“The term ‘psychedelic’, from the Greek for mind manifesting, refers to the drugs’ subjective effects and was first proposed by Humphry Osmond in 1956. Other terms have been used to emphasize different aspects of the psychological experiences produced by various related compounds, including hallucinogens (perceptual), entheogens (spiritual), and empathogens or entactogens (social/emotional). The diversity in terminology reflects the existence of hundreds of potential psychedelic compounds with a spectrum of behavioral and neurobiological effects.” (Kelmendi, 2022)
Psychedelic substances like mescaline and LSD were subject to clinical investigation from the 1940s through the 1960s. During this time, the field of psychopharmacology — the study of pharmaceutical effects on mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior — came into being. Research on these psychedelic substances and others played a pivotal role in understanding the activity of neurotransmitters in the human brain, including serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) (Nichols, 2013).
Modern psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy has demonstrated significant clinical benefit in end-of-life anxiety and is also being explored for its utility in the treatment of depression and addiction/substance misuse (Griffiths, 2016, Agin-Liebes, 2020, de Veen, 2017). Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy will be next in line to be considered for FDA approval and clinical practice.
The term “integration” relates to the period following a psychedelic experience. Bathje, et al (2022), in analyzing the many definitions for psychedelic integration, found “In the great majority of definitions, we encountered the idea of the participant implementing and incorporating the key insights and awareness gained in the psychedelic experience into their life.” (Bathje, 2022)
As observed with other mental health interventions, spiritual practice and mindfulness are also beneficial to therapeutic work with psychedelic medicines. This has been demonstrated in psilocybin-assisted therapy research at Johns Hopkins University (Griffiths, 2018), in which “determinants of enduring effects were psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience and rates of meditation/spiritual practices.”
Two Cancer Patients Battle to Make Psilocybin Accessible for Palliative Care https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/two-cancer-patients-battle-to-make-psilocybin-accessible-for-palliative-care/
Assessment of psilocybin therapy for patients with cancer and major depression disorder. JAMA Oncol. Published online April 13, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.0351 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2803623
John Hopkins Study of Psilocybin I Cancer Patients. Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5367557/
heal the within 