[Solved] Trimbos Factsheet psychedelics therapy and effects

Indeed, much has already been written about the areas in which psychedelics can help. Let's outline a few.

Processing pent-up emotions

Psilocybin can help process repressed emotions due to the way it affects the brain. During a psilocybin session, emotions that have been blocked for a long time may surface. Releasing this "old pain" can reduce emotional blockages and sometimes psychosomatic complaints.

Linking a feeling of satisfaction to self-image

Users of psychedelics often experience periods where they need nothing and are content. This feeling of contentment can be linked to self-awareness, thereby solving a great many problems. After all, many problems stem from dissatisfaction.

Exposure therapy

The use of psychedelics such as psilocybin or MDMA increases activity at various receptors, such as 5HT and dopamine receptors. Through this interaction, the brain enters a satisfied and safe state. During this state, patients can be safely and gradually exposed to situations that evoke anxiety or fear responses.

During this state of satisfaction and safety, the brain forms a different emotional connection with the trauma or the triggers that evoke anxiety. This can cause the patient to experience less anxiety and more positive emotions while talking about the trauma or being exposed to the triggers. Over time, the brain begins to connect the triggers with the positive state the patient is in, causing the anxiety response to diminish.

Exposure therapy can therefore be more effective under the influence of psychedelics, because the triggers do not immediately result in an anxious state. The patient can be safely exposed to the triggers while remaining in a state of satisfaction and safety. This can facilitate the processing of difficult situations and advance the therapy.

Spiritual experiences

A spiritual experience on psilocybin can also help in letting go of limiting beliefs and patterns. During the experience, people can connect with deeper parts of themselves and make new connections that they would not normally make. This can lead to a sense of liberation and the ability to let go of limiting thoughts and behavioral patterns.

Moreover, a spiritual experience on psilocybin can help increase self-esteem and form emotional and intimate relationships. It can help people feel more connected to others and to something greater than themselves.

Better neurotransmitter balance

By using psilocybin, you add a substance to the brain that resembles serotonin, namely psilocin. In theory, this can help people produce more serotonin in the brain, since it makes it easier to get substances similar to tryptophan into the brain. Even when psilocin has worn off, it is possible that some of the breakdown products serve as a basis for serotonin. Serotonin and tryptophan have difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier on their own, so the use of psilocybin can be a trick to get these types of substances into the brain more easily.

Furthermore, the levels of other neurotransmitters can be affected. For example, the use of psychedelics influences GABA and glutamate, and this can help reduce anxiety symptoms.

Lower inflammation levels

Recent research suggests that psilocybin may have anti-inflammatory properties. Psilocybin can reduce the production of inflammatory markers such as TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP. These markers are involved in inflammatory responses in the body. This research has shown that psilocybin can lower the levels of these markers, both during the session and in the long term. This can contribute to reducing inflammatory responses in the body. Lowering inflammatory responses helps on various levels.

Neuroplasticity

Psilocybin is believed to have a number of effects that may contribute to neuroplasticity. This increased neuroplasticity results from an improvement in neurotransmitter balance, lower inflammation levels, and a possible direct influence on the TrkB receptor. TrkB receptor activation leads to neurogenesis, the process by which new nerve cells are formed in the brain.

Placebo effect

Part of the effect of psychedelics is due to the placebo effect. Promising research results, various positive reviews, and suggestions before someone undergoes a psychedelic session all influence the placebo effect.

Less stress

Reducing stress is related to all the previously mentioned points and can create a positive spiral, leading to further improvements.

More about: Psychedelic therapy

The Trimbos Institute rightly describes in its factsheet that the effects of psychedelics on mental disorders are complex and multidimensional. With Triptherapie, we fully recognize this: the effects of psilocybin, MDMA and other psychedelics take place on pharmacological, neurocognitive and psychological level — and it is precisely the interaction between these levels that makes deep healing and self-realization possible.

On pharmacological level Psychedelics act on serotonergic receptors (especially 5-HT2A), leading to increased serotonin activity, more BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), and influence on dopamine, GABA, and glutamate. This results in increased neuroplasticity, improved mood, and a reduction in anxiety. There is even evidence that psilocin directly stimulates the TrkB receptor, which promotes neurogenesis—a process that contributes to brain repair and the development of new, healthy thought patterns. See also the explanation regarding psilocybin in MS and TrkB activation.

From a neurocognitive perspective Psychedelics cause a temporary suppression of the Default Mode Network (DMN), which is associated with the ego and self-reflection. As a result, rigid beliefs, automatic patterns, and self-criticism fade. This enables people to break free from limiting thoughts and get to know themselves on a new, often more compassionate level. It is in this state that pent-up emotions often detach, which enables processing and integration.

Psychological psychedelic sessions open the way to deep insights, emotional healing, and a sense of purpose. Under guidance, techniques such as exposure therapy are applied, whereby clients are confronted with traumas or blockages in a safe, fear-free state. This leads to a reprogramming of emotional responses. Also spiritual experiences — which often occur at higher doses — help clients let go of limiting beliefs and experience a sense of connection and inner strength.

Regarding self-realizationPsychedelics often set processes in motion that lead to greater awareness, acceptance, and direction in life. People feel more connected to their core, recognize destructive patterns, and develop the motivation to make healthier choices. The combination of increased brain flexibility, emotional release, and spiritual insight makes psychedelic therapy into a unique tool for personal growth and recovery.