Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) is a form of psychotherapy that combines the use of hallucinogenic drugs, such as psilocybin or MDMA, with talk therapy to help treat mental health disorders. This type of treatment has been shown to relieve debilitating symptoms in patients suffering from conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, depression and eating disorders.

The drugs appear to alter the way the brain perceives its environment and allows for periods of enhanced neuroplasticity, meaning it can reorganize and create new neural connections. They also temporarily disrupt the default mode network, which is overactive in psychiatric and substance-use disorders. This disruption can allow for more flexible thinking patterns, resulting in lasting behavioral changes.

What Is Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy? An Introductory Guide

Research shows psilocybin is effective at treating depression and reducing depressive symptoms for up to a year after treatment. Unlike current medications for depression, which have a wide range of side effects, psilocybin has only mild and transient adverse reactions, such as a headache or nausea.

The key to successful treatment is a strong partnership between the patient and therapist. Therapists are trained to support patients through challenging emotions and thought processes that can arise during a psychedelic experience. They may help patients explore a darker aspect of their personality or the origins of traumatic memories, such as those associated with rape or military service. They can also teach patients a coping skill to deal with the disorientation that psychedelics sometimes produce in them, such as loss of body control.