September/October 2018

View All Issues

Editor's Note

Rich Simon

When I first heard about the growing research on the therapeutic use of psychedelics to treat trauma, I was frankly a bit bemused. But it’s been hard to dismiss the overwhelmingly positive results of early trials. Will psychedelic-assisted therapy continue to gain traction? Will it eventually be practice-changing for everyday clinicians? We can’t know the answer at this point, but what's clear is that the clinical interest in psychedelics is much more than a haphazard, tie-dyed pursuit.

Read More
A man lying on a bed with a blindfold and blood pressure monitor

Therapy’s Psychedelic Renaissance

A Different Kind of Healing Journey

Lauren Dockett

It’s been nearly 30 years since SSRIs came on the scene, but despite their ubiquity and pairing with a variety of talk- and body-centered treatments, the rates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety are soaring. Could the ineffable insights and experiences of psychedelic drugs revolutionize the practice of psychotherapy? Read More
Two people oversee a blindfolded woman in bed

Between Two Worlds

Trauma Treatment on the Edge

Marcela Ot’alora G.

A clinician accustomed to treating trauma in her private practice is also an investigator of an MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research project. From this dual vantage point, she offers her take on the difference psychedelics make in her experience as a healer. Read More
A headshot of a man

Learning to Bear the Unbearable

How MDMA Works

Bessel van der Kolk & Rich Simon

As a researcher and outspoken advocate for therapeutic innovation, Bessel van der Kolk has been as influential as anyone in shaping the landscape of trauma therapy today. He describes what’s distinctive about the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. Read More
A cubist illustration of a woman

Inside the Ayahuasca Experience

When Shamanism Meets Psychotherapy

Gabor Maté

A practitioner trained in the orthodox Western model of medicine develops a deep respect for the healing power of psychedelic plants and shamanism. What he discovers is not magic but an often astonishingly rapid pathway to self-realization. Read More
A headshot of a man

The Challenge of Psychedelic Therapy

How It Could Change Your Practice

Rich Simon

With his latest book, How to Change Your Mind, noted author Michael Pollan has drawn a comprehensive portrait of the growing psychedelic therapy movement. In this interview, he highlights what has most impressed him about the promise of this new vision for therapy and the challenges it faces in gaining widespread acceptance. Read More

Extra Feature

A diagram of the skeleton and nervous system

Chronic Pain Reconsidered

A New Role for Therapists

Howard Schubiner

Only one percent of patients suffering from acute back pain have a significant structural abnormality in their back, and a remarkably low percentage of back surgeries are successful. A physician inspired by the pioneering work of physician John Sarno describes his journey to develop a radical alternative to standard medical interventions with chronic pain. Read More

Departments