Psychedelics could heal your trauma, says neuroscientist Rachel Yehuda

“Traumatic experiences are here to stay, and we shouldn’t view them as a prison.” Professor of Neuroscience Rachel Yehuda on how psychedelics may help liberate us from our post-traumatic stress.

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For myriad reasons, trauma is becoming a bigger part of everyday life in our society. Rachel Yehuda, who studies PTSD and the psychological effects of trauma, believes while many of us have become more educated on how traumatic events affect our mental health, we also might be inadvertently convincing ourselves that suffering from mental illness after trauma is inevitable.

Yehuda believes trauma is survivable with the right tools and treatments. She is particularly interested in the potential of psychedelics, like MDMA, to facilitate post-traumatic growth and healing.

She discusses potential of psychedelics in assisting psychotherapy, allowing individuals to delve deep into their trauma while remaining coherent. She also emphasizes that the success of these therapies depends on the setting, intention, and therapist's expertise.

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/psychedelics-trauma-treatment/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description

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About Rachel Yehuda:

Rachel Yehuda, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, is the Director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at Icahn School of Medicine, and the Mental Health Patient Care Center Director at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Dr. Yehuda has authored more than 300 published papers, chapters, and books in the field of traumatic stress and the neurobiology of PTSD. Her current interests include the study of novel treatments for PTSD, the examination of risk and resilience factors, the study of psychological and biological predictors of treatment response in PTSD, genetic, epigenetic, and molecular biological studies of PTSD and the intergenerational transmission of trauma and PTSD. Her team's research on cortisol and brain function has revolutionized our understanding and treatment of PTSD worldwide.

Dr. Yehuda has received many awards in recognition of her work including the Curt Richter Prize in Psychoneuroendocrinology, and the Laufer award from the International Society for Traumatic Stress. She was also awarded the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry (Munich, Germany) 2004 Guest Professorship in Psychiatry and Neuroscience, and the Marcus Tausk Professorship in Leiden University to honor her accomplishments in the endocrinology of PTSD.

Dr. Yehuda received her PhD in Psychology and Neurochemistry and her MS in Biological Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and completed her postdoctoral training in Biological Psychiatry in the Psychiatry Department at Yale Medical School.

She has an active federally funded clinical and research program that welcomes students and clinicians.