When Dr. Alicia Danforth and Dr. Charles Grob studied psychedelics for autism, they uncovered massive therapeutic potential of these substances. In their famous study, adults with autism received MDMA-assisted therapies in a clinical setting. The results showed that psychedelics used in control dosage can improve social confidence in people with autism spectrum disorders. The positive effects can last for many months after the treatment.
Psychedelics for autism can indeed help with many of the symptoms common in autistic individuals. Although more research needs to be done, the few studies conducted so far prove that the potential benefits of psychedelic therapies in ASD should not be ignored. But with anything this revolutionary, there are bound to be risks and the typical slow regulatory approval.
We'll bring everything to light. In the next two minutes, you are going to learn how autism and psychedelics interact, what research says so far and whether the government may soon approve these therapies.
The Biochemical Brain Function in Autism
Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA are the chemicals that send signals between brain cells. So, inside the brain of a person with autism, neurotransmitters don't act as expected. In a normal human brain, these neurotransmitters all work together in a balanced way to regulate emotion, attention, and behavior. In the brain of an autistic individual, though, there is an imbalance; this causes one to struggle with social interactions, emotional regulation and repetitive behaviors.
It is for this reason that people are now experimenting with psychedelics for autism treatment. This article in Nature explains that psychedelics modulate neurotransmitters, particularly serotonin. This neurochemical is often dysregulated in autism, but psychedelics can restore its balance, and this helps improve mood and social confidence.
Current Discoveries in Psychedelic Research
A lot of research is currently ongoing on psilocybin autism therapies. It's not surprising that the FDA currently recognizes psilocybin treatment for autism as a breakthrough therapy. Psilocybin comes from magic mushrooms and several approved studies show that it holds great promise for in treating depression. Early studies suggest that psilocybin autism treatments might help to boost brain connectivity and improve empathy awareness.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris is a leading researcher in this field. In his paper, he concurred that psilocybin and autism therapies are a big breakthrough in neuroscience today. He demonstrates how psychedelics free up brain connectivity in a way that helps people with autism experience and interact with the world in more wholesome ways.
Therapeutic Benefits of Psychedelics for Autism
People with autism may not always get the best relief from medications such as Risperidon and Geodon. Microdosing for autism is quickly becoming popular. The process involves the intake of very small doses of psychedelics in quantities that don't cause hallucinations.
Microdosing has been shown to improve focus, reduce anxiety, and enhance creativity. These benefits are a ray of hope for people with autism. Microdoses of psychedelics could help people with autism control symptoms, such as social anxiety or repetitive behaviors.
In studies on autism and psilocybin, the magic mushroom chemical causes improved emotional regulation in autistic individuals. Low or small doses of psilocybin trigger self awareness and empathy in people with autism, improving their performance in social interactions.
Sensory processing
In autism, everyday stimuli such as sound, sight or textures can become overwhelming. This phenomenon is called sensory overload – it can trigger anxiety, panic attacks and significantly lower social cognition in autistic individuals.
The good news is psychedelics for treating autism have the potential to "reset" the brain's reaction to environmental stimuli. In other words, shrooms and autism therapies improve sensory experiences, leading to fewer meltdowns and greater comfort in public environments.
Social and emotional cognition
People with autism are no strangers to social anxieties. Traditional therapies usually focus on imparting social skills, which entails hard work and slow progress. On the bright side, psilocybin for autism studies are starting to show improved empathy and social cognition.
This means that substances such as magic mushrooms can improve an autistic person's ability to understand social cues and even make friends. Similar results have been demonstrated in LSD and autism studies.
Repetitive behaviors
One of the aspirations when treating people with autism is minimizing their repetitive behavior patterns. That implies making them more welcoming to change and getting them to go out and embrace the possibilities in life. Psychedelics have been found to promote cognitive flexibility by enabling cross talk and connectivity in brain regions involved in adaptive thinking processes.
Put simply, mushrooms and autism therapies are cracking the code on mental flexibility, helping people with autism embrace new thoughts that lead to new behaviors. Even more benefits may be uncovered in future autism and mushroom therapeutic studies.
Anxiety
Anxiety can impair the lifestyles of people with autism in major ways. It can cause strained relationships, oversensitivity to stimuli, chronic stress and missed opportunities in life. But breakthroughs in autism and shroom therapies could change that.
These therapies lead to massive stress relief, allowing the individual to go through life without the pressure. Further research is required to assess the long-term benefits of autistic mushroom therapies for anxiety.
Creativity
One of the most curious phenomena in life is that sometimes, people with autism are the most creative people in art and science. But with the daily struggles of the disorder, their potential in their various fields can be limited.
Scientists are exploring LSD and mushroom autism therapies that improve creativity in such people to help them create or imagine differently. Autism psilocybin treatment may be able to augment creativity thanks to its ability to impart cognitive flexibility to users.
Risks and Side Effects of Psychedelics for Autism
The degree of risk that psychedelics autism therapies carry should never be ignored. The biggest and worst of them all is the risk of overuse and addiction in people who go through the treatments.
When microdosing psychedelics autism therapies, the risk of addiction is minimal. But then, with long term use, things can get out of hand. Another risk to weigh is that autism and LSD treatments may cause adverse reactions, increasing hallucinations or paranoia in people with ASD.
DMT autism therapy risks are just as concerning. DMT is a potent psychedelic with the ability to generate hard core hallucinations. This type of treatment might not be ideal for autistic people with massive sensory sensitivity. Self administration is not recommended.
State of the Industry and Regulation
The pharmaceutical industry is slowly catching up to psychedelics for autism trends. A few pharmaceutical companies are now pouring money into clinical trials for psilocybin autism therapies. When it comes to regulation, government policy is still strict.
Although a few states in the U.S. are gradually starting to decriminalize psychedelic shrooms and LSD for mental health, these substances remain illegal on the federal level. Government agencies are cautious about the risk of abuse and possible long term effects of mushrooms for autism.
Nonetheless, the FDA has provided guidelines for safe research and new therapy developments on psychedelics.
The Verdict on Autism and Psychedelics
Psychedelics are ushering in a new age of autism treatment and care with unprecedented levels of efficiency. Although research is still in infancy, current psychedelics and autism studies show that the substances could solve sensory overload, anxiety and emotional cognition in people with autism.
However, psychedelic therapies have their risks too, the biggest of them all being hallucinations. For all the benefits, never self medicate with psychedelics—these therapies must be conducted under strict clinical supervision.
