How Psychedelic Therapy Can Help Your Brain Grow and Heal For Good: The Research-Backed Breakthroughs, Boundaries and Transformations

Lisa Marie Bobby, PhD, LMFT, BCC

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, board-certified coach, AAMFT clinical supervisor, host of the Love, Happiness, and Success Podcast and founder of Growing Self.

If you have been hearing more about psychedelic therapy and feeling a mix of curiosity, hope, and hesitation, you are not alone. Many growth-oriented people who already value intentional self-work through coaching and counseling services are wondering whether psychedelic therapy represents a genuine breakthrough or simply the latest mental health trend.

That uncertainty is understandable. While psychedelic therapy is gaining serious scientific attention, there is also widespread confusion about what is evidence-based, what is still emerging, and what actually supports long-term emotional healing.

This episode of Love, Happiness and Success was created to slow the conversation down.

Rather than offering hype or quick answers, it invites a grounded understanding of how psychedelic therapy works, what current research suggests, and why preparation, ethical care, and integration matter just as much as the experience itself.

Why Psychedelic Therapy Is Being Taken Seriously by Mental Health Professionals

One reason psychedelic therapy is drawing renewed attention is that it operates differently from traditional psychiatric approaches. As psychiatrist Dr. Scott Shannon explains, most conventional medications aim to reduce symptoms. They can be helpful for managing distress, yet they often leave deeper emotional patterns unchanged.

Psychedelic therapy takes a different approach.

Research on MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted treatments suggests that, when used within carefully structured and professionally supported settings, psychedelic therapy can temporarily loosen rigid neural patterns, particularly those associated with trauma. When that rigidity softens, the brain appears more capable of reorganizing itself in healthier ways.

Notably, these changes can be durable. A large Phase 3 clinical trial published in Nature Medicine found that participants receiving MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD experienced sustained symptom improvement well beyond the treatment window (MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD). Long-term follow-up research on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy has also shown meaningful improvements months and even years after treatment (long-term outcomes of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy).

These findings do not suggest that psychedelic therapy is a cure-all. Instead, they challenge long-held assumptions about healing, neuroplasticity, and the brain’s capacity to recover.

Psychedelic Therapy, Trauma, and Why Healing Can Get Stuck

Trauma does not live only in memory. It lives in the nervous system.

When someone experiences overwhelming stress, especially repeatedly or early in life, the brain can become conditioned to respond as if danger is always present. This is why people struggling with PTSD may feel triggered long after the original threat has passed.

Dr. Shannon describes these reactions as trauma loops. Once certain neural circuits fire together often enough, they wire together, making change increasingly difficult.

In MDMA-assisted psychedelic therapy, the experience of emotional safety plays a central role. Feeling safe enough to remain present allows people to revisit traumatic material without becoming overwhelmed. That safety supports processing, integration, and resolution rather than avoidance or re-traumatization.
The importance of emotional safety and connection in healing is also explored in How to Overcome Loneliness, Build Human Connection and Improve Your Social Wellness.

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Meaning, Connection, and the Deeper Impact of Psychedelic Therapy

Another important dimension of psychedelic therapy involves meaning.

Research suggests that long-term improvement is often linked not to how intense the experience feels, but to whether it includes a sense of connection, insight, or purpose. A randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that psilocybin produced sustained reductions in depression and anxiety, particularly when participants reported meaningful, insight-based experiences (psilocybin and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety).

This does not make psychedelic therapy a spiritual shortcut. Instead, it highlights something deeply human: when people reconnect with meaning and values, emotional healing becomes more accessible. Related reflections on inner stability and purpose can be found in Cultivating Contentment and What Am I Looking For? Memento Mori, Being Intentional and Living for Meaning.

Risks, Readiness, and Ethical Boundaries in Psychedelic Therapy

An essential part of this conversation is acknowledging risk.

Psychedelic therapy is not appropriate for everyone. Without proper screening, preparation, and professional containment, these experiences can overwhelm the nervous system. Vulnerability increases significantly, which makes ethical safeguards critical.

Readiness matters.

Someone who is emotionally stable, well supported, and experienced in therapeutic self-reflection may have very different needs than someone navigating complex trauma or ongoing stress. In many cases, foundational therapy is an important step before psychedelic therapy should even be considered.

Integration is equally important. Without a clear process for translating insight into everyday life, powerful experiences can fade or become destabilizing. This mirrors other evidence-based approaches to sustainable change, including insights discussed in The Life-Changing Power of Self-Hypnosis with Dr. David Spiegel and Be Mindful of Your Self-Talk: How Mindful Healing Starts Within.

Choosing Discernment Over Hype

At its core, this episode is not about persuasion. It is about empowerment.

Before pursuing psychedelic therapy, thoughtful questions matter more than trends or headlines. True healing rarely comes from a single experience. It develops through insight, reflection, and sustained effort over time. Many people strengthen this capacity through practices that reduce rumination and build emotional regulation, such as those explored in How to Stop Overthinking and Achieve Inner Peace and How to Be a More Positive Person.

About the Guest

Dr. Scott Shannon is a psychiatrist, MDMA-assisted psychotherapist, author, and the founder of Wholeness Center, the largest integrative mental health center in the United States. With decades of experience in psychiatry and psychedelic-assisted therapy research, Dr. Shannon is widely recognized for advancing ethical, whole-person approaches that integrate conventional psychiatric care with emerging therapeutic models.

A Thoughtful Next Step

At Growing Self, we do not offer psychedelic therapy. What we do offer is expert, evidence-based therapy and coaching for people who want to grow with intention, clarity, and support.

If this conversation about psychedelic therapy has stirred questions about your own healing, relationships, or personal growth, I would love to help you think through what kind of support would truly serve you right now. You can answer a few brief, private questions and receive a complimentary consultation with the therapist or coach best suited to your needs. It is a thoughtful, low-pressure way to explore next steps guided by care rather than hype.

You do not need to have everything figured out. You just need a place to begin. Schedule a free consultation today!

xoxo,
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby

Listen & Subscribe to the Podcast

00:00 Psychedelic therapy explained: promise, research, and real risks
02:31 Why psychedelic therapy differs from traditional psychiatric medication
04:55 Trauma, brain patterns, and how psychedelic therapy disrupts stuck loops
07:00 MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD and why healing can continue long after treatment
12:21 A paradigm shift in mental health: supporting the brain’s capacity to heal
19:30 What MDMA actually does in therapy: safety, self-compassion, and trauma processing
25:47 Mystical experience, meaning, and the spiritual dimension of psychedelic therapy
30:09 Ethical concerns, safety risks, and how to evaluate psychedelic therapy providers
38:00 Preparation and integration: why psychedelic therapy is more than the experience itself

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Resources:
Mitchell, J. M., Bogenschutz, M., Lilienstein, A., Harrison, C., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., … Doblin, R. (2021). MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine, 27(6), 1025–1033. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01336-3

Agin-Liebes, G. I., Malone, T., Yalch, M. M., Mennenga, S. E., Ponte, K. L., Guss, J., … Ross, S. (2020). Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in patients with life-threatening cancer. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 34(2), 155–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881119897615

Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Carducci, M. A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., … Klinedinst, M. A. (2016). Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 30(12), 1181–1197. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513

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How Psychedelic Therapy Can Help Your Brain Grow and Heal For Good: The Research-Backed Breakthroughs, Boundaries and Transformations

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