Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
5-2023
Capstone Advisor
Dessa Bergen-Cico
Honors Reader
Max Malikow
Capstone Major
Public Health
Audio/Visual Component
no
Keywords
psychedelic medicine, psychedelic research, mental health, clinical trials, cost-analysis, mental health crisis, practitioner shortage, indigenous wisdom, Buddhist psychology, transpersonal psychology, wellbeing, resilience, neuroplasticity, breakthrough therapy, MDMA, psilocybin, compassion, psychedelic renaissance, medicalization
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
Public Health
Abstract
Before they were criminalized, psychedelics were once used in mental health research. Today, they are making a resurgence in the medical field following a long hiatus. Current clinical trials for psychedelic-assisted therapy reveal their potential to treat a variety of mental health conditions. While this novel treatment provides promise, there are many implications to consider regarding its integration into the Western medical model. This paper includes a literature review of the past and current use of psychedelics for healing purposes and mental health research. The literature review provides background for understanding the resurgence of psychedelics within a larger context. Additionally, an analysis of the promise and perils of medicalizing psychedelics was conducted, which determined that psychedelic-assisted therapy will likely be inaccessible for several years. With the United States currently in a mental health crisis, this paper combines psychological, neuroscientific, psychedelic, and contemplative research to understand how psychedelics function to improve mental health. It also provides evidence-based alternatives to psychedelic-assisted therapy that the general population can benefit from. It appears that psychedelics help form new neural connections and expedite the process of deep introspection; however, other practices can achieve similar results. This paper seeks to provide context for the emerging field of psychedelic medicine and demonstrate its potential applicability to various methods of healing.
Recommended Citation
Seidel, Brielle, "Can We Learn to Heal Ourselves? The Promise, Perils, and Insights Behind Medicalizing Psychedelics" (2023). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 1116.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/1116
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
