Last updated : January 20, 2025
Therapists are experimenting with using psychedelic drugs, such as MDMA, ketamine, and psilocybin, to treat patients suffering from PTSD, otherwise known as post-traumatic stress disorder. The patient undergoes the supervised treatment in a controlled setting and some believe the results thus far seem promising.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that presents itself after someone experiences a traumatic, often life-threatening, event. For those living with this neurological disorder, it’s debilitating. Various triggers can cause people to relive the horrible moments that brought on PTSD. It’s described as a horrendous way to live. Oftentimes, patients withdraw from the world hoping to hold triggers at bay.
Out with the old
Symptoms of PTSD disorder include any or all of the following:
- Intrusive memories
- Vivid dreams or nightmares
- Dissociative reactions
- Intense or prolonged psychological distress
- Negative alterations to cognition and mood associated with trauma
- Marked alteration in how one reacts in stressful situations
- Irritability
- Hypervigilance
- Anger
- Depression
- Thoughts of suicide
PTSD is more prevalent among females than men, which is likely due to the increased risks of being exposed to sexual traumatic events, such as rape or another form of interpersonal violence. It’s a chronic condition, with only 1/3 of patients, both male and female, showing signs of recovery after one year and 1/3 still symptomatic a decade after exposure to the trauma that caused the PTSD originally.
Traditionally, PTSD has been treated with psychopharmacology and psychotherapy, however, some therapists believe embracing this new method of treatment will benefit patients to a greater degree than treatments of old.
Why not give it a shot
In light of the fact that societal views are changing to a more positive flow regarding the use of psychedelics, now commonly known as psychoactive drugs, scientists are taking a second look at how these drugs could benefit those suffering from PTSD by allowing therapists to help patients experience how to shift their thought process when confronted with traumatic events that could trigger PTSD episodes.
In the past, researching the use of these types of drugs to treat mental illness was restricted by state and federal laws. This was due to a widespread belief that psychedelic drugs were extremely harmful and, therefore, should never be considered as part of a treatment plan.
However, today, gummies and other products containing psilocybin are readily available and marketed as able to “take the edge off life.” It encourages people to use them to self-medicate when feeling stressed out or anxious, thereby, enabling them to relax instead.
Professionally speaking
Ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin specifically target and decrease fear and anxiety pathways in the brain. Some therapists believe this holds the potential for a breakthrough in addressing symptoms of trauma in patients with refractory or treatment-resistant PTSD. Several studies are in progress exploring whether or not psychoactive drugs have therapeutic effects when used in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy.
Researchers believe these drugs may be useful in facilitating the “structural and functional reorganization of neural circuits to produce positive behavioral effects.” If this proves to be the case, psychoactive treatment could prove to be beneficial for many mental health disorders in addition to treating PTSD.
So far, studies show that using one of these three psychoactive drugs alone as treatment had very little effect on patients. However, when used in combination with psychotherapy, PTSD symptoms lessened markedly for up to one month. This is encouraging news for therapists and patients alike.
Here’s the breakdown.
MDMA
This psychedelic when partnered with psychotherapy has shown a significant lasting decrease in chronic PTSD symptoms among veterans and first responders when administered at increasing doses over a therapeutic period. In other words, fear is more easily regulated by PTSD patients.
Ketamine
Ingesting ketamine coupled with psychotherapy is showing promise as having a positive effect in PTSD patients as well as comorbid treatment-resistant depression overall.
Psilocybin
This psychedelic, commonly referred to as magic mushrooms, is the ingredient sold in over-the-counter products, such as gummies, and marketed as a “relaxer.” However, official studies have yet to link this drug specifically as being a surefire treatment for those suffering from PTSD.
Further research is planned though because it has been shown that it decreases blood flow to the amygdala. This indicates users experience a decreased fear response. This opens the door to future research exploring this specific mechanism of the drug for PTSD treatment.
Moving forward
We mentioned that several ongoing studies continue to pave the way for this new wave of PTSD treatment. Researchers will continue to address the methodological and conceptual limitations of all currently published findings. It must also assess the degree to which psychoactive drugs impact the neural connectivity and neuroanatomy of patients with PTSD. Moreover, researchers need to discover the long-term effects of using these treatments.
So far, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t approved the use of psychedelics to help those struggling with PTSD. Researchers need to provide adequate proof of the safety and effectiveness of this type of treatment. We mentioned that veterans are the largest people group suffering from PTSD. Their cases are often severe—with good reason!
Experiencing the horrors associated with war is something that many civilians couldn’t deal with at all. Military training teaches the enlisted men and women how to compartmentalize such experiences. However, the passing of time has proven that, eventually, these memories come exploding out of the box they were stuffed into. Oftentimes, without warning. You can’t anticipate when and where a loud sound—or another trigger—will cause an episode.
Many PTSD sufferers withdraw from society in hopes of avoiding such instances, however, this shouldn’t be an acceptable solution. People need people. Bonding with others builds self-confidence, a powerful weapon to wield.
