4 Ways to Break Psychedelic Stigmas and Build Patient Trust

The clear benefits of psychedelic treatment are becoming more frequently publicized across medical industries.

Even so, a prominent stigma still exists around their use as reputable medical treatments. In a study [1] published by the National Library of Medicine, for example, a fifth of people viewed psychedelics as unsafe and addictive, even when taken under medical supervision. 

If you know someone who you think would benefit from such treatment, how do you help break down the stigma around psychedelics and gain their trust? That’s where this guide comes in. Whether you’re a medical professional, friend, or family member, learn how to start conversations and communicate the benefits of psychedelic treatment in this article.

“By calmly and compassionately sharing your knowledge and backing it up with evidence, you can help patients make more informed decisions about their health.”

— Chris Harley

1. Understand the Stigma

The first step towards positive communication around psychedelics is understanding where negativity stems from. The use of psychedelic drugs has cultivated a bad reputation over the years, largely due to the media, and there’s a hefty stigma now surrounding their use.

From the war on drugs to their classification as a Schedule 1 drug in the US Controlled Substances Act of 1970 [2], psychedelics have been fighting a losing battle. But, many of the harmful myths around psychedelic drugs (particularly when administered in a medical setting) are just that: myths.

Understanding that the patient may have years of societally garnered stigma and incorrect ideas attached to psychedelics is essential. As you start discussing the possibility of their use in the medical field, ask them why they personally view them as negative. What precisely makes them wary of psychedelics? 

Once you know where negativity stems from, you can begin to address it.

2. Research Options Together

Some patients might worry about psychedelic ethics. They may wonder how legitimate medical professionals who offer psychedelics as a treatment course really are. Such an instance is where researching treatment options together is highly beneficial.

For example, you could look into the top treatment centers offering psychedelics. [3] When the patient sees that a vast number of reputable mental health clinics around the world use drugs like LSD and DMT as treatments, they’ll begin to view psychedelics differently.

Collect resources in advance to go through with the patient, too. These could include medical studies and stories from previous clients. Encourage questions to create a dialogue around the resources, helping your patients to reconsider their perspective.

3. Calm the Patient’s Fears

Evidence and reasoning can go a long way to calming patient fears and gaining their trust. It’s also a great way to unravel misinformation they might have picked up over time from the stigma around psychedelics.

Do note that contradicting a belief should be approached with empathy and understanding. Starting sentences with phrases such as ‘I understand why you feel like that’ or ‘You’re not alone in that line of thinking’ can help the patient feel heard rather than criticized or berated.

You can then move on to state a fact that challenges their current point of view. For example, if the patient is worried the use of psychedelics could be fatal, let them know that overdosing on psychedelics, like mushrooms or LSD, is incredibly rare. 

In fact, of the very few fatalities linked to LSD, it seems that other factors were more likely the cause of the death rather than the drug itself. [4] There are only 3 cases of fatalities linked to psychedelic mushrooms. [5] None of these have ever occurred in a medical setting.

By calmly and compassionately sharing your knowledge and backing it up with evidence, you can help patients make more informed decisions about their health. This approach fosters trust, minimizes anxiety, and creates an open space for discussion.

4. Communicate the Benefits of Psychedelics

If you’re going to break the stigma around psychedelics and build patient trust, you need to convey the benefits of treatment.

There’s an increasing body of research that highlights how psychedelics can be beneficial in the medical industry. Draw on proven facts, such as how psychedelics can:

• Foster ego dissolution to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD)
• Reduced symptoms of emotional instability, relational difficulties, and impulsive behavior [6]
• Aid in addiction recovery
• Enhance self-confidence and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety [7]

When communicating benefits, it can be helpful to break down how exactly psychedelic integration leads to these results.

For example, in the treatment of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychedelics have been shown to create new neurons in the brain. This growth increases brain plasticity, helping you unlearn negative behavior patterns, facilitate new learning, and rewire thought processes. [8]

By understanding how psychedelics work, patients can better grasp how these substances offer transformative potential. It’ll also help tackle misinformation and reduce pre-existing concerns.

Final Thoughts

Breaking down the stigma around psychedelics and related treatments takes patience, empathy, and a lot of research. However, the more time you spend communicating the benefits and dispelling the myths, the more likely you are to shift perspectives and gain trust. Who knows, with a little bit of compassion and communication, you might just change someone’s life.

For more on the use of psychedelics in the medical field, be sure to check out the latest at Psychedelic Support.

References

1. Corrigan, K., Haran, M., McCandliss, C., McManus, R., Cleary, S., Trant, R., Kelly, Y., Ledden, K., Rush, G., O’Keane, V., & Kelly, J. R. (2021). Psychedelic Perceptions: Mental Health Service User Attitudes to Psilocybin Therapy. Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971-), 191(3), 1385-1397. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8205319/.

2. USC Administrative Operations. (n.d.). Overview of Controlled Substances and Precursor Chemicals. University of Southern California Environmental Health & Safety. https://ehs.usc.edu/research/cspc/chemicals/https://ehs.usc.edu/research/cspc/chemicals/.

3. Recovery.com. (n.d.). 50+ Best Psychedelics Rehab Centers of 2024 (with Pricing). https://recovery.com/condition/psychedelics/.

4. Morrell, K. (Ed.), Peckham, A. (Med. Rev.), & Myer, N. (Copy Ed.). (2021, August 4). Can You Really Overdose on LSD? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/substance-use/can-you-overdose-on-lsd.

5. PMC PubMed Central. (2022). Adverse Experiences Resulting in Emergency Medical Treatment Seeking Following the Use of Magic Mushrooms. Journal of Psychopharmacology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9353971 

6. Frontiersin (2020). Treatment of a Complex Personality Disorder Using Repeated Doses of LSD—a Case Report on Significant Improvements in the Absence of Acute Drug Effects. Frontiers in psychiatry https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.573953/full 

7. PMC PubMed Central. (2022). Effects of Naturalistic Psychedelic Use on Depression, Anxiety, and Well-Being: Associations with Patterns of Use, Reported Harms, and Transformative Mental States. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8965278/ 

8. National Institutes of Health. (2023, March 28). How Psychedelic Drugs May Help with Depression. NIH Research Matters. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-psychedelic-drugs-may-help-depression.