Q&A
Psychedelics in Psychotherapy

Is psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy the future of mental health treatment? In-depth Q&A with leading expert and psychologist William Richards.
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I have heard that psilocybin has a very high LD50. Are the positive effects reported with this drug on resistant depression dose related? I am working in Afghanistan and have no access to psilocybin but I would be curious to find information about dosages that that may help a client.
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Do therapists working in this field all have their own psychedelic experience? Is it a requirement that someone delivering psychedelic psychotherapy have had this?
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What does a typical therapy session using psychedelics look like?
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What do you think are the biggest misconceptions are about psychedelics?
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Has the research been able to tease out whether you are simply getting a placebo effect vs actual biological drug response to the psychedelics?
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Will these substances actually even be taken off the Schedule 1 list and accepted for medical use?
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Can or should psychedelics be used with “healthy people” for happiness, well-being and flourishing?
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Do you see a time when we will have prescription psychedelics? Or is that already here in some countries?
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Can you talk about microdosing?
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Do psychedelics have a role in couples therapy?
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I’ve heard of breakthroughs that people have in psychedelic therapy being described as the result of ‘cognitive flexibility’. Can you explain this?
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Can you comment on the optimal physical setting for this type of treatment?
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What protocols are therapists using to mitigate the risk of extreme restlessness or even violence in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy?
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What do you think about people seeking out psychedelic substances to have “ego death” experiences?
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Aren’t you concerned about the risk of hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD)?
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I’m skeptical about this approach. Sure patients may experience unity, positivity and have a mystical experience but what happens when the substance wears off? Is there any evidence that these treatments have an enduring treatment effect?
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Hi William, can you comment on the treatment protocol for using ketamine as a antidepressant? What are the indications and contraindications and dose etc?
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What are the best ways and arguments to help both professionals and those needing help to be more open to the controversial treatments you talk about? I know in the Netherlands psilocybin therapy is allowed but still there are only very few professionals practicing this
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I've read that psilocybin can be utilized in the treatment of suicidality. I'd love to know more about the relationship between the two.
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I'm interested in the relationship between therapeutic use of psilocybin and patients experiencing psychosis. I was wondering if you could unpack this?
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Has psilocybin been utilized as part of end-of-life care?
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What do you wish more people knew about psychedelics?
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Hello William! I was just wondering if there is scope for future use of psychedelics with children and young people?
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What are the latest types of psychedelics and what are the short term and long terms effects on the person with addiction?
What is the best treatment for such clients?
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Wondering about the use of psilocibin for anxiety? In a documentary "Fantastic Fungi" it was suggested specifically for anxiety.
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What is psychedelic treatment?
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I'm seeing therapists in Colorado announcing "psychodelic-assisted therapy" and I'm wondering about the legal and ethical issues, training requirements, contra-indications.
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What are the biggest barriers you’ve faced with this research?
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Are psychedelics effective in treating addiction?
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Which demographics have the strongest evidence base for therapeutic use of psychedelics?
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Can you please explain the concept of sacred molecules?
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Are psychedelics effective in a group setting?
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Are there particular demographics that are precluded from psychedelic use?
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Have there been studies done on single dosage versus multiple dosages over time? Was there a difference in outcomes?
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What are some of the indicators that a therapeutic relationship is strong enough to support a positive experience with psychedelics?
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Which parts of the brain do psychedelics act on?
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How important is client diagnosis in interventions where psychedelics are being used?
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Are there particular conditions or populations where use of psychedelics is not appropriate?
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