SUZANNE'S NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 2024

Hello to my wonderful network!

In this month’s newsletter, I’m delivering a little Psychology 101 lesson with a twist. Read on if this intrigues you…

You might be surprised to learn that psychology is a relatively new science.? ?The practice of psychoanalysis emerged with Freud in the late 19th century and his psychodynamic theory gave birth to the first of three “forces” or movements in psychology which were to co-mingle over the next 130 years as follows:?

1. Psychodynamic theory - think Freud, defense mechanisms and impure thoughts about one’s parents and pretty much everyone else. Sexual suppression was definitely a hallmark of the Victoria era!
2. Behaviourism – remember Pavlov’s dog and the whole idea of conditioning?? Behaviourists argued that Freud was a crackpot and that inner experience wasn’t nearly as important as the influence of one’s environment on behaviour. This sparked the whole “nature vs. nurture” debate.
3. Humanism – the humanists thought the behaviourists were wrong.? They argued that people had subjective, inner experiences that motivated behaviour as well as a basic hierarchy of human needs (Google “Maslow”). They further advanced the idea that human beings are wired towards growth which they referred to as “self-actualization”, and that we can all heal through compassionate, non-judgemental witnessing by another (i.e., the therapist).

Cool how things have evolved, huh?? Well wait, things are about to get really groovy!

Enter the 21st century and the advent of the fourth force in psychology.? Psychedelics.

Who knew we were headed in the direction of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and magic mushrooms?

People, trust me, this really is a thing and there is a good reason for it. ?A growing evidence base says it works, especially with treatment-resistant and complex PTSD and paradoxically, in some cases with treatment-resistant addictions and eating disorders.

All treatment modalities should be approached initially with an open mind but I will confess that as a rule, I am more oriented towards the use of talk therapy as a primary treatment of psychological issues because I believe it is important to treat the root cause of mental health concerns as opposed to simply managing related symptoms.? In my opinion, this is what many antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications do. This can be true of psychedelics as well. Regardless, obtaining some measure of relief from what are often debilitating, psychological symptoms can be life-changing.? For this reason, I am pro “whatever works for you” and accordingly, I think that psychedelics and other forms of fourth force interventions are worth considering.

I like to stay on top of the latest happenings in psychotherapy and as such, I attended a seminar on psychedelic therapy in 2021 simply to gain a better understanding of where my profession is heading.? Fascinating stuff!? The presenter, Bruce Sanguin, RP (Victoria, BC – www.brucesanguin.ca) cited research which concluded that psychedelics have a far higher success ratio in treating depression and anxiety than traditional pharmaceuticals and have also been used successfully to treat alcoholism and end of life anxiety.? This is compelling information but worth noting that Bruce is not a medical doctor nor a psychologist. Moreover, without my having read or personally completed a meta-analysis of evidenced-based research on the use of psychedelics as effective and safe interventions in these areas, I take his commentary with a grain of salt.

I think you should too.? Before you get excited and run to a dispensary, I recommend you become an informed consumer. ?This is because I am noticing a disturbing trend whereby people are self-medicating with psychedelics (micro-dosing with psilocybin), cannabis or other mind-expanding drugs without any medical or psychological supervision.? This can be extremely dangerous, especially if you have a trauma history and/or other mental health concerns or disorders.? In my opinion, it always makes sense to obtain the advice of a professional (and your dealer or the store clerk at the dispensary are NOT professionals) before you embark upon such pursuits. The use of any drug, prescribed by your doctor or otherwise, should never be undertaken lightly.

For those of you who have tried everything to address your mental health concerns without substantive change, the use of psychedelic therapy might offer new hope.? As I would with all psychological "adventure" travel, however, I highly recommend you do your research before taking the trip.

RESOURCES

I like to share knowledge and this month; I’m passing on a few gems of information as follows:

• Numinus Clinic – www.numinus.com? This clinic offers psychedelic services and clinical trials available in Canada.? I am particularly intrigued by the following podcast on their site with Dr. Dick Schwarz, founder of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) treatment model that I use regularly in my practice.? In it, he discusses the merits of psychedelic-assisted IFS in the treatment of eating disorders - https://numinus.com/learn/podcast/richard-schwartz-phd-on-psychedelic-assisted-ifs-for-eating-disorders-and-spiritual-development/
• Field Trip Clinic – Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy in Canada. https://fieldtriphealth.ca/
• YouTube Video (1 hour) – Can Psychedelics Cure Trauma?? Bessel van der Kolk and Rachel Yehuda in Conversation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-TtinQTNLw? Worth noting that Dr. van der Kolk wrote the New York Times bestselling, seminal novel on trauma “The Body Keeps the Score” and Dr. Yehuda is a psychiatrist pioneer in the epigenetics of trauma. Two people who really know what they are talking about.

READ OF THE MONTH

I have to thank my former intern, associate and dear friend, Wendy Squirell, RP (www.o2counsellingservices.ca ) for recommending the book, “Talk Therapy Isn’t Enough” by Natasha Senra-Pereira, MSW, RSW, RP.? This is a readable and remarkable account of a psychotherapist’s personal journey in overcoming her traumatic experiences through neuroscience, psychedelics and spirituality. I love that the author didn’t give up until she figured out what worked best for her.

I hope this helps.

Suzanne

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