The new psychotherapy: MDMA and the Shadow - Ann Shulgin (original) (raw)
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The goals of this manual are 1) to delineate the core elements of MDMAassisted psychotherapy in the psychotherapeutic treatment of Anxiety Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition, and, 2) to educate therapists about the phases and steps involved in conducting this therapy. This manual will assist in the process of standardizing and validating this treatment in the context of controlled clinical trials and will provide therapists with appropriate strategies for preparing the patient for MDMA-assisted sessions, conducting the MDMA sessions, and facilitating follow-up sessions designed to expand and integrate the therapeutic process.
Developing Guidelines and Competencies for the Training of Psychedelic Therapists
Research since the 1950s has shown that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has had significant positive effects in reductions of specific clinical symptoms and increases in quality of life as measured on a variety of indices. The intensity of focus on evidence-based outcomes, however, has resulted in a paucity of active discussions and research on the core competencies of the therapists themselves. The context of the history of psychedelic research reveals how this neglect of therapist variables occurred. With current discussions of Phase 3 and expanded access research programs for psilocybin-assisted and MDMA-assisted psychotherapies, there will be a great need for competent therapists trained in this clinical specialty. This is particularly the case if less restricted, legal medical use is approved within the next 6 to 10 years. This article is the first review and compilation of psychedelic therapist competencies derived from the psychedelic literature. These six therapist competencies are empathetic abiding presence; trust enhancement; spiritual intelligence; knowledge of the physical and psychological effects of psychedelics; therapist self-awareness and ethical integrity; and proficiency in complementary techniques. A further contribution of this review is a delineation of the 12 fundamental curricular domains of study for the training and development of these therapist competencies. As current legal restrictions evolve, aspects of these training guidelines will develop accordingly.
Humans have used serotonergic hallucinogens (i.e. psychedelics) for spiritual, ceremonial, and recreational purposes for thousands of years, but their administration as part of a structured therapeutic intervention is still a relatively novel practice within Western medical and psycho- logical frameworks. In the mid-20th century, considerable advances were made in developing therapeutic approaches integrating administration of low (psycholytic) and high (psychedelic) doses of serotonergic hallucinogens for treatment of a variety of conditions, often incorporating psychoanalytic concepts prevalent at that time. This work contributed seminal insights regarding how these substances may be employed with efficacy and safety in targeted therapeutic inter- ventions, including the importance of optimizing set (frame of mind) and setting (therapeutic environment). More recently, clinical and pharmacological research has revisited the effects and therapeutic potential of psychedelics utilizing a variety of approaches. The current article pro- vides an overview of past and present models of psychedelic therapy, and discusses important considerations for future interventions incorporating the use of psychedelics in research and clinical practice.
Confrontation with the Unconscious: Jungian Depth Psychology and Psychedelic Experience, 2013
""In this book I draw on psychedelic research, a wide range of personal psychedelic experiences, and C. G. Jung’s work on trauma, the shadow, psychosis, and transformation—including Jung’s own “confrontation with the unconscious”— to show the relevance of Jung’s penetrating insights to the work of Stanislav Grof, Ann Shulgin, and many other psychedelic researchers. I also demonstrate the great value of Jung’s insights for understanding difficult psychedelic experiences and promoting safe and effective psychedelic exploration and psychotherapy. This book is the result of years of scholarly research (including a Ph.D. dissertation) under the guidance of some of the world's leading experts in psychedelic and transpersonal studies. My research was motivated by my need to understand my own psychedelic experiences, especially the difficult ones. Praise for the Book: “A landmark study … timely, impeccably researched, and wisely conceived.” — Sean Kelly, author of Individuation and the Absolute: Hegel, Jung, and the Path Toward Wholeness “A perceptive and creative interface between the thought of Carl Jung and contemporary psychedelic research, now in its rebirth, by a scholar who skilfully articulates a profound comprehension of both realms of knowledge.” — William A. Richards, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, co-designer