to note about this substance is that it is not addictive, and users can stop whenever they want with having no withdrawals from the drug.

Therapeutic treatment would come from someone taking LSD in a safe environment under supervision, such as a psychiatrist office. These psychotherapeutic trips are primarily focused on treating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, reducing levels of anxiety for patients with a life-threating illness, and helping you overcome drug dependency. I have found a case study where 10 individuals were given psychotherapeutic treatment in a safe and controlled environment, LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects. (Grob et al., 2011). This study was designed to investigate one approach to this dilemma that appears promising: sensible and carefully supervised use of LSD in conjunction with intensive psychotherapy. In line with another recent investigation (Grob et al., 2011), the present pilot study included patients suffering from existential anxiety induced by a life-threatening disease. Each of the 10 participants went through 3 months of a treatment phase, which consisted of 6-8 therapeutic sessions so the participants could build a comfortable relationship with the therapists. During this time, two LSD experiences were embedded in the therapeutic process at a 4–6-week interval. These LSD assisted psychotherapy sessions lasted roughly 10 hours and were guided by two therapists. The participants would listen to music, have short talks with the therapists and other interventions. “The participants stayed overnight in the physician’s office. After an integrative talk the following morning, the participant was released home.” (Gasser et al., 2014). Although there were 10 participants in the study, only 9 of them participated in the long term follow up, therefore the following results will be based on 9 people. The Spielberger State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Form X served as the primary outcome measurement of anxiety. According to statisticsoultions.com (2019), “The STAI, or State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is an instrument that quantifies adult anxiety. This particular instrument is used to simplify the separation between state anxiety and trait anxiety, feelings of anxiety and depression. The STAI includes a 40-question response taking approximately 10-20 minutes for completion and the test is given in tens of different languages worldwide. This test is split into the S-Anxiety scale and the T-Anxiety scale, each having 20 items. These tests are answered on the basis of a 1-4 scale, with the focused areas including: worry, tension, apprehension, and nervousness.” (Spielberg, Gorsuch, & Lushene ,1970). Measurements were taken at the baseline, 1 week after experimental sessions, and at 2-month and 12-month follow-ups. If we take a look at the results below, we can see just how effective LSD-assisted therapy really is.

            We can see that neither the trait anxiety nor the state anxiety increased during this study or after it was over. The results actually show a clear significant decrease in the anxiety levels of the patients. Although it may not look like a lot, this is actually a huge decrease for the patients who are all either clinically ill or suffering from a life threatening disease. The interviews and the long term follow up reported beneficial results within the participants. According to the case study, es. LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease (Grob et al., 2011), “of the nine participants, 77.8% reported sustained reductions in anxiety. Seven participants (77.9%) reported less fear of death and an improved quality of life. Most reported (subjectively perceived) positive personality changes such as increased openness and deepened awareness.” From the results of this case study we can conclude that LSD-assisted psychotherapy is effective if used in a controlled environment supervised by therapists. This brings me to my main claim; The use of LSD in Psychotherapy is effective and shows safety and positive stable treatment outcomes, therefore LSD should be available for use in a controlled setting as an option of therapeutic treatment. With this being said I still believe that more research and case studies need to be done on this substance before it becomes legal, or before we can truly understand the impacts this substance has on the human brain. We could then use our previous knowledge on this drug and combine it with our new findings to help revolutionize psychotherapy as a whole.

Quiz:

- Why is there little to no research done on LSD?

- What does LSD stand for?

- If taken in a controlled setting, LSD has he potential to cure what?

Discussion Question

- Do you think LSD-assisted Psychotherapy be an option of a therapy treatment for anxiety induced patients?

Sources:

https://www.statisticssolutions.com/state-trait-anxiety-inventory-stai/

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a0d3/f41e45bc1d4b24de147d750eb9d9941927ee.pdf

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychotherapy

https://adf.org.au/insights/lsd-therapeutic-treatment/

https://www.verywellmind.com/the-effects-of-lsd-on-the-brain-67496

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