Psycholytic psychotherapy is a highly controversial psychotherapeutic treatment method. In it, the patient is given psychotropic substances with mind-altering effects.
What is psycholytic psychotherapy?
Psycholytic psychotherapy is one of the psychotherapeutic treatment methods. It is also known as psycholytic therapy, psychedelic therapy, psycholysis, or substance-assisted psychotherapy. In this controversial procedure, which not infrequently takes place illegally, the therapist administers psychotropic substances to patients that alter their consciousness to aid in treatment. The psychic alteration is said to result in a loosening of psychological defenses to bring repressed feelings to the surface. The method of psycholytic psychotherapy has its origins in the shamanism of prehistory, which usually used psychedelic substances. Among the co-founders of psycholysis were the German psychiatrist Hanscarl Leuner (1918-1996) and the Czech physician Stanislav Grof. Grof, who co-founded transpersonal psychology, participated in studies at the Psychiatric Research Center in Prague, the Czech capital, researching psychedelic drugs such as LSD. In 1943, the medical community discovered the therapeutic effects of Lysberg acid diethylamide (LSD), so it was eventually recommended for use in psychiatry to “loosen up the soul” during analytical psychotherapy. In the 1950s and 1960s, the psycholytic-psychedelic method was developed by Leuner as well as other psychotherapists. However, LSD also became notorious as a drug for expanding consciousness as well as a so-called truth drug in the context of secret research projects of the US secret service CIA. Thus, in 1966, hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD were banned in the United States. However, through a special permit, some doctors were able to perform psychotherapy with LSD and MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy.
Function, effects, and goals
Psycholytic psychotherapy is based on supporting psychological treatment through the administration of psychedelic drugs. In addition to LSD, these psychedelics include ecstasy, mescaline, psilocybin, and dissociatives such as ketamine and even heroin. However, due to legal restrictions, these agents are difficult to use. Therefore, psycholytic psychotherapy is also highly controversial. In modern times, it is mainly carried out in Switzerland, where exceptional permits are available. However, there are also numerous illegal therapies in which group sessions are held. The term psycholysis means something like “loosening or loosening up of the soul”. The loosening up is supposed to be done by administering psychedelic agents in order to bring about a “peak experience” for the patient in this way. At the beginning of the treatment, however, the patient receives a classical individual or group therapy without the intake of psychedelic substances. In the further course of therapy, a session is then held in which he is given an appropriate substance. With the help of the psychoactive or hallucinogenic substances, the therapist puts the patient into a state of intoxication. The purpose of this procedure is to bring to light contents that the affected person is not aware of. For this purpose, the different substances can also be combined with each other. Through this procedure, the therapist aims to activate the mental system and process repressed factors. According to the Swiss professional society SÄPT, the patient, does not take the questionable substances daily. Instead, he receives them only a few times in the course of several years of treatment in the context of therapeutic key points. The doctor distinguishes between two types of drugs. Ecstasy, for example, increases the willingness to communicate. It can also have an anxiety-relieving effect that enables the patient to open up. Hallucinogens such as psilocybin or LSD are suitable for activating unconscious conflicts. However, serious psycholytic psychotherapy is not a stand-alone therapeutic procedure, but always takes place within the framework of conventional psychotherapeutic treatment. It may therefore not comprise only a single weekend seminar.In several studies, psychedelic substances showed therapeutic success when embedded in conventional psychotherapy and under strict medical supervision. The areas of application include post-traumatic stress disorders and existential anxiety. In Germany, psychedelic substances are evaluated differently. While ketamine is an approved drug, ecstasy, LSD, psilocybin and mescaline are not considered marketable in this country. Psycholytic psychotherapy is not classified as illegal in the Federal Republic, but the administration of ecstasy, LSD or heroin in its context is clearly illegal.
Risks, side effects and dangers
The dangers of taking psychoactive substances in psycholytic psychotherapy are considered high. Thus, these agents must not be taken independently under any circumstances and require expert medical guidance. But even then, there are various dangers. For example, the patient may become dependent on the therapist due to his or her psychological accessibility and sensitization. Another risk is improper treatment by the therapist. In 2009, several poisonings with fatalities occurred in Berlin in the course of psycholytic psychotherapy that was held illegally. Responsible for this was the doctor, who was also under the effect of the psychedelic drugs, because he administered an overdose to the patients. In addition, the purity of the drugs cannot always be guaranteed, which also poses the risk of poisoning. Another problem is the abuse of psycholytic psychotherapy by charlatans and false healers, who organize regular drug trips during their sessions. This practice threatens patients with serious health problems. Improper therapy methods therefore often pose a greater danger than psychoactive substances.
