Dr. Rosalind Watts - PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY EXPLAINED

What is the protocol for psychedelic therapy? How does it work? Who is it appropriate for? Today we have the interesting topic to look into, of how psychedelic compounds are now being used in psychotherapy. With promising results in clinical trials from Imperial College around the mid 2010’s, a flourish of trials at other medical schools across the world has seen a renaissance of the psychedelic movement for treating, particularly depression and PTSD, that was started by transpersonal psychologists like Stan Grof in the 1960’s before then being banned.  Along with this renaissance has come interest from pharmaceutical companies and psychonauts, psychotherapists and members of the general public suffering from treatment resistant conditions. With all this activity there is confusion about what the results from the studies actually show, how the treatment should be done safely, ethically and with lasting results and who to be contacting if you want to try it out. So I thought it was important to speak about these matters here for anyone interested in getting a data led picture of the fast evolving situation, among all the noise out there on the internet. Fortunately my guest today is a clinical psychologist who’s been at the centre of the field since the beginning of the renaissance, and not just as a researcher but as a hands on psychologist in the therapy room with the subjects at all stages of the process, Dr. Rosalind Watts. Dr. Watt’s work as the Clinical psychologist Lead for Imperial College London’s psilocybin trials,  have made her one of the most prominent voices and minds in the field of psychedelic research. She has been named as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Psychedelics; however, what sets Dr Watts apart is her focus on integration, harm-reduction and inclusion in the psychedelic space.   Apart from treating she also builds tools and structures to foster connectedness after psychedelic experiences, finding inspiration for their design from nature. The most recent of which is the integration community she’s created - ACER Integration. What we speak about: 00:00 Intro 04:30 Clubbing community 07:40 The psychedelic therapy process: step by step 08:40 1. Screening: for people it could suit VS cause problems for 09:50 2. Preparation: Building trust and safety in vulnerability 11:15 The psychedelic experience is the beginning not the end of the work 13:05 Sharing meals; music and essential oils used to encourage relaxation and surrender 16:50 At least two guides needed for ethical and practical reasons 19:50 The ‘Pearl Dive’ analogy, deep down to the hidden traumas 26:50 3. The therapy session itself 28:50 A non-directed approach to the journey from the guides 33:05 4. Integration: after the experience, maximising benefits 35:10 Planting the pearl of insight to nourish and nurture them 35:40 6 months later the depression was back 44:20 The role of ritual and ceremony in effective results 46:20 Appropriated from Mexican Mazatec tradition of psilocybin for healing 49:50 How to talk about the ceremonial without deities and religions   54:50 Opening up to the sacred wound VS numbing the feelings 58:50 Ros’s first experience: Fear before and transformation after 01:07:35 The ‘brain reset’ analogy and the expectations it created 01:12:05 Mystical experience’s importance in the transformation  01:18:05 Adverse psychedelic effects: actively facing the hardest places References: ACER Community Integration Group Dr. Rosalind Watts, A.C.E. Accept, Embody, Connect model Maria Sabina, Mexican shaman - Life magazine 1957 Gaia Hypothesis Adverse effects trial at Greenwich University: Jules Evans and David Luke  Increased brain connectivity following psilocybin treatment Little Pharma (Dr. Ben Sessa)