Psychedelic Drugs for Mental Health Treatment Closer to Reality in Connecticut

Finding a cure or just the right medications for mental health disorders has been a constant and challenging objective for both psychiatrists and therapists for many years.

As I began to research credible material for this article, I found that most of the websites containing articles about using psychedelic compounds to treat specific mental disorders were released in 2020.

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The recreational or street names of these drugs include acid, magic mushrooms, and ecstasy. In addition, I found an article from the website ct.counseling.org dated October 6, 2020, titled, "The Return of Psychedelics to Counseling: Are We Ready?"

I found out that during the "flower power" years in the late 1960s, dozens of research studies with thousands of patients were conducted using LSD and psilocybin (magic mushrooms) with encouraging results.

Because of the negative connotations attached to Timothy Leary's counterculture-era phrase, "Turn on, tune in, and drop out," research regarding how psychedelics could benefit the medically ill came to an end. But, in the early 2000s, thankfully, research began to re-emerge.

In 2014, John Hopkins Medicine researchers discovered that magic mushrooms helped longtime smokers quit. In 2016, their research led to the discovery that psilocybin eased existential anxiety in people with life-threatening cancer. In 2019, they determined that psychedelic use may lead to treatments for alcohol abuse.

I called the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Tolland, Connecticut, and found out they are beginning to integrate psychedelic therapy into their options menu. The gentlemen I spoke with told me that clinical trials are currently being scheduled for work with psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and MDMA (ecstasy) to manage PTSD. In addition, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy has now been FDA approved and is being offered at the clinic.