Low Doses of Dipropyltryptamine in Psychotherapy

Abstract

Dipropyltryptamine (DPT) is a hallucinogenic drug that has a shorter duration of action than lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and a relatively abrupt termination of activity. This study is an evaluation of the effectiveness of DPT compared to a placebo on a number of dimensions commonly regarded as significant in psychotherapy. Eighteen alcoholic patients received a total of 72 DPT and 64 placebo therapy interviews on a double-blind basis. Doses of 15 to 30 mg of DPT were used, and the duration of the interviews was two hours. According to therapists' ratings, there was a significant enhancement in recall of memories and experiences, greater emotional expressiveness, deeper levels of self-exploration, and greater psychodynamic resolution in the DPT interviews. Patients also rated DPT sessions as more productive. These findings suggest that DPT might be a practical and useful adjunct to psychotherapy.