LSD for healing - but how?

[megalocardia]

I have been looking into LSD assisted psychotherapy, because my experiences with LSD allow me to access and speak on my trauma with so little restriction. I keep seeing though that the idea is to be quiet and listen to music with your eyes closed or an eye shade on.
I did LSD recreationally this weekend, and had a moment where I was discussing with my wife some aspects of my childhood that allowed a flood of tears to come out. I wasn't sobbing, but continuous tears poured out while I was able to talk about the feelings and sadness that I feel get "blocked off" when I try to talk about it in therapy. Like the knot in my throat, the "bubble" of big emotion I have always felt I can't let any out of. It felt like, even during my recreational use, I was able to spend a good 30 or so minutes discussing something that felt like I was letting so much pressure out of the "balloon" that feels so hard to access during regular therapy.

I don't think being quiet and listening to music and /then/ talking afterwards would be helpful. I think it would be helpful to talk to my therapist /during/ use of LSD, for me at least. I feel like I would be uninhibited like I am normally from sharing these deep and painful memories. It feels, when I am on LSD, I can access them without getting stuck and without any physical barriers coming up that make it hard to speak. It feels like I can freely talk through things and it felt so healing, even during my day of "fun".

My question is: I know the substance is illegal, my therapist has so experience with it or any psychedelic therapy, and I feel like great healing could come during a longer / intensive session of talking out some of my trauma. But how would we even go about knowing how to structure it? I almost feel like I need to make a plan on my own / with her if we were to ever have a day were I can be with her for several hours while using.

I'm not even sure where else to look for resources. It feels like the way current psychedelic therapy is not what would benefit me. The way I am able to access and speak about hurt from my childhood on LSD is unparalleled compared to the difficulty and pain that speaking about it in regular talk or EMDR therapy brings. I'm not even sure what I'm asking except maybe any similar experiences/advice. I feel like there is a great tool in my pocket for releasing me from so much pain that i carry inside my throat/chest and I have no roadmap to using it.

 

[parrotthepolly]

I never considered any substances as therapy, it's medication whether legal or illegal, harmful or not. It doesn't group in the same category in my brain. Can't say anything about it as therapeutic cause I just don't do that ... [therapy not substances].

Soo psychedelics have the potential to work with healing trauma by expanding your mind and you can view the world from a different perspective. It depends on how you want it to go. Set and setting is important!

I did use high doses many years ago before my spiritual awakening otherwise wouldn't have ever thought to do it in the first place. Most people don't believe how many ug it was but I know even with large amounts the body will still metabolise the drug and I can't get 'stuck in a trip', although it can last for a couple of hours more.

Knew I was taking too much when the afterglow was more satisfying than the trip itself.

 

[parrotthepolly]

Wait did your therapist has agree to let you take it during a session. If you can schedule how many hours is needed then it might do some good, considering you only talk about certain traumas on acid. Is legality a block?

 

[Friday]

Check these guys out >>> Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies – MAPS – Psychedelic Research for Psychological Healing

 

[Susan Jane]

I never considered any substances as therapy, it's medication whether legal or illegal, harmful or not. It doesn't group in the same category in my brain. Can't say anything about it as therapeutic cause I just don't do that ... [therapy not substances].

Soo psychedelics have the potential to work with healing trauma by expanding your mind and you can view the world from a different perspective. It depends on how you want it to go. Set and setting is important!

I did use high doses many years ago before my spiritual awakening otherwise wouldn't have ever thought to do it in the first place. Most people don't believe how many ug it was but I know even with large amounts the body will still metabolise the drug and I can't get 'stuck in a trip', although it can last for a couple of hours more.

Knew I was taking too much when the afterglow was more satisfying than the trip itself.

I was just checking out Ketamine therapy with a psychologist. It is an approved therapy where I live, here in Europe. My hesitation is fear psychedelic drugs. I often feel weird for free with PTSD… trying to tell myself, at least it is monitored by a professional. Here is some info: Combining Ketamine and Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

 

[Ecdysis]

Convincing a T who doesn't do psychedelic therapy to do it, is impossible. You won't be able to do it.

You'll need to find someone who's already providing that service.

 

[Calmdown]

Propranolol can ease the pain immensely, it lessens the emotional response. So maybe consider that.

 

[Lost in the Woods]

I have found you can’t go into a psychedelic session with an agenda. What comes up is what comes up. It is also a very personal, inward experience. The Grof method is petty hard to improve upon. For me, psychedelics really opened me up to and for other therapy modalities targeted at my trauma and the issues around it.

 

[megalocardia]

Convincing a T who doesn't do psychedelic therapy to do it, is impossible. You won't be able to do it.

You'll need to find someone who's already providing that service.

I didn't have to convince her shes interested already!

Wait did your therapist has agree to let you take it during a session. If you can schedule how many hours is needed then it might do some good, considering you only talk about certain traumas on acid. Is legality a block?

legality isn't a block bc i can do all the "illegal" stuff (getting it testing it taking it) and my wife can drive me to therapy! we're a ways off from actually utilizing it because shes 100% new to psychedelics but I did some recreationally this past weekend, and even though it was for fun I had a brief 20-30 minutes of just weeping trauma feelings out and my body was completely relaxed, I wasn't in emotional overdrive I was just able to talk with my wife about it and cry cry cry it out. on my day of fun! just talking through that experience and the days afterwards (I see her twice a week) has just furthered her interest into learning how to help me using lsd as a tool

I have found you can’t go into a psychedelic session with an agenda. What comes up is what comes up. It is also a very personal, inward experience. The Grof method is petty hard to improve upon. For me, psychedelics really opened me up to and for other therapy modalities targeted at my trauma and the issues around it.

gonna look into the grof method, I did read some of his book but I don't know how I feel about it. interestingly got a completely different answer on another forum, about how they make sure to pre-prepare topics that might be beneficial to talk through in a state where my body won't block me off from the feelings. lots to learn both in general and about myself and my experience individually before we pursue it therapeutically

Wait did your therapist has agree to let you take it during a session. If you can schedule how many hours is needed then it might do some good, considering you only talk about certain traumas on acid. Is legality a block?

also this is at least a year if not more off (as a guess) because she wants to be really educated and I want to learn more of how I respond to just a little bit of self-therapy/introspection around my trauma and I don't want to do lsd overly often, but about the hours: yes we would be planning an intensive, so maybe a 6 hour time block, and then an integration session the next day! we just have a lot to learn, her from a clinician/trauma specialists perspective, and me on how I react and what is / is not helpful when I introduce a little bit of therapy stuff into my trips.
When I took LSD the past week it was entirely accidental that I had a moment of releasing a lot of built up tears from some childhood trauma, but it was so freeing, my body was entirely relaxed, and it was very easy (not fast but easy and safe feeling) to get back into "fun/happy" time. I intend to actually plan a little bit, baby steps, of therapy stuff into upcoming trips, which we'll talk about I'm sure when it gets closer to time. But I am so thankful my therapist is willing to learn and has seen how helpful it has been and is so curious. I truly feel like I could never find a better therapist if I tried.

 

[parrotthepolly]

Sounds like you have a plan with this.

 

[megalocardia]

Sounds like you have a plan with this.

it feels like a very loose plan with vague directions but there is a plan! for now it's just EMDR and the usual therapy stuff while we figure this out in between. I'm thankful to be in a safe place so while I am itching to heal as fast as possible, I know I can take my time.
Thank you for talking with me about it