and principal monitor for Johns Hopkins’ study on psilocybin-induced mystical experiences “The Jungian insights Dr. Hill provides here are invaluable for clinicians working with acute psychedelic crises and the integration of difficult psychedelic experiences. They also shed light on the robust archetypal dynamics of all psychological transformation.” — David Lukoff, Co-President of the Association of Transpersonal Psychology and co-author of the DSM-IV category Religious or Spiritual Problem “Scott Hill’s brilliant book presents a sophisticated analysis of how psychedelic experiences may be understood from the standpoint of Jung’s archetypal psychology.” — Ralph Metzner, author of The Unfolding Self, and other books, including The Psychedelic Experience (with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert) "Dr. Scott Hill has written a big book about a thorny subject and I, for one, amextremely grateful, though my few words scarcely do it justice. Speaking as aseeker after consciousness, it is about time that someone called our attentionback to the potential value of the psychedelic experience as a bona fide agent inpersonal transformation. And speaking as a Jungian analyst, it is about timethat serious consideration of and openness to it should replace the quick judgment and summary dismissal I witnessed so long ago." – Stephen A. Martin, Jungian analyst and President Emeritus and Co-Founder of the Philemon Foundation "The wisdom in this book offers hope that we can heal the psychological wounds and political divisions of the past, objectively assess the benefits as well as the risks of psychedelics, and move toward a more informed and mature application of these valuable substances." — Rick Doblin, Ph.D., executive director, MAPS
This dissertation explores the concept of catharsis and the use of 3,4- methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA) within psychotherapy with individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The research develops an expanded definition of catharsis to account for what often arises during therapeutic sessions related to healing trauma and PTSD. As part of this expanded definition, the Athenian cathartic integration is introduced, which is contrasted and synthesized with the Apollonian (focused on mental insight) and the Dionysian (focused on emotional release) views of catharsis. From there, the Athenian model is proposed within the psychedelic and therapeutic lens.The inquiry uses a transdisciplinary framework at the intersection ofJungian and transpersonal psychology, mindfulness, clinical research, and consciousness studies. It explores archetypal catharsis, which helps create a framework for spirituality within the scope of cathartic and peak experiences, the Abyss Experience, and other non-ordinary states of consciousness. The dissertation also reviews the historical and current literature around the use of MDMA as a therapeutic tool, and analyzes possible cultural and clinical blind spots, such as legalities, difficulties around set and setting, and working with difficult traumatic experiences in altered states of consciousness. Possible solutions are explored in this Athenian integrative and cathartic theory that allow therapists and clients to create a framework of therapeutic goals for future models of clinical psychedelic uses. Keywords: catharsis, abreaction, integration, psychology, Jungian, entheogens, psychedelics, empathogens, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, spiritual emergence, spiritual emergency, peak experience, trauma, transdisciplinary, Athena, archetypal, mindfulness, transpersonal, PTSD, Dionysian, Apollonian, mindfulness
Focusing-oriented Psychotherapy as a Supplement to Preparation for Psychedelic Therapy
Journal of Transpersonal Psychology , 2009
Participants need to prepare in advance for psychedelic therapy sessions. However, due to the decades-long dormancy of psychedelic experimental treatment with human subjects, a gap exists in the research concerning specific techniques for optimizing the potential psychological and psychospiritual benefits of psychedelic medicines and for reducing the risk of harmful experiences. As a result, participants may be asked to set an intention for their sessions without having a clear understanding of how to accomplish that step. Focusing-Oriented approaches to psychotherapy may support and enhance pre-session preparation for psychedelic therapy by providing facilitators with a means …
Skypedelia: Psychedelic luminaries by Skype
Skypedelia: Psychedelic luminaries by Skype. Chaired symposium. Breaking Convention: Multidisciplinary Conference of Psychedelic Consciousness, University of Greenwich, London, 12th-14th July, 2013. Videos: https://vimeo.com/74714107 https://vimeo.com/74804463 https://vimeo.com/75282865 Chaired by Dr David Luke 18:00 Casey Hardison & Charlotte Walsh - Charlotte Walsh Interviews Casey Hardison 18:30 Dr Dennis McKenna - Ayahuasca Research Then and Now (1984-2013) 19:00 Dr Tim Scully - A Sketch of the Early History of LSD Manufacturing