Re:Alterations in glutamate and the experience of ego dissol...
by dTal on Friday May 29, 2020 @04:53AM
(#23347793)
I never suggested that the dose be ad-hoc, nor implied that we should just give people psychedelics to take home and hope for the best.
"One time cure" is indeed not accurate, today, but as a shorthand it captures the promise of psychedelic treatments. A single session can give benefits lasting many months, and some people may remit entirely. This is why more research is needed.
>I'm sure the vast majority of people would prefer a daily pill that has no cognitive distortions.
These don't exist. Existing psychological medication, not unsurprisingly, often comes with severe cognitive distortions - far worse than a single psychedelic trip every few months.
No research points to psychedelics being a one-time, permanent cure. That's an extreme misrepresentation of the science.
In fact, the current psychedelic research revolves around a series of intense therapy sessions, a small number of which involve psychedelics. They aren't just giving people psychedelics to take at home and hoping for the best.
And again, no serious researchers are suggesting that depression is cured permanently, let alone with a single ad-hoc dose. This should be common sense, as many people who used psychedelics recreationally still suffer from depression. Indeed, psychedelics can worsen depression for some people.
Properly replicating these psychedelic-assisted therapy sequences is going to be expensive. I'm sure the vast majority of people would prefer a daily pill that has no cognitive distortions.