Hypnodelic therapy: the benefits of hypnosis know-hows for psychedelic therapy

In recent years we have witnessed a renewed interest in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP).

The psychedelic compound ketamine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist, shows potential for the treatment of depression and addiction.

Key psychological mechanisms underlying these effects of PAP are the suggestions by the therapists and psychedelic-induced mystical experiences.

Currently, the mechanism of suggestibility in PAP is receiving more attention as it is hypothesized that all psychedelics increase suggestibility – a topic that so far has been studied mostly in the field of hypnosis research.

At a neurobiological level, the predictive processing framework suggests that ketamine induces its effects by disrupting the brain’s predictive functioning.

In the context of the renaissance of psychedelic research, this project proposes to leverage the practical know-how on suggestibility from hypnosis research to investigate the intriguing interplay between suggestibility, hypnotic suggestions, and the psychedelic experience within the predictive processing framework.

Our study has 4 aims: 1) assess suggestibility under ketamine; 2) assess hypnotic suggestions’ impact on the phenomenology of the psychedelic experience; 3) assess if a hypnosis- and ketamine-induced mystical experience leads to improved mental well-being, and 4) validate the predictive processing framework.

We will conduct a crossover randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study with a 1-month follow-up, including 36 healthy participants and 2 conditions: Hypnodelic (ketamine + hypnotic suggestions) and Hypnocebo (placebo + hypnotic suggestions).

We will measure suggestibility, mystical experience, and predictive processing through quantitative, qualitative and neurophysiological analyses.

This groundbreaking study has interdisciplinary translational potential, offering insights into therapeutic applications of hypnosis and psychedelics and paving the way for new clinical applications.