The Trip Treatment
Men's Health UK|July 2018

Once the poison of the counterculture, psychedelic drugs are gaining credibility as a powerful, viable mental health tool that could transform the way we understand ourselves. Are you ready to turn on, tune in and dose up?

Richard Godwin
The Trip Treatment
The future of psychedelic medicine could play out in a number of ways. A network of spas might open up in picturesque locations – a converted stately home in Somerset, say, or an eco-retreat in Andalusia, complete with yoga and organic dinners – where you can book yourself in for a week of magic-mushroom therapy, all under the watchful eyes of certified psychotropic therapists. The NHS might even invest in psychedelic facilities for those suffering from treatment-resistant depression, or any of the conditions listed in the phone book of mental health problems (anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction, and so on) that have responded well to these medicines in early-stage trials.

“Set and setting” are important: these drugs are unique in that it isn’t just the chemical that transforms the patient. They seem to work on the serotonin system, but we can’t precisely say how this can make one’s abusive father appear in the form of a winged horse, as a patient reported in an Imperial College London study. Rather, it is the experience and the insights it provides that effect change.

No one wants to trip on an NHS stretcher while overworked junior doctors change shifts. So, treatment will probably take place in specifically designed rooms with low lighting, soft furnishings and sympathetic clinicians on hand. Psychedelics can be administered intravenously or in pill form, and they typically last between four and six hours. In previous medical trials, patients have been encouraged to put on an eye mask and confront their visions: “What are you doing in my mind?… What can I learn from you?”

This story is from the July 2018 edition of Men's Health UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2018 edition of Men's Health UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MEN'S HEALTH UKView All
Every Question You Ever Had About Really Eating Well
Men's Health UK

Every Question You Ever Had About Really Eating Well

Nutrition is a maddening business. Foods are in one day, compost the next; vitamins that cured ills last week are promptly debunked. We all want to eat better, but who has the time to sift fact from fad? Rest easy because this is your easily digestible, bite-sized guide to doing precisely that

time-read
10+ mins  |
June 2019
The False Prophets Of Wellness
Men's Health UK

The False Prophets Of Wellness

Muscle, fat loss, wisdom… Whatever you seek, there is now an entrepreneurial guru armed with hashtags who claims to have the answer. But is it gospel?

time-read
2 mins  |
June 2019
The Brexit Diet
Men's Health UK

The Brexit Diet

Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the EU has transformed the way we eat – and crashing out threatens to deal a mighty blow to both our palates and our nutritional health. MH spoke to the experts worried that the true impact of Brexit will leave a very bad taste in our mouths.

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2019
Stamina? It's As Easy As Pie
Men's Health UK

Stamina? It's As Easy As Pie

Don’t flake on post-workout pastry. Pie and mash is your new performance enhancer

time-read
1 min  |
July 2018
The Trip Treatment
Men's Health UK

The Trip Treatment

Once the poison of the counterculture, psychedelic drugs are gaining credibility as a powerful, viable mental health tool that could transform the way we understand ourselves. Are you ready to turn on, tune in and dose up?

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2018
Men's Health UK

The Gastropub​ Nutrition Plan

New research suggests you don’t need to cut back on flavour either to satisfy your cravings or to cook off kilos. Better pass that piccalilli

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2018
Your Detox Doner Card
Men's Health UK

Your Detox Doner Card

 The vilified sat fat in your kebab is actually the antidote to offset booze’s impact on your liver. How convenient

time-read
1 min  |
April 2018
Reach For The Stars
Men's Health UK

Reach For The Stars

He has crossed the Atlantic, from Peckham to Hollywood, carrying multiple blockbusters on his newly broad shoulders. But while John Boyega’s star is in the ascendant, his feet remain firmly on the ground – thanks to a few fundamental life lessons learned along the way. Take note and look up.

time-read
10 mins  |
April 2018
One Word Answer #43
Men's Health UK

One Word Answer #43

As tedious as they might have seemed at the time, most of the lessons our parents taught us as kids were worthy of adherence. Sit up straight at the table; look people in the eye when you thank them; try not to spit at strangers – even as an adult, these are values to live by.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2018
Men's Health UK

Son Of A Gun

For most men, joining the family business is the easier option. Not so for Scott Eastwood, a man whose father might just be the most iconic Hollywood hard man ever. But while he is, in many ways, a chip off the old block, the firebrand’s son has his own life well figured out

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2017