NADTA 2024 Conference

The field of psychedelics is expanding rapidly in the United States.  The use of ketamine for the treatment of depression has become a common off-label indication, supported by some insurance companies.  Currently, there are several trials exploring the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for the treatment of depression, PTSD and addictions.  Models for Psychedelic-Assisted-Psychotherapy (PAP) are being developed for the facilitation of these interventions.   
Drama Therapists are well positioned to not only support the development of this field, but also to lead the way in which the experience can be facilitated and integrated.  Drama Therapists, and for that matter Creative Arts Therapists, have developed a robust body of knowledge on how to assist clients in processing trauma and life experiences.  The embodied nature of the drama therapy practice can bring into this field a wealth of knowledge. 
In this presentation, we aim to review what psychedelics are and which ones are currently being used in the USA. Reviewing some of the current research trials and their target therapeutic impacts, we will seek to explore the skill set and knowledge bases that drama therapists can bring into this field. Of importance would also be to understand the opportunities for Drama Therapists to uplift and challenge notions of access and equity as it relates to use of psychedelics as treatment modality.

Cultural Humility Statement
I want to quote the amazing work of M. Williams, J. George and S. Reed

"Most of the existing literature on psychedelic therapy is from a Eurocentric, medicalized perspective, often omitting indigenous use or discussing its origins in a detached historical manner. Furthermore, many substances currently used for psychedelic medicine are derived from plants that are considered to have sacred healing properties by indigenous groups, and are still being used by those communities today.  Cultural groups around the world make use of psychedelic healing traditions, which include the clinical management of psychedelic medicines in a spiritual context. These traditions are repositories of millennia-old medical experience and knowledge regarding best practices in the use of these substances. Such indigenous traditions constitute their own form of clinical science that provides important guidelines relevant to Western applications of psychedelics in medicine and therapy."