A recent study published in Military Psychology has shown that a treatment involving the psychedelic substances ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT can significantly reduce alcohol misuse and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in U.S. Special Operations Forces Veterans. One month after the start of the treatment, participants showed a significant reduction in alcohol misuse, and these effects persisted six months later.
The study was published in Military Psychology. The authors write:
Overall, Special Operations Forces Veterans who sought out psychedelic-assisted therapy experienced a significant and robust reduction in alcohol misuse. Additionally, veterans who experienced a substantial reduction in alcohol misuse had greater reductions in trauma symptoms and improvements in cognitive functioning. Psychedelic-assisted therapy appears to be a hopeful transdiagnostic treatment for this unique population of Veterans, many of whom struggle with various mental health concerns.
“Although these preliminary data are encouraging, more research is needed to better understand prospective associations of psychedelic therapy among Veterans who misuse alcohol and experience co-occurring trauma-related symptoms,” wrote the authors of the study. “The goal of the present study was to address this gap in the literature by conducting secondary analysis using a subgroup from the prospective study described above. The first aim is to provide an overall characterization of alcohol use, PTSD symptoms, and cognitive functioning before and after treatment, through six-month follow-up. The second aim is to explore pre-treatment and other treatment characteristics that predict response and non-response on alcohol use outcomes.”
