The Forgotten Past Inspiring the Future: Revisiting the Potential of Psilocybin Therapy

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cityu.schoolSchool of Health and Social Sciences
cityu.siteVancouver, BC
cityu.site.countryCanada
dc.contributor.authorHildebrandt, Scott
dc.date.accessioned2021-12-07T01:15:08Z
dc.date.available2021-12-07T01:15:08Z
dc.date.issued2021-11-01
dc.description.abstractIn this paper, I explore the use of psilocybin-assisted therapy while working with cancer patients and individuals struggling with treatment-resistant anxiety, depression, and substance use. Current methods of treatment for these populations have had limited success and new research in this area is limited. Psilocybin-assisted therapy is a novel and unique form of treatment that approaches these issues from a new perspective with research-supported efficacy. Individuals who have experienced psilocybin-focused treatment report experiences that are life-changing and persist over long-term follow-ups in the research. Experiences that are reported as mystical-like or spiritual in nature are correlated with more significant improvement in the studies. Psilocybin can act as a brain 'reset' for individuals with rigid thinking, rumination, and those who feel pessimistic that positive change is possible. Psilocybin-assisted therapy could also be used as an alternative to pharmacological treatments based on the evidence of minimal side effects and continued impact months after a single high dose therapeutic session. There is also a movement towards the use of psilocybin in a positive psychology approach to work with individuals in a preventative manner. My research in this area will draw attention to an evidence-supported treatment alternative that needs to be part of the therapeutic conversation. As the knowledge of psilocybin-assisted therapy evolves and moves away from previous stigmatized understandings, therapists and policymakers can now shift towards how it is helpful and an innovative way to work with treatment-resistant individuals that have suffered in silence for too long.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11803/1591
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.institutionCity University of Seattle (CityU)
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
dc.rightsopenAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
dc.subjecthallucinogens
dc.subjectpsychedelics
dc.subjectpsilocybin
dc.subjectpsilocybin-assisted therapy
dc.subjecttreatment-resistant disorders
dc.subjectdepression
dc.subjectcancer
dc.subjectanxiety
dc.subjectsubstance use
dc.titleThe Forgotten Past Inspiring the Future: Revisiting the Potential of Psilocybin Therapy
dc.typeCapstone
thesis.degree.disciplineCounselling
thesis.degree.grantorCity University of Seattle
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Counselling
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