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9Prescribing meaning: hedonistic perspectives on the therapeutic use of psychedelic-assisted meaning enhancementJournal of Medical Ethics 47 (10): 701-705. 2021.The recent renaissance in research on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is showing great promise for the treatment of many psychiatric conditions. Interestingly, therapeutic outcomes for patients undergoing these treatments are predicted by the occurrence of a mystical experience—an experience characterised in part by a sense of profound meaning. This has led to hypotheses that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is therapeutic because it enhances perception of meaning, and consequently leads to…Read more
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24Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of major depression: a synthesis of phenomenological explanationsMedicine, Health Care and Philosophy 25 (2): 225-237. 2022.Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy combines the use of psychedelic compounds, such as psilocybin, with psychotherapy. PAP has shown some promise as a novel treatment for Major Depressive Disorder, and empirical research suggests that its efficacy turns on the altered states induced by psychedelic compounds. In this paper we draw on the literature of phenomenology to explain the therapeutic potential of psychedelic experiences. Svenaeus characterises mental illness as a form of suffering that ent…Read more
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University of QueenslandAssociate Lecturer
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Brisbane, Queensland, Australia