Processing childhood trauma with the help of psychedelics
Psychedelic therapy has had a tailwind since 2022 when it comes to its fame and high success rates in dealing with (childhood) trauma. The most commonly used psychedelics for childhood trauma are psilocybin and MDMA. They are two completely different substances that are both seen as classic psychedelic substances. Psilocybin occurs naturally in the Psilocybe mushrooms (and truffles). MDMA is a synthetic drug, although the precursor MDA does occur in nature (nutmeg). The effects of these two drugs are also very different.
Psilocybin session for childhood trauma
The psilocybin sessions in the Netherlands are done with psilocybin truffles. Psilocybin is the substance that, after conversion to psilocin, provides the effects of this drug. Psilocybin is mainly used for depression, addictions and social anxiety. Psilocybin is the all-rounder because psilocybin can also be used for childhood trauma and PTSD provided the preparation is in order. Psilocybin is usually chosen when talking does not provide a solution. Psilocybin sessions are less rational and it is more about the experience than the words used. Furthermore, psilocin plays a role in acceptance and connection and therefore often progress.
More information Psilocybin therapy
MDMA session for childhood trauma
MDMA therapy is mainly used for PTSD and (childhood) trauma. These MDMA sessions are especially suitable for people who would benefit greatly from talk therapy or exposure therapy, but block it. MDMA can temporarily remove the blockages caused by fear, making it easy for the sessions to take a positive turn. MDMA is an illegal substance in the Netherlands and that is why we can only offer MDMA sessions in the Netherlands with a substance that resembles 95%.
More information: MDMA therapy
With psilocybin you will hallucinate and with MDMA you will not
An advantage of psilocybin is the hallucinations. Just like with dreams, there can be a story in the images that are seen. Some images result in insights. For people with severe traumatization, the hallucinations can be a disadvantage because sometimes the old images can lead to negative effects. Then MDMA often seems to be a better option because no clear hallucinations arise and the chance of re-experiencing is smaller.
Psilocybin trips go beyond rational thinking
While with MDMA you can start a conversation earlier while you feel good, even when talking about your trauma, with psilocybin you cannot talk well during the peak of the session. During the peak of the psilocybin session you go beyond thinking and end up in an experience that you probably cannot put into words. As described earlier, psilocybin sessions seem to be particularly suitable if you cannot get any further with talking and MDMA sessions are more suitable if you cannot talk about your trauma in a sober state and still want to process it through talk therapy. The choice for MDMA or psilocybin should mainly depend on whether visual hallucinations are desired and whether talk therapy without blocking (MDMA) or the journey to the subconscious (psilocybin) will help.
What suits you best?
In order to undergo a trip therapy session, we must screen for health and safety. We do this through the intake. We will also advise which drug and dosage seems best. The intake will also form the basis for advice during the preparation for the psychedelic session. The intake can be found via the link below:
