Psychedelics and Managing PTSD

DOT ORG. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH SAYS OVER ONE-MILLION UNITED STATES VETERANS ARE RECEIVING DISABILITY BECAUSE OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. NEARLY 30% OF ALL VETERANS FROM OPERATIONS, IRAQI FREEDOM AND ENDURING FREEDOM, NEEDING PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT. EARLIER THIS YEAR, PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER, ACCELERATING RESEARCH AND THE FEDERAL REVIEW PROCESS FOR PSYCHEDELIC TREATMENTS. THE GOAL TO ELIMINATE RED TAPE AND PROMOTE ACCESS TO THE DRUGS TO HELP VETERANS WGCUS TEDDY BYRNE HAS MORE. >> SO FOR MORE ON THE MEDICAL USAGE OF PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS, I'M JOINED BY DOCTOR ALLEN DAVIS, AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR AT THE CENTER FOR PSYCHEDELIC DRUG RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. AND I THINK MANY PSYCHEDELICS HAVE THIS STIGMA OF THE WOODSTOCK GENERATION. BUT CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT PSYCHEDELICS ACTUALLY ARE AND HOW THEY WORK? >> PSYCHEDELICS IS A LARGE CATEGORY OF SUBSTANCES THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE PSILOCYBIN OR MAGIC MUSHROOMS AND A LUSTY I BECAME ALL OF THESE SUBSTANCES HAVE DIFFERENT CONTEXT, ABUSE. THEY AFFECT PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY, BUT THEY'RE CONSIDERED PSYCHEDELICS BECAUSE THEY ALTER ONE'S CONSCIOUSNESS IN A WAY THAT IT PROVIDES THEM DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, DIFFERENT PERCEPTION OF EXPERIENCES IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD. BUT ALSO DIFFERENT ABILITY TO CONNECT INWARD INTO THEIR THEIR EMOTIONAL STATE INTO THEIR THOUGHTS AND INTO THEIR BODIES THAT THAT MIGHT PROVIDE NEW GLIMPSES OF HOW TO WORK THROUGH DIFFERENT CHALLENGES IN THEIR LIFE, WHICH IS WHY WE THINK THEY MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. >> SO THEN WHAT KIND OF PSYCHEDELICS ARE BEING USED FOR THESE MEDICAL PURPOSES? I'M ASSUMING SOME OF THEM ARE NOT BEING TO MAYBE ADVERSE SIDE EFFECTS. >> CURRENTLY, MOST RESEARCHERS FOCUSED ON PSILOCYBIN AND MDMA, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE OTHER STUDIES THAT HAVE LOOKED INTO IT AGAIN AND OTHER PSYCHEDELICS. BUT FIRST, LET'S LIVE IN AN NBA. MAY. WHAT WE'VE SEEN ACROSS DIFFERENT STUDIES IS THAT THEY BEEN HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE WITH THINGS LIKE DEPRESSION, PTSD, ANXIETY, EVEN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS. WE JUST RECENTLY COMPLETED A TRIAL OF PSILOCYBIN THERAPY FOR VETERANS WITH SEVERE PTSD. AND WE FOUND THAT 75% OF THOSE VETERANS WERE IN COMPLETE REMISSION AFTER THE TREATMENT WAS OVER, WHICH IS REMARKABLE. AND IF IT'S EVER APPROVED, WOULD WOULD REALLY BRING THE POTENTIAL OF A NOVEL TREATMENT FOR THE CONDITION IN THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES. >> HOW ARE THESE DRUGS USE THEM FOR THESE PROCEDURES IS A KIND OF SIMPLY A TRIAL AND ERROR OF KNOWING HIND OF THE VOLUME THAT SOME INDIVIDUALS WOULD NEED OR IS THERE MORE SPECIFIC MEASURES IN BEING ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE THE PSYCHEDELICS TO PATIENTS THAT ARE IN NEED OF THEM? >> SO ONE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THIS TREATMENT IS IT'S ACTUALLY A PACKAGE OF THERAPY AND PSYCHEDELIC ADMINISTRATION. SO THAT USUALLY UNFOLDS OVER 3 PHASES. THE FIRST PHASE IS IS WHAT WE CALL PREPARATION THERAPY WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL MEET WITH 2 TRAINED THERAPIST TO BOTH DEVELOP THE TRUST AND REPORT, BUT ALSO TO LEARN SKILLS AND HOW TO MANAGE A PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCE. THE SECOND PHASE IS THE DRUG ADMINISTRATION TODAY WHERE THEY'RE THERE ON SITE WITH THOSE TRAINED PROFESSIONALS THE ENTIRE TIME THAT THERE AND THE EFFECTS OF THE PSYCHEDELIC. AND THEN AFTER THE DRUG ADMINISTRATION, WE MOVE INTO THE 3RD PHASE, WHICH WE CALL INTEGRATION THERAPY. AND THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE TAKE WHATEVER THEY'VE LEARNED TO WHATEVER EXPERIENCES THAT THEY HAD WITH THE PSYCHEDELIC. AND THEY START TO FIND WAYS TO BUILD THAT INTO THEIR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE. FOR SOMEONE WITH TRAUMA THAT COULD HAVE INCLUDED REVISITING THOSE TRAUMATIC MEMORIES HAVING EMOTIONALLY CATHARTIC EXPERIENCE IS LEARNING HOW TO MOVE FORWARD IN THEIR LIFE IN A NEW WAY. AND THEN AFTERWARDS, THE THERAPISTS HELP THEM TO BRING THAT FORWARD INTO A MEANINGFUL WAY EARLIER THIS YEAR WHEN PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. >> PASS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER LIFTING CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS THAT ALLOW FOR A BETTER PROCESS SEEING OF RESEARCH AND SHARED STUDIES ON THINGS. I BELIEVE IT WAS MOSTLY ON ON PSILOCYBIN. SO WHEN YOU HAVE THE GOVERNMENT GETTING INVOLVED IN LIFTING THESE RESTRICTIONS, HOW MUCH DOES THAT HELP BEING ABLE TO SHARE RESOURCES WITH MAYBE OTHER RESEARCH FACILITIES TO HELP GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE PSYCHEDELICS ARE HELPING WITH THESE TREATMENT ISSUES. >> WELL, I THINK WHAT THAT EXECUTIVE ORDER REALLY DOES IS IT HELPS POSITION THESE TREATMENTS AND A NEW LIGHT FROM THE FEDERAL STANDPOINT, YOU KNOW, FOR DECADES THESE SUBSTANCES HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED DANGEROUS AND ILLEGAL FEDERALLY AND THAT HAS INFLUENCED PEOPLE'S PERCEPTION OF THEM AND THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF ALL OF THE DANGER ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. BUT WHAT THE SCIENCE HAS SHOWN OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES IS THAT THOSE RISKS ARE VERY MINIMAL. THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE VERY MINIMAL, ESPECIALLY WHEN PEOPLE ARE UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY OF TRAINED PROFESSIONALS AND SECURE SETTINGS. BUT EVEN OUTSIDE OF THAT, THEY HAVE VERY LOW IF ANY ADDICTION POTENTIAL AND OFTEN ASSUMING THAT PEOPLE ARE PREPARED APPROPRIATELY FOR THE EXPERIENCES, THEY ACTUALLY BRING ABOUT THESE POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC SO WE KNOW NOW FAIRLY CONFIDENTLY THAT UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY GOING TO BE SAFE IF THEY USE THEM THAT THE RISKS THAT ARE INVOLVED IS WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO ACCESS. THE LOOKS OUTSIDE OF THESE MEDICAL ENVIRONMENTS AND WITH OUT TRAINED PROFESSIONALS TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE THOSE EXPERIENCES AND THEN IS THERE HOPE THAT MAYBE? >> YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN WORKING WELL WITH ANXIETY DEPRESSION, PTSD, ESPECIALLY THAT IT CAN BE USED. THEN ON FUTURE TREATMENTS MAY BE FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED, ESPECIALLY THOSE DEALING WITH CHRONIC PAIN ISSUES. >> YES, AND THAT THERE'S CURRENTLY TRIALS UNDERWAY FOR CONDITIONS LIKE FIBROMYALGIA POST, PARTUM DEPRESSION, OTHER TYPES HEADACHE AND PAIN DISORDERS. SO THERE'S QUITE POSSIBLY GOING TO BE AN EMERGENCE OF A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT INDICATIONS THAT PSYCHEDELICS MIGHT BE BEST ABLE TO TREAT. THERE'S EVEN SOME INTEREST IN LOOKING AT SECOND LOOK THERAPY FOR TREATING SUICIDE OUT, WITTY AND PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TAKE THEIR OWN LIFE. SO I REALLY DO THINK THAT THIS THIS OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE WITH PSYCHEDELICS, MY CATALYZE A A WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY TO TREAT PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH IN A WAY THAT WE JUST HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE. ALL RIGHT. LET'S SOUNDS EXTREMELY INTERESTING. AND B, INTERESTING TO FOLLOW AS THIS CONTINUES MOVING FORWARD. SO DR. ALAN DAVIS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK, 6 DECADES FOLLOWING THE MARCH ON DC ANOTHER GATHERING IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA RECOGNIZES THE FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS AND STRIVE TO KEEP THOSE EFFORTS MOVING FOR