"Even as new GLP-1 agonists with brand names like Wegovy and Zepbound make it easier to achieve weight loss, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs) like Prozac and Zoloft provide a hedge against depression, there is growing interest in an old idea: psychedelics. The drugs are not being researched as a diversion from life, but instead as a therapeutic intervention to help us handle life's challenges in more creative ways."
"With ketamine, one of this class of psychedelics in the news a lot these days (given rumors of who uses it and the death of the actor Matthew Perry in October 2023 in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home from a likely overdose), one can't help but be intrigued by research into possible benefits from these obviously dangerous substances that remain illegal."
"I'll admit I'm skeptical (and have no personal experience to offer), but it is an intriguing (and somewhat hippy-trippy) idea nonetheless that I came upon while researching serious psychoneurological solutions to building resilience to stress. In 2022, Edmund Neuhaus and George Slavich coined the term "behavioral psychedelics." Their argument was that while many disorders like depression and obsessive compulsive behaviors have genetic origins, they manifest as rigid lifestyle patterns"
Many psychological problems arise from rigid lifestyle patterns such as social isolation, poor diet, and repetitive behaviors. Psychedelics appear to temporarily reduce psychological resistance and increase openness, potentially enabling people to adopt healthier habits and greater resilience. These drugs do not by themselves create lasting change; therapeutic interventions and behavioral work remain necessary to translate increased openness into new routines. Ketamine and classic psychedelics carry risks and legal restrictions despite reported benefits. National survey data indicate that people who used psychedelics report changes associated with resilience. The term 'behavioral psychedelics' describes this potential to destabilize entrenched patterns.
Read at Psychology Today
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