Therapists report significant psychological risks in psilocybin-assisted treat | Hacker News Reader

Therapists report significant psychological risks in psilocybin-assisted treat

psypost.org

16 pointssilahyd8 comments

Not to downplay the other points but the first long term effect sounds to me like the whole point of psychedelics as a therapeutic tool.

> Firstly, destabilization was a significant concern, with clients sometimes experiencing ongoing cognitive and emotional instability after the treatment sessions. This included a prolonged sense of confusion, changes in personal identity, and altered life perspectives, which could disrupt daily functioning and overall well-being.

I thought people use psychedelic to try to gain new perspective and to jump their thought processes to a different track than is normal for them.

What if that new perspective does not agree with that person's core values? That would generate a great deal of confusion and changes in personal identity. you would have to reject the new perspective which you seem to have embraced otherwise it wouldn't trouble you. Or change your core values. Both seem like they would disrupt daily functioning and overall wellbeing.

If you're seeking therapy you probably already have the idea that something is out of order and that you don't have the tools to put it back into order.

But it is easy to assume the issue is external only to suddenly realize it's internal, like a sex addict thinking that the reason they were constantly sleeping around and doing risky sex things was that they hadn't met the right person only to discover that they were trying to fill a deep emotional black hole in their soul.

Then they get to deal with the psychic whiplash of that AND the original issue which isn't magically resolved by a glimmer of awareness.

I would think the smarter thing would be for hallucinogenic treatments to be overseen by 3rd party groups, with people who work and train for just such emergencies and have tools on hand from guidance, kind words, emotional support, and if need be powerful sedatives to help seekers process any sudden psychic landmines they trip on, and then a full report returned to their primary therapist to help them integrate any new understandings.

Yes, but that does not mean those changes do not incur a risk

Perhaps the risk of an "awakening" could be inopportune depending on where you are on the hamster wheel.

Imagine if you're seven years old and your dad took mushrooms and then suddenly wasn't your dad anymore, but some other guy.

Sounds like the origin story of a plumber called Mario.

Siddhartha?

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