10 Ways to Help a Loved One With PTSD Treatment

If someone is concerned about a family member, friend, or relationship partner who struggles with PTSD, there are ways to demonstrate support, such as learning more about PTSD, offer assistance, and provide space.

Here are nine ways to provide support and encouragement to someone undergoing PTSD treatment:

1. Learn about the condition!
2. Take time to talk about their situation, or to simply listen
3. Provide personal space whenever needed
4. Offer assistance in scheduling or keeping therapy appointments<
5. Encourage healthy eating, sleep habits, and routine exercise
6. Consider attending one or more treatment sessions to learn how to be more helpful to their loved one
7. Plan activities with their loved one
8. Be a model of good self-care routines
9. Maintain healthy boundaries 

Equally important are the actions to avoid taking, as they can increase distress for your loved one. Things to avoid doing with someone who has PTSD include:

• Avoid giving advice about their specific treatment plan. Leave that to the mental health professional
• Don’t insist that they tell you about the trauma

If you are in a situation where your loved one is experiencing great distress and emergency services are needed, make sure you contact:

• Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
• 9-1-1 for a life-threatening emergency

Final Thoughts

While coping with PTSD can be difficult, there are many types of therapeutic, psychopharmaceutical, and lifestyle interventions that can help manage PTSD symptoms in patients. Psychotherapy is typically the most recommended treatment, but remember that it can take some time to find the right fit, so do not be discouraged if the first few people are not the best match. Along with different forms of CBT-focused therapy, medications can also help manage the changes in brain chemistry associated with PTSD, thereby improving symptoms for patients. The effects of therapy and medication can be maximized further when combined with lifestyle changes, self-help interventions, and other techniques such as trauma-focused yoga. Managing PTSD can be difficult, but it is never too late to find the right treatment.

Researchers Test Microdosing Psilocybin on Rats to Create Treatment for Mental Disorders

Depression Treatment

WHAT IS PSILOCYBIN?

Nature is filled with extraordinary compounds. Plants produce all kinds of secondary alkaloids, often as a defense mechanism to protect themselves. Yet, scientists are still unsure of the purpose of one of Mother Nature’s most mysterious substances: psilocybin. Found in over 180 species of mushrooms in nearly every corner of the globe, psilocybin is a natural psychedelic alkaloid. In the body, it’s broken down into psilocin, which causes the psychedelic effects. There is a whole genus of mushrooms that contain psilocybin and psilocin: Psilocybe. There are also more psilocybin mushrooms outside of this genera, and some speculate there are even more to be discovered.

The most diverse species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms live in a magical country just south of the US, Mexico. The late Gastón Guzmán, who was a leading expert in Psilocybes and the first to discover many psilocybin species, estimated there were 55 different species in Mexico alone. However, his daughter, Laura Guzmán Dávalos, also an esteemed mycologist and professor at the University of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico, tells me there may be even more species in less studied parts of the world, like Central and South America as well as Africa. In fact, she explains that although her father identified over 40 species in the Americas, she believes there are more to be found here, especially in remote, tropical jungles. It’s not that far-fetched of an idea considering that many mycologists like Dávalos believe only 3 to 8 percent of the estimated 2.2 to 3.5 million species of fungi have been named and identified at all.

With so many different species of psilocybin mushrooms, are there different magic mushroom experiences? Many psilonauts (those who regularly use magic mushrooms) would argue yes, and indigenous people who use mushrooms ceremonially would probably agree. The indigenous people of the Sierra Mazateca mountain region of Oaxaca, Mexico, believe different mushrooms have their own fuerza, or power. “There are certain species that are more prized and coveted,” Christopher Casuse, who has been working with the Mazatec for over a decade, tells me. For this reason, different species are employed for different ceremonial uses. Many mushroom users outside of the ceremonial context say something similar, that different types of mushrooms have their own “signature”; some create certain types of visual experiences, physical sensations, or have particularly strong introspective effects, for example.

