Mental health is an incredibly delicate subject to explore on even the most intimate and personal of levels, which can lead to conversations surrounding the legal legislation regarding official mental health treatments being increasingly difficult. For decades, veterans returning from war would struggle silently with any litany of mental health problems such as PTSD, and it wasn’t until relatively recently that the government began to officially recognize these issues and seek out ways to prevent or assist those suffering from such symptoms. This indicates how mental health is treated on a societal scale: innovation within the field is regularly slow-moving. However, there is a growing movement pushing to embrace a more holistic approach to mental health treatment that explores the therapeutic potential of psychedelics like ketamine, psilocybin, and ayahuasca.
Recent Studies’ Results
Recent studies have found that the use of psychedelics in mental health treatment could have long-lasting positive effects, which have profound ramifications. In October of 2022, the Evidence Synthesis Program Coordinating Center responded to a request from the Department of Veterans Affairs to craft an Evidence Brief regarding the potential of psychedelics to be used in such cases, and the results were highly encouraging.
Intensive psychotherapy led by two mental health professionals was shown to have the potential to improve posttraumatic stress disorder, putting PTSD symptoms in remission for numerous participants for up to eighteen weeks. The small trials of adults who were tested had moderate to severe PTSD symptoms initially and had all not improved with prior medication or therapy trials.
Further research found that psilocybin and ayahuasca-assisted psychotherapy could reduce depression severity and lead to sustained remission for some participants for up to 12 months and had the potential to drastically reduce heavy drinking and average daily alcohol consumption among adults with alcohol use disorder. These findings are all highly encouraging, and the fact that they came internally from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that these boundary-pushing, holistic innovations are being taken seriously and have become a part of the legislative conversation concerning mental health. But the conversation is still far from over.
An Innovative Approach
Dr. Bryce Healy is a distinguished naturopathic physician and a big advocate for the conscious and intentional use of psychedelic therapy. Dr. Healy’s current practice on Hawaii’s Big Island sees him combining traditional naturopathy, holistic principles, psychedelics, and groundbreaking work in the realm of Mind-Body medicine. He has extensive experience with ketamine therapy and psilocybin integration and has conducted personal work with ayahuasca in the Santo Daimi Church
Through his work, Dr. Healy has found that psychedelics (ketamine, psilocybin, ayahuasca) offer unique neurochemical pathways for treating depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. This has motivated him to participate so heavily in Hawaii’s Clarity Project, which aims to legalize therapeutic psilocybin use. Dr. Healy advocates for decriminalization and controlled therapeutic access. As he says, “I think the biggest benefit to society would be to no longer criminalize it.”
A New Path Forward for Those Struggling
As the optimistic proponents of psychedelic therapy and the ways in which it is a valuable option in the fight against mental health issues are taken more seriously, innovators are advocating for careful regulation and control. Psychedelic therapy should not be a first-line treatment for those struggling but rather something that is turned to if nothing else is working. Proper preparation, integration, and a stepwise approach are crucial for safety and efficacy in the potential implementation of psychedelic therapy.
True healing involves a holistic transformation—rebuilding, reprocessing, and rewiring the entire human body and mind. Through the use of psychedelic therapy, many struggling with mental health problems have found a new path forward in which they can achieve a more successful and happy lifestyle because of the effects of psychedelics.
