Psychedelics Today
PT421 – Dr. Roberta Murphy – The Impact of the Therapeutic Alliance on the Psychedelic Experience
Fri Jul 07 2023Description
The episode covers topics such as the launch of navigating psychedelics courses, the importance of the therapeutic relationship in psychedelic therapy, factors affecting therapy outcomes, different therapy models and ethical practices, challenges and guidelines in psychedelic therapy, and measuring efficacy and future research in psychedelic therapy.
Insights
Psychedelic Education Center
Psychedelic Education Center is launching two rounds of navigating psychedelics for clinicians and wellness practitioners in July. The course covers the fundamentals of psychedelic history, science, harm reduction, integration, and transpersonal theories. Specialist guest teachers include Jasmine Verde, Angie Leek, Edo Cohen, Juliana Mulligan, Courtney Barnes, Michelle Hobart, and David Drappkin. Students get lifetime access to an online education library and ongoing membership to an online community platform.
Importance of Therapeutic Relationship
The therapeutic relationship is crucial for positive outcomes in psychedelic therapy as it provides safety and trust for patients to navigate vulnerable experiences. Research confirms the significance of the therapeutic relationship. Ongoing debates exist about therapist training and qualifications for psychedelic therapy.
Factors Affecting Therapy Outcomes
Therapist's attachment style, disposition, training, and personal experience impact therapy outcomes. Patient's relational history and ability to build trust affect therapy progress. Working with transference and counter-transference is important in psychedelic therapy. Building a therapeutic relationship helps clients feel safe to explore hidden pain or uncertainty.
Therapy Models and Ethical Practices
Psychedelic assisted therapy allows individuals to drop down into their emotions and explore what lurks underneath. Different therapy models can be well suited for psychedelic therapy. The ARC framework ensures safe and ethical application of psychedelics.
Challenges and Guidelines in Psychedelic Therapy
Psychedelic therapy requires a safe container for patients and practitioners. Developing guidelines should involve input from various stakeholders. Training and education on the conduct of psychedelic therapy will be important when mainstreaming it into healthcare systems. The ARC framework could serve as foundational training for psychedelic therapists.
Measuring Efficacy and Future Research
Measuring efficacy in psychedelic therapy goes beyond reduction in suicidality and depression. Current outcome measures are not well-suited for measuring the effects of therapy. Clinical research in psychedelics faces challenges due to the lack of appropriate measures. End-of-life use of psychedelics is an area of interest for future research.
Chapters
- Psychedelic Education Center
- Dr. Roberta Murphy's Work on Psilocybin for Depression Trials
- Pain and Psychedelics Conference by Remap Therapeutics
- Importance of Therapeutic Relationship in Psychedelic Therapy
- Factors Affecting Therapy Outcomes in Psychedelic Therapy
- Therapy Models and Ethical Practices in Psychedelic Therapy
- Challenges and Guidelines in Psychedelic Therapy
- Measuring Efficacy and Future Research in Psychedelic Therapy
Psychedelic Education Center
00:01 - 07:42
- Psychedelic Education Center is launching two rounds of navigating psychedelics for clinicians and wellness practitioners in July.
- The course covers the fundamentals of psychedelic history, science, harm reduction, integration, and transpersonal theories.
- Specialist guest teachers include Jasmine Verde, Angie Leek, Edo Cohen, Juliana Mulligan, Courtney Barnes, Michelle Hobart, and David Drappkin.
- Students get lifetime access to an online education library and ongoing membership to an online community platform.
Dr. Roberta Murphy's Work on Psilocybin for Depression Trials
00:01 - 07:42
- Dr. Roberta Murphy from Imperial College London discusses her work on psilocybin for depression trials and rapport building in therapy.
- She also talks about the ARK framework (Access Reciprocity and Conduct) that she has worked on with drug science.
Pain and Psychedelics Conference by Remap Therapeutics
00:01 - 07:42
- Remap Therapeutics is hosting the Pain and Psychedelics Conference on July 15th and 16th featuring leading experts in the pain space.
Importance of Therapeutic Relationship in Psychedelic Therapy
07:12 - 14:14
- The speaker has a long-term interest in psychedelics and has worked on various trials and research related to it.
- They have a background in psychiatry and psychotherapy, which they like to combine with their interest in psychedelics.
