SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Scientists at UCSF are opening new doors through experimentation with psychedelic drugs.
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At the Translational Psychedelic Research Program, also known as the TrPR Lab, UCSF experts have been using psychedelic drugs for the treatment of disorders such as PTSD, depression and addiction.
Dr. Josh Woolley, an Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UCSF, studies how psilocybin, LSD, ketamine and MDMA impact the brain and other organ systems in the TrPR Lab.
"We focus on trying to understand how and for who psychedelic therapies can be helpful," Woolley told KCSB Radio reporter Alice Wertz on "As Prescribed."
Historically, Western medicine and psychedelics have not gone hand in hand, but the use of mushrooms and other compounds has been around for thousands of years. However, now there's growing interest and a number of clinical trials that suggest the treatments can be legitimate and helpful.
According to Woolley, UCSF has been conducting controlled trials involving a psychotherapist and a "dosing suite," where patients build up to the psychedelic experience over a series of weeks.
"People typically have eye shades and listen to music and have this experience throughout the day," he explained. "Then they come back the next day and talk about their experience and have a couple more sessions over the next two weeks."
Woolley reported many patients have positive responses. "It's a very promising, exciting time," he said.
The disorder that's been studied the most with psilocybin therapy is depression. UCSF is also conducting a trial in patients with bipolar disorder and a trial in patients with Parkinson's disease who suffer from depression or anxiety.
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