Not New, but Nearly Forgotten: An Undervalued Treatment for Addiction Combining LSD and Hypnosis
Abstract
Hypnosis and psychedelics have long been used as adjuncts to psychotherapy for a range of psychiatric disorders such as addiction. However, the results were unsatisfactory as only a few patients successfully responded to each treatment. Therefore, combining them (= “hypnodelic” therapy) might prove to have an additive value for therapeutic outcomes. This review provides an outline of studies in which hypnosis and LSD are used in conjunction to aid the therapeutic process in drug addict patients. It was found that hypnodelic therapy produced significantly greater improvement on most scales (e.g. depression, anxiety) of the Psychiatric Evaluation Profile (PEP) questionnaire compared to other combinations of treatment techniques. Additionally, ego-dissolution and transcendent experiences were associated with converse levels of global functional brain connectivity. It is concluded that hypnodelic therapy deserves renewed scientific interest because it represents a promising treatment technique for drug addict patients.
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