Psychedelic vs. psycholytic therapy
In general, there are 2 approaches to using psychedelic medicines for psychotherapeutic uses. The first method, psychedelic therapy, probably comes to your mind first and involves full-blown psychedelic tripping. The second method, psycholytic therapy, is much more subtle. The names themselves explain this difference: Psychedelic = mind-manifesting, Psycholytic = mind-loosening.
First developed in the 1950’s, psychedelic therapy uses higher dosages to achieve powerful effects—ego-dissolution, altered states of consciousness, mystical experiences, etc. After the psychedelic therapy session, a patient will come back for what’s called “integration”, where they’ll process all those wild thoughts with the help of a therapist.
Psycholytic therapy came into play several years down the road in the 1960’s. It not only uses a lower dosage but also involves giving the medicine during a normal talk therapy session. This allows individuals to access their deeper parts while still remaining present and in control.
Neither method is better than the other. Both have their unique purposes, and both can tremendously accelerate the healing process, especially when a person is unable to work through experiences or emotions because too overwhelming or too ingrained without the help of a medication.
PSYCHOLYTIC THERAPY
“Psycholytic” = mind-loosening
Low doses
Milder and more subtle effects (think calming sense, access to deeper insights and the unconscious while still present and in control)
More session (10 to 50)
Taking the drug at the start of a talk therapy session
PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY
“Psychedelic” = mind-manifesting
Higher doses
Stronger effects (think tripping: ego-dissolution, altered states of consciousness, mystical experiences, etc.)
Fewer sessions
Comprised of medicine dosing sessions followed by integration therapy sessions
If you’re interested in learning more psycholytic therapy, an entire episode of our Psychedelic Therapy Frontiers podcast is dedicated to this topic. It’s available to watch on YoutTube, and you can also find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website (below).
