Psilocybin treatments?
We mainly use psilocybin treatments for depressed customers, but also for customers with anxiety complaints. Anxiety complaints are often deeply linked to depression as stress indirectly reduces the amount of serotonin. Low serotonin is an indicator of anxiety and depression and can worsen the situation through a negative spiral. Psilocybin, which forms psilocin after conversion, is a psychedelic that is perhaps most similar to serotonin and can therefore immediately remove depressive feelings. Furthermore, insights can arise during the psilocybin sessions, new brain connections, connection with the divine, empathy, sympathy and self-love can be experienced. All of these properties of psilocybin can help people with PTSD.
Tripping and PTSD?
Let us immediately say that psychedelics and PTSD can also cause a bad trip where all fears can surface in a negative way. In people with PTSD this can cause the situation to worsen. It is therefore very important to make the right preparation, to create the right situation during the trip and to have an experienced trip therapist/guide nearby. If all these things are in order, you significantly minimize the chance of a bad trip.
Preparing the treatment
Medication check
Certain medications that are commonly prescribed to suppress the symptoms of PTSD are definitely not compatible with most psychedelics.
Antidepressants (SSRI, MAO inhibitors, TCA) or other psychoactive medications cannot be combined with psilocybin for health reasons.
Unfortunately, people with serious heart complaints and/or medication for cardiovascular function (Tramadol, etc.) cannot undergo psilocybin treatment.
Disclaimer: Always consult with the doctor who prescribes the medication whether and how this medication can be safely reduced. Never just stop taking medications immediately!
Improve neurochemistry
Based on the intake and neurotransmitter test that is completed during registration, we will make advice regarding neurochemistry. This means that we will recommend supplements, nutrition and activities to get the neurotransmitters in balance before we do the psychedelic session. It is fairly common to almost always that the levels of the neurotransmitters GABA and serotonin are low in PTSD. In case of PTSD, a low level of GABA should always be brought up to standard first in order to achieve the best possible psychedelic session.
Read more about this here GABA/glutamate and bad trips
Map the triggers
During psilocybin treatment against PTSD, it is useful to make an overview of the triggers that cause stress. These can be sounds, situations, people or other things. It is also useful to write down the primary response. By the primary response we mean the automatic response of the body/thoughts, which often has something to do with the fight/flight/freeze response. Furthermore, it can be written down what the secondary response is and by this we mean what kind of conscious choice you make after the trigger and primary response. For convenience, create a table that looks something like this:
| Triggers | Primary response | Secondary response |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | ||
| Neighbour | ||
| swear word |
In case you are not sure what your triggers or responses are, fill in as much as possible and leave the unknowns blank.
The psilocybin session for PTSD
The psilocybin session in PTSD treatment is slightly different from other sessions. The preliminary discussion of the session itself, the onset and the peak of the psilocybin session has nothing directly to do with the treatment of PTSD, but with the anti-depressive properties of a psilocybin trip. It is precisely the coming down where we will pay attention to the anxiety complaints, triggers and responses. During the coming down we use the insights, satisfaction and all other positivity to talk about PTSD-related matters so that the brain stores these concepts in a different way. With a very strong sense of satisfaction and acceptance, the subconscious processes can be changed because the associations change while the brain is in a state where it makes new connections more easily.
Read more about this here psilocybin therapy