This variance in experience could be due to the slightly different chemical structures of individual species and strains of shrooms. For instance, different species have varying levels of psilocybin and psilocin. And even among one species, strength varies. Psilocybe cubensis, one of the most popular species of psychedelic mushrooms, can have between 0.15 to 1.3 percent psilocybin and 0.11 to 0.5 percent psilocin. And it’s considered “moderately potent.” Plus, there can be many strains of one species of mushroom, especially among cubensis, which are also the most commonly cultivated psilocybin-containing mushrooms. What’s more, homegrown varieties can be stronger than naturally occurring strains due to advanced cultivation techniques.

But beyond psilocybin, there are even more secondary alkaloids produced by mushrooms that could be affecting the experience as well, such as baeocystin and norbaeocystin, though more research is needed to say for sure. It could be very similar to the “entourage effect” theory of the cannabis experience. While THC is the dominant alkaloid that produces the cannabis high, many scientists believe it’s actually the combined effect of the over 400 compounds found in the plant, including other cannabinoids and flavor-producing terpenes.

However, with psilocybin mushrooms, your environment and mind-set going into the experience may play an even larger role in their effect than the chemical composition of the fungi. A concept known as “set and setting” in the psychedelic community can drastically change the mushroom experience, often referred to as the “trip.” We’ll explore these ideas in more depth in later chapters, but they’re important concepts to get familiar with as we begin this journey.

Speaking of environment, Psilocybes grow in a wide variety of settings. While some prefer pastures and cow manure, others thrive on disturbed land in cloud forests. Paul Stamets, a leading authority on psilocybin mushrooms who’s identified a few new species, theorizes why they prefer such habitats in his book and identification guide, Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World. He writes that, before human civilization, psilocybin mushrooms thrived after ecological disasters like landslides, floods, hurricanes, and volcanoes. “This peculiar affection for disturbed habitats enables them to travel, following streams of debris.” Then when humans came into the picture, we were constantly creating ecological disturbances, and so we were the perfect creatures to coevolve with—always creating ideal conditions for shrooms to thrive. Now, psilocybin-containing mushrooms seem to grow at the edge of human civilization, near things like parking lots and graveyards, and they particularly love landscaped areas with mulch, like in front of police stations, causing Stamets to speculate “an innate intelligence on the part of the mushrooms.”

Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic compound found in about 200 mushroom species, including the liberty cap (Psilocybe semilanceata). For millennia, our ancestors have known and used this substance, and in recent years, it has received renewed interest from scientific researchers and therapists.

The substance has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat conditions such as severe depression and substance addiction, according to many. This is also the opinion of SDU researchers Himanshu Khandelia and Ali Asghar Hakami Zanjani from the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy.

The two researchers have recently published the scientific paper The Molecular Basis of the Antidepressant Action of the Magic Mushroom extract, Psilocin. The article is the third in a series on the same topic from the two researchers (Interaction of psychedelic tryptamine derivatives with a lipid bilayer and Magic mushroom extracts in lipid membranes). The newest study's co-authors are Teresa Quynh Tram Nguyen and Luise Jacobsen. The work is supported by the Lundbeck Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Half life of psilocybin

"My interest was piqued when I heard a podcast about treating smoking addiction with psilocybin. And since psilocybin mushrooms grow everywhere in Denmark - I picked some in Svanninge Bakker - it wasn't difficult to start our research", said Himanshu Khandelia.

Together with Ali Asghar Hakami Zanjani, he is interested in understanding what happens at the molecular level when psilocybin enters the body, is converted to psilocin, and reaches the brain.

"Previous research has shown that psilocin binds to serotonin receptors in the brain. We show that psilocin binds stronger than serotonin to a 5-HT2AR serotonin receptor. This knowledge can be used if you want to design a drug that acts like psilocybin," explained Ali Asghar Hakami Zanjani.

Do not do this at home

Towards the end of the 1960s, many countries, especially the United States, tightened their legislation on psychoactive substances, and this also affected research on psilocybin and similar substances, which has been largely stagnant since the 1960s until a few years ago.

Today, countries like the United States, England, and Denmark are again active in the research field - now with a more cautious approach.

Hallucinations and the feeling of being disconnected from the world will come along whether one eats a psilocybin mushroom to take a trip or one takes the substance in a medically prescribed tablet, and this calls for caution, explains Ali Asghar Hakami Zanjani:

"Research shows that you experience something different. It is a form of hallucination. The characteristic is that patients may get a whole new perspective on their situation: for example, a terminally ill cancer patient may lose their fear of dying soon and instead experience acceptance of their life situation. Such sessions should take place in safe and guiding settings led by trained therapists. Today, no one would recommend just eating some mushrooms at home in their own living room".

Depression Symptoms and Treatment

The MEPS used the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), a brief screen for depressed mood and anhedonia during the past 2 weeks, to screen for depression. A PHQ-2 score of 3 or more (scores range from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms) defined screen-positive depression. In primary care patients, a PHQ-2 score of 3 or more has a sensitivity of 0.61 to 0.87 and specificity of 0.78 to 0.92 for major depressive disorder which refers to more severe rather than mild depression.19-21 In a validation study of 88 primary care patients with a PHQ-2 score of 3 or more, 34 (38.6%) had major depressive disorder, 32 (36.3%) had other less severe depression, and 22 (25.0%) had neither type of depression.19

Detailed data were collected directly from households using 3 interviews during each survey year. Treatment of depression was defined by an outpatient visit or use of antidepressant, antipsychotic, mood stabilizer, or anxiolytic medications, or psychotherapy for depression (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, codes 296.2, 296.3, 300.4, and 311) without regard to clinical effectiveness. Patients treated for bipolar disorder were excluded from the definition of depression treatment.

Respondents indicated whether each visit included psychotherapy or mental health counseling. One or more psychotherapy or counseling visits defined use of psychotherapy. Three groups were defined: any psychotherapy, any antidepressant treatment, and combination treatment. Information was also collected concerning the health care professionals providing treatment at each visit. Respondents were classified into those who received depression treatment from (1) any psychiatrist, (2) any social worker or psychologist, and (3) only general medical professionals (ie, health care professionals other than psychiatrists, psychologists, or social workers). The 2 mental health specialty groups were not mutually exclusive.

Microdosing psychedelics may offer unique health benefits, according to a growing body of research.
A new study found that people who reported microdosing psilocybin saw improvements in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress compared to people who did not microdose psychedelics.
Psychedelic research is expanding and the results seem promising, but more rigorous studies are needed to determine whether psychedelic microdosing may be effective for treating mental health conditions.
Repeated use of small quantities of the psychedelic substance psilocybin can improve mood and mental health, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that people who microdosed psilocybin saw “small- to medium-sized” improvements in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress over a 30-day follow-up, compared to those who did not.

This observational study, published June 30 in Nature-Scientific ReportsTrusted Source, included over 900 people who reported microdosing psilocybin during the past month, and a control group of 180 people who did not engage in microdosing psychedelics.

“This is the largest longitudinal study of this kind to date of microdosing psilocybin and one of the few studies to engage a control group,” study author Zach Walsh, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus in Kelowna, said in a press release.

“[The results] add to the growing conversation about the therapeutic potential of microdosing,” he added.

Mental health benefits of microdosing

When it comes to psychedelics, microdosing involves consuming psychedelic substances in amounts too small to impair daily functioning. The dosage may vary but could be taken 3 to 5 times per week.

The 2021 Global Drug Survey (GDS) found that 1 in 4 people who used psychedelics reported microdosing psilocybin mushrooms or LSD in the past 12 months. These two substances are the most widely used for microdosing, but the survey also found that about one-third of people who used psychedelics microdosed another psychedelic substance.

Although most people have a sense of a microdose as being very small, Dustin Hines, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said one challenge for this kind of research is accurately defining the size of that dose.

“In establishing a microdose, people are looking to have normal cognitive functioning — they can still carry out their work duties or other responsibilities without noticing a negative impact,” he said, adding that the appropriate microdose may vary from person to person and situation to situation.

In the new study, participants reported on their recent use of microdosing psychedelic mushrooms and completed a number of assessments on their mood and mental health, noting a number of improvements.

PTSD Treatment

Learn more about PTSD treatment at Options Behavioral Health System in Indianapolis, IN

Experiencing a traumatic event can cause a great deal of pain. For some individuals that have experienced a traumatic event, over time, the associated fear and anxiety eventually dissipate. For others, however, the fear and anxiety remain constant, or even worsen, as time passes. In such instances, it is possible that these individuals are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that is caused by being exposed to a traumatic event. A traumatic event can be anything that invokes feelings of helplessness and fear, or that may cause an individual to believe that his or her life, or the life of a loved one, is in danger. Examples of traumatic events include domestic violence, car accidents, natural disasters, rape, and military combat.

At Options Behavioral Health, we understand the complexities of PTSD and the degree of anguish that this disorder can cause. We also know that facing the emotions that result from experiencing a traumatic event may seem unbearable. However, we are proud to have helped many people at our center learn to manage the symptoms of PTSD by offering state-of-the-art treatment that is provided by an experienced team of professionals. Options Behavioral Health is an 84-bed, free-standing psychiatric hospital devoted to providing a full continuum of care for adolescents, ages 12 to 18, adults, and older adults who are battling the symptoms of any number of mental health concerns, including posttraumatic stress disorder. At our hospital, individuals can learn the tools they need to successfully achieve a brighter future.

what is psilocybin?

Magic mushrooms are a group of fungi. They aren’t actually “magic,” and you can’t buy them at a grocery store like other mushrooms. Magic mushrooms are more difficult to find, and people usually access them illegally in Canada. They contain a mind-altering substance called psilocybin (info from the Government of Canada). Psilocybin is a chemical found in the cap and stem of over 200 different types of mushrooms. They belong to a category of drugs called hallucinogens (info from The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), which are also called psychedelics.

Why do people use them?
People may use magic mushrooms:

to boost their mood
to cope with their emotions
to treat a mental health disorder
as a recreational (party) drug
in religious / spiritual practices
etc.
How do people use them?

There are different ways to use magic mushrooms. Some of these include:

eating them, cooked or raw (dried)
grinding them up to drink in a tea
sniffing them in a powdered form
swallowing them in pill form
Are magic mushrooms legal in Canada?

Magic mushrooms are illegal to grow, make, buy, sell or have in Canada without a license or special exemption.

There’s some interest in the use of magic mushrooms to treat mental health disorders. This is called psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. For example, to support people experiencing a mental disorder who don’t feel better with other treatments, psilocybin may be used. This isn’t legal for everyone across Canada, though.

Only some health-care professionals have approval to offer psychedelic-assisted treatment. They’re often only able to offer it to select patients through things like clinical trials and Health Canada’s Special Access Program (SAP). If you have questions about the use of psychedelics for the treatment of mental health concerns, you can ask a health-care professional for more information.

Psilocybe cubensis

Singer noted that Psilocybe cubensis had psychoactive properties in 1949.

In Australia, the use of psychoactive mushrooms grew rapidly between 1969 and 1975.

In a 1992 paper, locals and tourists in Thailand were reported to consume P. cubensis and related species in mushroom omelets—particularly in Ko Samui and Ko Pha-ngan. At times, omelets were adulterated with LSD, resulting in prolonged intoxication. A thriving subculture had developed in the region. Other localities, such as Hat Yai, Ko Samet, and Chiang Mai, also had some reported usage.

In 1996, jars of honey containing Psilocybe cubensis were confiscated at the Dutch-German border. Upon examination, it was revealed that jars of honey containing psychedelic mushrooms were being sold at Dutch coffee shops.

P. cubensis is probably the most widely known of the psilocybin-containing mushrooms used for triggering psychedelic experiences after ingestion. Its major psychoactive compounds are:

Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine)
Psilocin (4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine)
Baeocystin (4-phosphoryloxy-N-methyltryptamine)
Norbaeocystin (4-phosphoryloxytryptamine)
Aeruginascin (N,N,N-trimethyl-4-phosphoryloxytryptamine)
The concentrations of psilocin and psilocybin, as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, are in the range of 0.14–0.42% (wet weight) and 0.37–1.30% (dry weight) in the whole mushroom 0.17–0.78% (wet weight) and 0.44–1.35% (dry weight) in the cap, and 0.09%–0.30% (wet weight) and 0.05–1.27% (dry weight) in the stem, respectively.[17] For quickly and practically measuring the psychoactive contents of most healthy Psilocybe cubensis varieties, it can generally be assumed that there is approximately 15 mg (+/- 5 mg) of psilocybin per gram of dried mushroom.[18] Furthermore, due to factors such as age and storage method, the psilocybin and psilocin content of a given sample of mushrooms will vary.

Individual body composition, brain chemistry and psychological predisposition play a significant role in determining appropriate doses. For a modest psychedelic effect, a minimum of one gram of dried Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms is ingested orally, 0.25–1 gram is usually sufficient to produce a mild effect, 1–2.5 grams usually provides a moderate effect and 2.5 grams and higher usually produces strong effects.[19] For most people, 3.5 dried grams (1/8 oz) would be considered a high dose and may produce an intense experience; this is, however, typically considered a standard dose among recreational users. Body composition (usually weight) should be taken into account when calculating dosage. For many individuals, doses above three grams may be overwhelming. For a few rare people, doses as small as 0.25 gram can produce full-blown effects normally associated with very high doses. For most people, however, that dose level would have virtually no effects.

There are many different ways to ingest Psilocybe cubensis. Users may prefer to take them raw, freshly harvested, or dried and preserved. It is also possible to prepare culinary dishes such as pasta or tea with the mushrooms. However, the psychoactive compounds begin to break down rapidly at temperatures exceeding 100 °C (212 °F).[20] Another method of ingestion known as "Lemon Tekking" involves combining pulverized Psilocybe cubensis with a concentrated citrus juice with a pH of ~2. Many users believe that a considerable amount of the psilocybin will have been dephosphorylated into psilocin, the psychoactive metabolite, by citric acid. However, this claim is not substantiated by the literature on the metabolism of psilocybin, as dephosphorylation is known to be mediated by the enzyme alkaline phosphatase in humans.[21] It is therefore more likely that citric acid mostly helps in breakdown of mushroom cells, aiding in digestion and psilocybin release.[citation needed] The "Lemon Tekk" method of consumption results in a more rapid onset and can offer easier digestion or reduced "come-up pressure" associated with raw consumption.[22] Psilocybe cubensis can also be taken in conjunction with other botanicals such as turmeric, ginger, and black pepper. A 2019 study observed turmeric to act as a mild MAOI, which, when combined with psilocin, potentiates the biochemical interactions between serotonin receptors and psilocin, creating an entourage effect.

Upon ingestion, effects usually begin after approximately 20–60 minutes (depending on the method of ingestion and stomach contents) and may last from four to ten hours, depending on dosage and individual biochemistry. Visual distortions often occur, including walls that seem to breathe, a vivid enhancement of colors, and the animation of organic shapes.[citation needed]

The effects of high doses can be overwhelming depending on the particular phenotype of cubensis, grow method, and the individual. It is recommended not to eat wild mushrooms without properly identifying them as they may be poisonous. In particular, similar species include mushrooms of the genus Galerina and Pholiotina rugosa—all potentially deadly—and Chlorophyllum molybdites. All of these grow in pastures, a similar habitat to that preferred by P. cubensis.