Using a MDMA- and LSD-Group Therapy Model in Clinical Practice in Switzerland and Highlighting the Treatment of Trauma-Related Disorders

Oehen, Peter; Gasser, Peter

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.863552

Cited by 36 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has been used in psycholytic contexts in Switzerland in the 1988 to 1993 timeframe as well as today in a compassionate use program [cf. (77)].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lower-dose psycholytic therapy – A neglected approach

2022

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Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and similar psychoactive drugs have been used in psychotherapy since 1949, when the first clinical study with lower-dose LSD showed therapeutically relevant effects. This caused an intense interest among psychotherapists and researchers, alike, on an international scale. In 1960, the use of serial lower-dose LSD/psilocybin sessions in a psychoanalytical framework, which was dominant at the time, was named “psycholytic therapy”. Psycholytic therapy was usually conducted in clinical environments, on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. Psycholytic therapy was developed and established over a 15-year period on the European continent, where it was used at 30 clinical treatment centers and by more than 100 outpatient psychotherapists. Psycholytic approaches were employed minimally in North America, where the psychedelic approach (use of one or two high-dose sessions for “personality-transforming mystical experiences”) became the dominant method in use. The leading figure in psycholytic therapy was Professor Hanscarl Leuner in Germany, who laid the ground with his uniquely fine grained analysis of the LSD reaction in a 1962 monograph. He was central in establishing and distributing psycholytic therapy in Europe and abroad. The article provides comprehensive background information and outlines the essential features of psycholytic therapy. Evidence for the efficacy of psycholytic therapy is reviewed and a case for the inclusion of the psycholytic approach in the field of substance-assisted psychotherapy is made.

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“…MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has been used in psycholytic contexts in Switzerland in the 1988 to 1993 timeframe as well as today in a compassionate use program [cf. (77)].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lower-dose psycholytic therapy – A neglected approach

2022

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“…Psychotherapist Friederike Meckel Fischer organized group psychotherapy sessions with MDMA, LSD, and 2C-B Sessa and Meckel Fischer, 2015). More recently, Oehen and Gasser also treated C-PTSD patients with MDMA and LSD (Oehen and Gasser, 2022). The safety of LSD has been discussed in another article by the author (Turkia, 2022).…”

Section: Lsdmentioning

confidence: 99%

MDMA, Internal Family Systems therapy, and the Minnesota model in the resolution of C-PTSD-induced alcohol and diazepam addiction—A retrospective case study

Turkia¹

2023

Preprint

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In February 2023, Australia became the first country in the world to allow psychiatrists to prescribe 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This may have left interested clinicians looking for practical examples of the use of MDMA. In the 1950s and 1960s, psychedelics were successfully utilized in the treatment of alcoholism. This case study, the first of its kind in recent years, illustrates in detail how and why MDMA, combined with Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS), can promote abstinence. The case features a man in his forties with a long history of addiction to alcohol and diazepam. The addiction appeared as an attempt to avoid emotional pain caused by witnessing severe, chronic domestic violence in early childhood perpetrated by an alcoholic stepfather. While alcohol temporarily suppressed complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD)-related anxiety, it also created intolerable shame and a feeling of inadequacy, which in turn resulted in increased use of alcohol. SSRI medications initially helped somewhat but failed to resolve the issues in the long term. C-PTSD presented itself not only as anxiety and depression but also as physical tensions and pains, and their relaxation with various substances caused intense pleasure, leading to addiction. Later, diazepam was prescribed as a substitute for alcohol. While alcohol use was reduced, an addiction to diazepam emerged instead. There appeared to be a lack of understanding about the causal relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the addiction, as well as the severity of the condition. Eventually, after several failed attempts at quitting and a suicidal period, the patient accepted that he needed more intensive external help, enrolled in a 28-day retreat utilizing the Minnesota abstinence model, felt unprecedented safety and acceptance, gained insight about the ACEs as a cause of his alcoholism, and was able to give up alcohol and diazepam, but the abstinence was fragile and stressful to maintain. Regardless, 'the most painful issues' caused by witnessing life-threatening domestic violence remained unresolved. A single session combining MDMA and IFS therapy allowed him to safely re-experience these events in an embodied manner. A later IFS session without MDMA complemented the outcome of resolving his C-PTSD and stabilizing his abstinence. (Initial version: January 5, 2023; https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31521.48480)

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“…Group therapy and communal aspects were discussed by Hartogsohn (Hartogsohn, 2021(Hartogsohn, , 2022, Gonzalez et al (Gonzalez et al, 2021), andSessa and Meckel Fischer, 2015). Oehen and Gasser described the treatment of patients with C-PTSD in Switzerland since 2014 (Oehen and Gasser, 2022). General aspects of the use of psychedelics in psychotherapy have been discussed in a recent book edited by Read et al (Read and Papaspyrou, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ayahuasca in the treatment of bipolar disorder with psychotic features–A retrospective case study

Turkia¹

2023

Preprint

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Ayahuasca is a plant-based brew of indigenous Amazonian origin. It has psychedelic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, cytotoxic, and anti-parasitic effects, which are primarily due to monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). This article describes the case of a woman in her late thirties with complex trauma due to severe, years-long sexual abuse in early childhood, resulting in a decades-long chronic condition involving suicidality. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, but refused to accept either of them. She presented with delusional parasitosis and deep dissociation. Despite being severely psychotic in private, she appeared high-functioning in public, hiding most of her symptoms. In her mid-thirties, she participated in an ayahuasca ceremony in a legal setting. It resolved her suicidality, eliminated her social isolation, and reduced her shame related to her early trauma. Nine more ceremonies alleviated her distress further. Her abuser also participated in an ayahuasca ceremony and confirmed her memories of childhood abuse. The first interview was conducted 1.5 years after her first ceremony, and a follow-up interview 2.5 years later. She had experienced sixteen additional ceremonies, recognized the validity of her bipolar disorder diagnosis, and believed her early trauma to be its sole cause. Her core trauma remained partially unresolved, but her dissociative symptoms continued to decrease. She had observed several other instances of psychosis and bipolar disorder in which ayahuasca had resulted in positive effects. This case study contributes to a better understanding of the use of ayahuasca in bipolar disorder and severe traumatization. It also reviews the current state-of-the-art in the treatment of bipolar disorder using low-dose ayahuasca, and a case in which bipolar disorder was resolved with LSD.

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Using a MDMA- and LSD-Group Therapy Model in Clinical Practice in Switzerland and Highlighting the Treatment of Trauma-Related Disorders

Cited by 36 publications

References 28 publications

Lower-dose psycholytic therapy – A neglected approach

Lower-dose psycholytic therapy – A neglected approach

MDMA, Internal Family Systems therapy, and the Minnesota model in the resolution of C-PTSD-induced alcohol and diazepam addiction—A retrospective case study

Ayahuasca in the treatment of bipolar disorder with psychotic features–A retrospective case study

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