A scientific guide to psychedelic-assisted mental health treatment

• Details how psychedelics alter our experience from a neurological perspective, including what neurons they interact with, their effects on cognitive and emotional processing, and why those effects can be therapeutic

Presenting a comprehensive guide to the new and evolving landscape of psychedelic-assisted mental health treatment, neuroscientist Irene de Caso takes you on a journey through the brain, revealing how psychedelics and empathogens, if taken in a safe and therapeutic environment, can lead to positive and lasting changes.

Providing an illustrated introduction to neuroscience and molecular actions in the body and brain, the author details how psychedelics alter our experience, including what neurons they interact with, how they impact cortical activity and connectivity, their effects on cognitive and emotional processing, and how those effects can be therapeutic. She explores the wide body of evidence behind the psychedelic revolution in psychiatry and psychotherapy and looks at clinical studies on hallucinogens such as LSD, psilocybin from magic mushrooms, and DMT from ayahuasca, as well as empathogens such as MDMA, found in ecstasy. She reviews the efficacy of psychedelics in treating alcoholism and other addictions, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism and social anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, and other conditions, offering statistical comparisons to conventional antidepressants and mood-enhancing drugs. She also explores the psychedelic experience through neuroimaging and phenomenological experience, considering mystical states, synesthesia, and the therapeutic benefits of momentary ego-dissolution.

Laying the foundation for a new model of psychotherapy, de Caso shows how psychedelics can help break down our defense mechanisms, offer direct access to the subconscious, and provide a path to deeper, lasting healing.