Research library / Qualitative study

LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: a qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects

Gasser P, Kirchner K, Passie T. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2015;29(1):57-68

This paper followed up 10 people who had taken part in an earlier Swiss trial of LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety linked to serious illness. A year after treatment, they completed an anxiety questionnaire and an in-depth interview. None described lasting harmful effects, and their reduced anxiety scores had held. In the interviews, most said their anxiety was lower and their quality of life better, and many described the sessions as emotionally intense, cathartic and insightful. The authors suggest that easier access to emotions and facing previously avoided fears were part of how the therapy worked. With 10 participants, no comparison group at follow-up and heavy reliance on personal accounts, this study describes experiences rather than proving the treatment's effect.