- The speaker currently works full-time in the NHS in a complex trauma team, dealing with severe cases of trauma.
- They previously worked on the Imperial trial for depression using psychedelics, but now focus on researching the importance of the therapeutic relationship in psychedelic therapy.
- The speaker believes that the therapeutic relationship is crucial for positive outcomes in psychedelic therapy, as it provides safety and trust for patients to navigate vulnerable experiences.
- They conducted research to confirm this belief and found that the therapeutic relationship is indeed an important factor.
- There is ongoing debate about whether therapists need specific training or qualifications for psychedelic therapy.
- The speaker emphasizes that the therapeutic relationship has always been considered important across different cultures and modalities of therapy.
- However, they felt it was necessary to provide evidence for its significance due to current debates.
Factors Affecting Therapy Outcomes in Psychedelic Therapy
13:50 - 20:44
- Therapist's attachment style, disposition, training, and personal experience impact therapy outcomes
- Patient's relational history and ability to build trust affect therapy progress
- Lack of trust can be a marker of internal difficulties
- Attachment is a cross-cutting model that determines efficacy in psychedelic therapy
- Transfer and counter-transfer play a role in exploring and navigating tensions in therapy
- Working with transference and counter-transference is important in psychedelic therapy
- Psychedelic experiences can amplify psychological defenses or feelings of let down and mistrust
- Building a therapeutic relationship helps clients feel safe to explore hidden pain or uncertainty
- Therapeutic alliance supports clients through challenging experiences and improves outcomes
- Differentiating between worked-through challenging experiences and unresolved ones is crucial
- A good therapeutic container allows for deep processing, while lack of safety keeps clients on the surface
Therapy Models and Ethical Practices in Psychedelic Therapy
20:21 - 27:08
- Psychedelic assisted therapy allows individuals to drop down into their emotions and explore what lurks underneath.
- Different therapy models, such as group analysis or psychoanalysis, can be well suited for psychedelic therapy.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has been explored at Imperial College but the speaker is not knowledgeable about it.
- Working at Imperial College with colleagues in psychedelic therapy is a blessing, forming close relationships and friendships.
- Academia can be competitive and challenging when trying to bring something new like psychedelic therapy.
- The ARC framework was developed by Meg Spreks and Ashley Murphy-Binner to ensure safe and ethical application of psychedelics.
- The ARC framework focuses on equitable access, indigenous reciprocity, and the conduct of ethical practice.
Challenges and Guidelines in Psychedelic Therapy
26:58 - 34:20
- Psychedelic therapy is often marginalized from traditional therapies, but there is wisdom in those approaches that can be applied to psychedelic therapy.
- Psychedelic therapy requires a safe container for patients and practitioners to fully engage in the healing process.
- The conduct of ethical practice in psychedelic therapy involves complex issues such as the use of touch and consent.
- Developing guidelines for psychedelic therapy should involve input from various stakeholders, including the psychedelic community.
- Training and education on the conduct of psychedelic therapy will be important when mainstreaming it into healthcare systems like the NHS.
- There is ongoing debate about who should be qualified as a psychedelic therapist and what training they should undergo.
- The conduct guidelines may not appeal to everyone, and different therapists will have their own approaches based on their personality and clients.
- The ARC framework could serve as foundational training for psychedelic therapists, with room for individual customization based on personal preferences and client needs.
- Writing guidelines is just the start of an ongoing conversation about the complexities of psychedelic therapy.
- In measuring efficacy in psychedelic trials, secondary outcome measures go beyond reduction in suicidality and depression to include factors like happiness, meaningfulness, and life thriving.
Measuring Efficacy and Future Research in Psychedelic Therapy
33:55 - 40:21
- Secondary outcome measures in psychedelic research are of interest, including happiness, meaningfulness, and life thriving.
- Measuring efficacy in psychedelic therapy goes beyond reduction in suicidality and depression.
- Current outcome measures are not well-suited for measuring the effects of therapy.
- Clinical research in psychedelics faces challenges due to the lack of appropriate measures.
- Research by Sala Sibin showed positive results in secondary measures like flourishing, well-being, and openness to experience.
- However, these measures were not statistically counted for final publication.
- The researcher also conducted previous research on Parkinson's disease but has not explored its connection with psychedelic therapy yet.
- End-of-life use of psychedelics is an area of interest for the researcher.