Tennesseans turn to psychedelics for mental health help
This controversial practice is being studied nationwide.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Laura Persinger’s love of the outdoors was on hold for several years.
“I had really become almost paralyzed with anxiety,” said Persinger.
She said her anxiety got to a point where she was nearly a shut-in. She believes psychedelics were integral to what she calls her “mental health healing journey.”
“I just found joy again. I found laughter again, I found my interests again.”
For Persinger, it started with psilocybin, more commonly known as “magic mushrooms.” Discussion surrounding the drug has increased in the last several years, as several states have decriminalized or offered a legal route for use. Psilocybin remains illegal in Tennessee.
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So how do psychedelics like psilocybin work?
“When we’re in normal states of consciousness, our minds are very rigid. It’s hard to change our belief patterns. When we are on psilocybin, we’re, of course, in this altered state of consciousness, and our beliefs are relaxed, and our minds become much more flexible,” explained Jennifer Chesak, the author of the Psilocybin Handbook for Women.
She used the analogy of a frozen pond, with the brain having a barrier around it. She said using psychedelics thaws that barrier to rewrite the brain.
“You take that rock and in the form of a new belief, drop it in, and it gains entry into the water and causes a ripple effect.”
Chesak said many of the clinical trials involving psilocybin also include therapy after the experience. It’s a practice called “integration.”
“Integration is the process of reviewing what you learned during what insights came up during your journey and learning from them and implementing behavior change.”
Multiple studies are ongoing nationwide involving the use of psilocybin and its mental health effects. Chesak says these often utilize macro doses, which is ingesting several grams of the drug. However, she also recognized the popularity of the non-clinical practice of “micro-dosing.” People take tiny amounts of the drug to improve their overall mental health, but not enough to cause a hallucinogenic effect.
“We don’t have enough evidence yet to show that micro-dosing is beneficial, yet. We just have the anecdotal reports from people saying yes, it’s really helping them,” said Chesak.”
Another route for Persinger
Persinger said that, ultimately, a different psychedelic experience ended up helping her.
“I needed to do more work on myself to get to the root of why I was having these problems,” said Persinger.
She utilized ketamine-assisted therapy, which is legal in Tennessee. Ketamine is an anesthetic with psychedelic properties that has been used for several years to help veterans experiencing PTSD.
What is Ketamine-Assisted Therapy?
Robert DeSalvo is a Nashville therapist. The practice where he works, Elument, offers ketamine-assisted therapy. DeSalvo said participants go through a medical and psychological screening to ensure they are a good candidate for ketamine treatment. He said once the drug is administered, the participant is monitored. After the drug wears off, the participant goes through talk therapy sessions to connect what they experienced while on the drug with what’s impacting their mental health.
“We’re able to work on the trauma often in a more relaxed, comfortable way. We’re able to get around or reduce blockages that can often prevent healing and growth. I see them work through things that have you know, really affected them for a lifetime,” said DeSalvo.
But there are risks to psychedelics.
Experts in the field of psychology recognize people’s desperation for help.
“I emphasize deeply with people who are suffering,” said Dr. Bertha Madras, a professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School who has studied the field since the 1970s.
Dr. Madras warns the research on illegal psychedelics isn’t broad enough to prove them safe, and side effects like psychosis, a loss of reality, or worsening mental health conditions are very serious.
“Some people who present with depression, can convert to bipolar disorder, or convert to schizophrenia because it’s increasingly known that these three categories of very significant mental diseases morphing to each other over time,” said Madras.
However, Madras said if the FDA were to approve a psychedelic for the treatment of certain mental health disorders, she would support it.
More on the horizon
FDA approval for one psychedelic drug may happen sooner rather than later. A prescription psychedelics research company, called MAPS, filed for FDA approval of MDMA-assisted therapy in late 2023. MDMA is a psychedelic commonly known as ecstasy. DeSalvo says Elument would offer the treatment, once legalized.
“It is nice to have options and so MDMA will hopefully be coming in the next year or two, and that’s been shown to be currently the most effective treatment for PTSD,” said DeSalvo.
Success for some
As for Persinger, she says her psychedelic experiences helped her return to living a full life.
“I think that my mind and body needed that. It’s probably been a very long time since I’d actually laughed. Just laughed.”
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