Magic Mushrooms Again
Regular readers will remember that recently I railed against what was termed Psychedelic Hypnotherapy. This was principally because that the person overseeing this was, in my view, unqualified to undertake such work and the inherent risks with using psychedelics. It appears now that Imperial College has conducted a small sampled research project in which 19 patients were given a single dose of the psychedelic ingredient psilocybin. The results were that half the patients were no longer depressed and experienced changes in their brain activity that lasted about five weeks.
Now, this is, of course a very small study, but it aligns with my previous criticism. Is it possible that psychedelics can be used in the treatment of mental health issues? Certainly, in the 1940’s through the late 1960’s LSD was used as a component of psychotherapy. The answer is, however, without properly conducted research under proper conditions we will never know. It should be noted that the researchers at Imperial College warned against people self medicating.
We in the field of mental health should certainly be open to new thoughts and ideas, but these must be evidenced through research and not opinion. Ethically, we should ensure that whatever work we do we ensure that the safety of the client is paramount and that we operate within the law of the land.
