Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

This entry defines psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) and traces its development from its historical origins through its clinical phases and proposed mechanisms, addressing the questions it raises for evidence and assessment, disability and rehabilitation, ethics, and regulation. It describes PAT as a complex intervention in which the effects of a psychoactive compound interact with preparation, therapeutic support, set and setting, and postsession integration. The entry distinguishes PAT from psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, summarizes the principal compounds and current clinical indications, and examines the methodological fragmentation that still characterizes outcome measurement. Finally, it considers PAT from a disability and rehabilitation perspective, where therapeutic outcomes should be evaluated not only through symptom reduction but also through changes in functioning, autonomy, participation, and quality of life.