Psilocybin has been making the news around here since CA started allowing its use in clinical experimentation for various mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD and bipolar disorder. It is still illegal here, but can be used under the care and supervision of researchers. It's a complicated process and no two clinics seem to be offering the same experience. The gist of what I understand, though, is that for people who are willing to pursue this treatment for their mental health issues, there is a professional pre-screening with a psychiatrist, and if approved, the psilocybin is given under the observation of a physician, and then a therapist assists with the processing part, both during the 'trip' and also a debriefing period (can only need one, or up to several to process).
I know of one man at our church who went through this process a couple of years ago, but I haven't seen him in person since our church shut down for COVID. I do plan on reaching out to him about his experience.
Then there's ketamine. About nine years ago, I actually received ketamine while in the hospital for a treatment-resistant severe depression, which was brought on by an extended period of debilitating anxiety. They gave me ketamine twice, just moments before putting me under anesthesia for ECT. I had 12 ECT sessions, but they only gave me ketamine twice. So who knows what eventually worked... was it ketamine or ECT, or both. They told me that there are strong studies that support the use of ketamine along with ECT for optimal results. We have a family friend in a different state who suffers from severe anxiety similar to mine. Last summer she went through ketamine treatment, I think several visits. And it really pulled her out of a serious state so that she could become functional again.
I've talked to my therapist and couple's therapist about both psilocybin and ketamine. While I'm fairly functional, my anxiety still causes some limitations in my life, such as not driving on freeways, and not able to travel alone. The freeway thing has been for about two years now, and the traveling alone started about three years ago (yea, not long after that unnamed trauma in my life). I used to be an incredibly independent person, traveling abroad by myself, traveling across the country by myself, etc. H still works, I don't, and am so disappointed that I have these limitations, so I'm starting to look at alternatives other than prescription drugs. Nine years ago, I also tried TMS, but it didn't help. My psychiatrist says the approach to TMS has changed a lot in nine years, and thinks it's worth considering again.
But the point of this post, is to ask if anyone here knows anyone who has tried psilocybin or ketamine treatments for anxiety or depression, and if so, what was their experience. MDMA and LSD are also being studied, but I'm only interested in the two treatments I've mentioned here.
