Healy C J, Frazier Aaron, Kirsch Stephen, Sanford Anna, Garcia-Romeu Albert, Todman McWelling, Varon Jeremy, D'Andrea Wendy
Department of Psychology, The New School for Social Research, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Psychology, The New School for Social Research, New York, NY, USA.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 2;138:111361. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111361. Epub 2025 Apr 11.
Studies of psychedelic use in naturalistic and clinical settings have suggested safety and mental health benefits for adults with histories of childhood maltreatment. Acute psychological mechanisms that predict therapeutic benefits in this population, however, have yet to be determined. Two common group settings of naturalistic psychedelic use - organized ceremonies and raves or other electronic dance music events - might facilitate therapeutic psychedelic effects because of the unique psychosocial environments they comprise. This prospective, longitudinal study sought to investigate 2 primary questions: first, whether adults with maltreatment histories planning to use psychedelic drugs with therapeutic intent at ceremonies or raves would see enduring psychological benefits after their experiences; and second, whether subjective dimensions of the acute psychedelic experience would be associated with lasting psychological benefits. Eighty-five participants completed self-report measures in the month before, within 2 days after, and approximately 2 months after a planned psychedelic experience with therapeutic intent at a ceremony or rave assessing childhood maltreatment history; trauma symptoms, internalized (trait) shame, and connectedness at baseline and follow-up; and various dimensions of the acute subjective psychedelic experience. Mean scores in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, complex PTSD symptoms, trait shame, social connectedness, and general connectedness significantly improved from baseline to 2-month follow-up (ds = 0.73-1.12). Longitudinal changes in outcomes significantly correlated with acute subjective effects of the psychedelic experience. These findings have implications regarding both the potential clinical benefit of psychedelic use among adults with childhood maltreatment histories as well as the psychological mechanisms of therapeutic action of psychedelics.
对迷幻药在自然主义和临床环境中使用情况的研究表明，对于有童年虐待史的成年人来说，使用迷幻药具有安全性且有益于心理健康。然而，预测该人群治疗效果的急性心理机制尚未确定。自然主义迷幻药使用的两种常见群体环境——有组织的仪式以及狂欢派对或其他电子舞曲活动——可能会促进迷幻药产生治疗效果，因为它们所构成的独特社会心理环境。这项前瞻性纵向研究旨在调查两个主要问题：第一，有虐待史且计划在仪式或狂欢派对上出于治疗目的使用迷幻药的成年人，在经历之后是否会获得持久的心理益处；第二，急性迷幻体验的主观维度是否会与持久的心理益处相关。85名参与者在计划在仪式或狂欢派对上进行具有治疗意图的迷幻体验前一个月、体验后两天内以及大约两个月后，完成了自我报告测量，内容包括童年虐待史；基线和随访时的创伤症状、内化（特质）羞耻感和联结感；以及急性主观迷幻体验的各个维度。从基线到2个月随访时，创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）症状、复杂性PTSD症状、特质羞耻感、社会联结感和总体联结感的平均得分显著改善（效应量d = 0.73 - 1.12）。结果变量的纵向变化与迷幻体验的急性主观效应显著相关。这些发现对于有童年虐待史的成年人使用迷幻药的潜在临床益处以及迷幻药治疗作用的心理机制都具有启示意义。
