The Need for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Black Community and the Burdens of Its Provision.

Darron T Smith,Lilith Green,Dale Foster,Nicole T Buchanan,Sonya C Faber

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.774736

Darron T Smith, Lilith Green + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.774736

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Abstract

Psychedelic medicine is an emerging field that examines entheogens, psychoactive substances that produce non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC). 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is currently in phase-3 FDA clinical trials in the United States (US) and Canada to treat the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). MDMA is used in conjunction with manualized therapy, because of its effectiveness in reducing fear-driven stimuli that contribute to trauma and anxiety symptoms. In 2017, the FDA designated MDMA as a “breakthrough therapy,” signaling that it has advantages in safety, efficacy, and compliance over available medication for the treatment of trauma-, stress-, and anxiety-related disorders such as PTSD. In the US and Canada, historical and contemporary racial mistreatment is frequently experienced by Black people via a variety of macro and micro insults. Such experiences trigger physiological responses of anxiety and fear, which are associated with chronically elevated stress hormone levels (e.g., cortisol and epinephrine), similar to levels documented among those diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. This paper will explore the benefits of entheogens within psychedelic assisted-therapy and their potential benefits in addressing the sequelae of pervasive and frequent negative race-based experiences and promoting healing and thriving among Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC). The author(s) discuss the ethical responsibility for providing psychedelic-assisted therapy within a culturally competent provider framework and the importance of psychedelic researchers to recruit and retain BIPOC populations in research and clinical training.

Highlights

TO PSYCHEDELIC THERAPIESPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be debilitating for many people, as triggers reproduce the same physiological effect within the body as if the individual is experiencing the actual trauma again at that moment [1]
This paper aims to shine a light on the situation of those in the BIPOC community who could benefit from psychedelic treatments and provide a road map for greater access to psychedelic-assisted treatment
Induced trauma and PSYCHEDELIC THERAPIESPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by racism are serious and widespread psychological issues that remain undertreated and under-researched [11]

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be debilitating for many people, as triggers (thoughts, visuals, sounds, smells) reproduce the same physiological effect within the body as if the individual is experiencing the actual trauma again at that moment [1]. In order to best support patients in their future psychedelicassisted therapy, MAPS was granted FDA approval to initiate a clinical study in 2010 where future potential providers enrolled in the volunteer trial for MDMA were permitted, according to the protocol, to receive a single dose of MDMA in conjunction with psychotherapy exactly as defined for patients in the pivotal phase III MDMA trial for patients This step was an unprecedented but necessary step to give credibility to the clinicians and researchers who work in the psychedelic field, given the difficulty of legally organizing these types of experiences [106]. There are organizations promoting Black people in psychedelics, including Chacruna’s Racial Equity & Access Committee, The

CONCLUSION

Findings

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT