Modern research flexes a common design to explore the synergism of psychotherapy and psilocybin
What is it about?
Psilocybin is emerging as a novel and effective treatment for a variety of mental illnesses when administered in a psychologically supportive clinical setting. This systematized review sought to determine the role of therapists in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP), a term used in the literature to describe the administration of psilocybin in the context of treating mental illness. The role of therapists was determined through an investigation of the structure and content of PAP. Briefly, the review found substantial homogeneity in the structure of PAP across the collected studies, but substantial heterogeneity in PAP's content. Psychotherapy modalities and techniques implemented in PAP are reviewed and discussed, as well as implications for therapists interested in PAP.
Why is it important?
To our knowledge, this is the first review of modern clinical trials that investigates similarities and differences between the psychotherapeutic structure(s) surrounding and embodying modern clinical trials of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Findings will have implications for future research designs of psilocybin clinical trials.