Psychedelic therapy has been used successfully in Switzerland for quite some time. Since 2014, a special medical program has made it possible to use LSD and psilocybin to treat therapy-resistant mental illnesses. A recent study carried out at the University of Fribourg now provides fascinating insights into the effects of this treatment and shows that it is not so much the «trip» that has an impact but rather the feeling of relaxation.

A new study from the University of Fribourg provides surprising insights into the modes of action at work in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT): mystical experiences, which are often described as the key to psychedelic treatments, may not be as important in the success of the therapy as previously assumed. The study, which analyzed data from the Swiss program for the medical use of LSD and psilocybin, shows that patients who experienced deep relaxation during the treatment saw the greatest improvements in their depression symptoms.

Safe therapy for severe depression
The research team assessed 28 patients with severe depression who had not responded to conventional therapy and who were treated in the Swiss PAT program. The team compared their experiences with a control group of 28 healthy participants. In addition to efficacy, the study also looked at the safety of psychedelic treatments. The results were encouraging: the therapy was well tolerated by patients who had the most severe forms of depression, often in addition to having other mental illnesses or somatic disorders. The side effects they reported were only mild and transient, such as headache or fatigue.

Many patients also continued their regular antidepressants during treatment, which did not raise any relevant safety concerns. «This greatly facilitates access to treatment, since discontinuing antidepressants is a major hurdle for many patients», states Prof. Dr. Gregor Hasler, who headed the study.

New impetus for the use of psychedelic therapies
The results of the study also provided valuable information on how psychedelic therapies can be optimized. In particular, the use of targeted relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises or meditation, could become a central component of future treatment protocols. “Our data shows that relaxation not only improves the patient’s experience during the session but also increases the long-term therapeutic benefit», says Prof. Hasler.

The results could significantly influence how these innovative treatment approaches are designed in the future. The full study was published in the prestigious Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Study
Calder AE, Rausch B, Liechti ME, Holze F, Hasler G. Naturalistic psychedelic therapy: The role of relaxation and subjective drug effects in antidepressant response. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2024;38(10):873-886. doi:10.1177/02698811241278873