Psychedelics Are About To Change Psychiatry Forever: This Is Why

If only there were a particular type of medicine that could help individuals process and digest traumatic memories. It would also be a bonus for these patients to experience behavioral changes rather than sweeping their symptoms under the rug and bandaging the damaged wound.

Concerning the millions of people struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, there’s a new remedy in the trial stages that could make a world of difference now that psychiatry is quickly looking towards psychedelics, a new frontier of modern medicine.

In May, Nature published an advanced phase trial where patients in the United States, Israel, and Canada were given doses of the psychedelic stimulant MDMA. When given the drug alongside proper care from therapists, these patients were twice as likely to no longer experience PTSD symptoms than the placebo group. Currently, there is no known or effective medical treatment for PTSD.

The researchers concluded that these trial runs show reliable evidence that proves the potential of psychedelic medicine for breakthrough therapy. They’ve also conducted six prior trials, which found the same results.

Researchers and psychiatrists are now hoping that MDMA therapy will receive approval for specific treatments from U.S. regulations and standards by 2023. If they get approved earlier, all the better. Not only are they hoping that MDMA will be used as an effective treatment, but researchers are also saying that psilocybin from magic mushrooms isn’t too far behind.

Last year, a small study at John Hopkins University found that psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, could be four times more effective than traditional antidepressants. It’s safe to say that the interest in psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin is finally starting to blossom.

This is the first time since the war on drugs that psychedelics are beginning to receive federal funding to conduct research studies to prove their reliability and effectiveness. These studies will also examine how psychedelics could help curb tobacco addiction, and lawmakers were happy to enforce such studies, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

We’ve truly made a 180 in terms of psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs. Ten years ago, we would have never seen the U.S. government encourage studies that promote the use of psychedelics for treatment, as it’s still seen as taboo by many. Now that society realizes how ineffective and flawed the war on drugs was, the government has fuelled hundreds of millions of dollars into psychedelic pharmaceutical research.

Dr. David Luke, co-founder and director of the psychedelic consciousness conference, Breaking Convention, told The Guardian that psychedelics are the most “extraordinary tools for studying the mind and brain.” He adds that it’s the hottest topic in dedicated research centers and “top-level universities around the world.”