A Needs Assessment of Older Hispanics in Omaha, Nebraska
Summary & key facts
The authors reviewed studies and writings about the part of psychedelic-assisted therapy called integration. Integration means understanding a drug experience and using its insights in daily life. They looked at about 75 papers and documents found in major medical and psychology databases up to November 2022. They found that people say integration is important, but there is not enough solid research to say which type of therapy works best for integration. The authors say we need careful, head-to-head studies to figure out which therapy methods help people get the most benefit and stay safe.
- The team searched major databases such as PsycINFO, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library and collected about 75 clinical trials, guides, protocols, opinions and reviews published up to November 11, 2022.
- Integration is the phase of substance-assisted psychotherapy when a person tries to make sense of a drug experience and apply any insights to everyday life.
- Most of the material the authors found was not strong scientific evidence. Many sources were opinion pieces, treatment manuals, or descriptions rather than controlled experiments.
- No rigorous studies have tested whether different types of therapy for integration lead to better patient outcomes. In other words, we do not know which integration approach works best.
- Among the studies that did describe an approach, many used ideas from the humanistic-experiential tradition. That means therapists focused on personal growth, feelings, and the person’s lived experience.
- Because the evidence is limited, the authors call for systematic research comparing different therapy frameworks and other therapy-related factors during integration so clinicians can know what is most helpful and safe.
Abstract
Serotonergic psychedelics and related substances have been explored as potential adjuncts in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAPT) for treating various disorders. SAPT can be divided into three phases: preparation, administration and integration. Integration is commonly defined as the comprehension and effective application of insights from psychedelic experiences into everyday life. However, there is limited research regarding the most appropriate therapeutic approach during SAPT. In this article, we discuss the current evidence for different therapeutic frameworks for integration sessions when serotonergic psychedelics and entactogens are used as adjuncts to psychotherapy. We conducted a systematised review of the literature following PRISMA guidelines and searched PsycINFO, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases. The final synthesis included 75 clinical trials, mixed-methods investigations, treatment manuals, study protocols, quasi-experiments, qualitative investigations, descriptive studies, opinion papers, reviews, books and book chapters, published until 11 November 2022. The effects that various therapeutic approaches for integration sessions have on therapeutic outcomes have not been investigated by means of rigorous research. Most of the available evidence we retrieved was not supported by empirical data, thus limiting any conclusive statements regarding appropriate therapeutic frameworks for integration sessions for SAPT. Current clinical studies have used a range of therapeutic frameworks with the majority drawing from the humanistic-experiential tradition. While integration is regarded as crucial for the safe application of SAPT, there is currently an insufficient evidence base to suggest that any type of therapy is effective for guiding integration sessions. A systematic investigation of different therapeutic frameworks for integration and additional therapy-related factors is needed.
