Psychological support can be distinguished from psychotherapy: Clarifications for future empirical work

Area of Science:

• Psychedelic Research
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychopharmacology

Background:

• Classic psychedelic studies utilize interpersonal interactions during psychedelic experiences.
• A debate exists whether these interactions are "psychological support" (safety-focused) or "psychotherapy" (safety and efficacy-focused).
• Current definitions lack clarity, hindering productive discussion in psychedelic research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose clear definitions and criteria for distinguishing psychological support from psychotherapy in psychedelic administration.
• To provide a framework for analyzing interpersonal interactions in psychedelic clinical trials.
• To address the unproductive debate surrounding the nature of interpersonal interactions in psychedelic research.

Main Methods:

• Defined two forms of interpersonal interaction: psychological support (safety) and psychotherapy (safety and efficacy).
• Developed criteria to differentiate these interactions.
• Applied the proposed criteria to a sample of 11 published classic psychedelic clinical trials.

Main Results:

• The proposed criteria could categorize 10 out of 11 studies.
• Clear distinctions between psychological support and psychotherapy were achieved in only 4 out of 11 studies.
• Analysis highlighted a need for higher quality data on interpersonal interactions in psychedelic studies.

Conclusions:

• Higher quality data is essential to empirically distinguish between psychological support and psychotherapy in psychedelic medicine.
• The proposed criteria can be used to test the relative safety and efficacy of psychological support versus psychotherapy.
• Clearer definitions will advance the scientific understanding and application of psychedelic therapies.