Psychedelics in PTSD
You can increasingly read that psychedelics such as MDMA and psilocybin are used to relieve the complaints in PTSD. Studies are therefore regularly published on psilocybin treatments in particular. In PTSD, psychedelics can play a role in making the reaction to triggers less extreme.
Read more here research on psychedelics
Psilocybin Treatment in PTSD
We mainly use psilocybin treatments for depressed clients, but also for clients with anxiety complaints. Anxiety symptoms are often deeply linked to depression as stress indirectly lowers the amount of serotonin. Low serotonin is an indicator of anxiety and depression and can make the situation worse due to a negative spiral. Psilocybin, which forms psilocin after conversion, is a psychedelic that is perhaps most similar to serotonin and can therefore immediately remove depressed feelings. Furthermore, insights can arise during the psilocybin sessions, new brain connections, connection with the divine, empathy, sympathy and self-love can be experienced. All of these properties of psilocybin can help people with PTSD.
Tripping, the subconscious and PTSD?
Let's tell right away that psychedelics and PTSD can also cause a bad trip where all fears can rise in a negative way. In individuals with PTSD, this can cause an aggravation of the situation. It is therefore very important to make the right preparation, to create the right situation during the trip and to have an experienced trip therapist nearby. If all these things are in order, you minimize the chance of a bad trip considerably.
Preparing for the treatment
Medication check
Certain medications commonly prescribed for the relief of PTSD symptoms are definitely incompatible with most psychedelics.
Antidepressants (SSRI, MAO inhibitors, TCA) or other psychoactive drugs cannot be combined with psilocybin for health reasons.
Unfortunately, people with serious heart complaints and/or medication for cardiovascular function (Tramadol! etc.) cannot undergo psilocybin treatment.
Disclaimer: Always consult with the doctor who prescribes the medication whether and how this medication can be safely reduced. Never stop taking medicines immediately!
Improving neurochemistry
Based on the intake and neurotransmitter test that is completed during registration, we will make an advice for the neurochemistry. That is, we will recommend supplements, food and activities to balance the neurotransmitters before we do the psychedelic session. It is fairly common to almost always that levels of the neurotransmitters GABA and serotonin are low in PTSD. A low level of GABA should always be brought up to standard in PTSD in order to achieve the best possible psychedelic session.
Read more here GABA/glutamate and bad trips
Map out the triggers
With a psilocybin treatment against PTSD, it is useful to make an overview of the triggers that cause stress. These can be sounds, situations, people or other things. In addition, it is useful to write down the primary response. With the primary response we mean the automatic reaction of the body / thoughts, which often has something to do with the fight / flight / freeze reaction. You can also write down what the secondary response is and by that we mean what kind of conscious choice you make after the trigger and primary response. For convenience, create a table that looks something like this:
| Triggers | Primary response | Secondary response |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | ||
| Neighbour | ||
| swear word |
In case you are not sure what your triggers are or the responses, fill in as much as you can and leave the unknowns blank.
The psilocybin session in PTSD
The psilocybin session in PTSD treatment is slightly different from other sessions. The pre-session discussion itself, the rise and peak of the psilocybin session has nothing directly to do with the treatment of PTSD, but with the anti-depressant properties of a psilocybin trip. It is precisely the coming down where we will pay attention to the anxiety complaints, triggers and responses. During the coming down we use the insights, the satisfaction and all other positivity to talk about the PTSD related issues so that the brain will store these concepts in a different way. With a very strong sense of satisfaction and acceptance, the subconscious processes can be changed as the associations change while the brain is in a state where it makes new connections more easily.
Register for a treatment?
Use the link below to complete the intake. We will then see what kind of treatment is possible for you.
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