{"id":212211,"date":"2024-10-04T12:02:08","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T10:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/?p=212211"},"modified":"2024-10-04T12:02:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T10:02:13","slug":"psilocybin-may-help-those-struggling-with-body-image-bdd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/blog\/psilocybin-may-help-those-struggling-with-body-image-bdd\/","title":{"rendered":"Psilocybin m\u016f\u017ee pomoci t\u011bm, kte\u0159\u00ed bojuj\u00ed s t\u011blesn\u00fdm obrazem a BDD"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all had days where we feel bad about our appearance \u2014 you see an unflattering picture of yourself and think \u2014 do I really look like that?! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, imagine, if you can<\/em>, just over 200 years ago… the photograph (and the camera)<\/em> had not even been invented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picture, if you are able,<\/em> a few thousand years before \u017ee <\/em>\u2014 when the only time humans saw their reflection was if they looked in a pool of water! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the space of a few thousand years we have become bombarded by our own image, something evolution never prepared us for. It\u2019s no wonder that sometimes we feel overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Good Days Digital on Unsplash<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For people who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder<\/a><\/strong> (body dysmorphia or BDD), <\/em>\u2018overwhelmed\u2019 is an understatement. BDD is a metal health condition in which a person spends harmful amounts of time worrying about their appearance and perceived flaws (which are often invisible to others). <\/em>BDD is not a form of vanity or self-obsession \u2014 it can be extremely harmful to people\u2019s lives \u2014 sometimes leading to self-harm, self-isolation, or even suicide.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Body dysmorphia is also notoriously hard to treat. Currently, the main treatment options are cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressant medications, which have limited success for many sufferers.\u00a0However, an exciting new study has proposed that psilocybin (z magick\u00fdch hub a lan\u00fd\u017e\u016f) <\/em>could be the answer, all thanks to its incredible ability to \u2018rewire\u2019 the brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The First Study to Look at Psilocybin’s Effect on BDD<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The studium<\/a>, zve\u0159ejn\u011bn\u00e9 v \u010dasopise Psychedelika, <\/em>was led by scientists at Columbia University, and is the first of its kind to study psilocybin\u2019s effect on brain function in those with BDD. Although the study itself was small in scale, the findings suggest that the psychedelic extract may be able to help to rewire the brain’s distorted body image circuitry.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team of researchers, led by Dr. Xi Zhu of Columbia University, administered a 25 mg dose of psilocybin to eight adults with moderate-to-severe BDD. None of them had previously found relief with standard treatments. They scanned the participants\u2019 brains one day before taking psilocybin, and one day after using sophisticated resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). <\/em>This imaging technique allows researchers to observe how different areas of the brain communicate with each other when in a state of rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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p\u0159es Unsplash<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Significant Changes in Brain Activity Observed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Just 24 hours after the psilocybin session, the participants showed significant changes in brain connectivity. Most notably, there was increased communication within the Executive Control Network (ECN). <\/em>The ECN is a brain system crucial for cognitive flexibility and goal-directed behavior.\u00a0On top of this, the ECN was seen to have enhanced connections with two other important brain networks \u2014 the Default Mode Network (DMN) <\/em>which is associated with self-reflection and introspection, and the Salience Network, whose role is to prioritize incoming information. Brain regions lighting up all over the place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These observations weren\u2019t just striking from a neuroscientific perspective \u2014 they could actually be used to predict the results each participant would experience. Those who showed the greatest increase in connectivity between networks were most likely to experience the most significant reduction in their BDD symptoms one week after treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Effects of Psilocybin Were Not Fleeting<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

And, as we have seen with numerous other psilocybin studies, the benefits of this single dose persisted. The researchers followed up with the participants for 12 weeks and found that their BDD symptoms stayed significantly reduced throughout this period.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers hypothesize that psilocybin may work by enhancing cognitive flexibility and reducing the rigid thought patterns, which are characteristic of BDD. It could be that the increased connectivity between brain networks allows individuals to shift attention away from appearance-related fixation and regulate their emotions more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Eugenia Maximova on Unsplash<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This study suggests that BDD treatment could be revolutionized by the introduction of psilocybin therapy, and possible other disorders characterized by distorted self-perception. Research into the use of psilocybin to treat Ment\u00e1ln\u00ed anorexie<\/em><\/a> <\/em>is already showing great promise, for example. However, for now it is key that these results are still approached with cautious optimism, as the study did have some limitations that are worth mentioning.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omezen\u00ed studie<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Firstly the sample size for the study was very small, consisting of only eight participants. There was also no placebo group, with all participants knowingly receiving psilocybin, which\u00a0could have influenced their expectations and responses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers emphasize that larger, controlled trials are needed to confirm these results and establish psilocybin as a safe and effective treatment for body dysmorphic disorder.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, the study reveals another exciting range of possibilities for psychedelic assisted therapy. Research in this field continues apace, igniting hope for those who live with conditions that have proven resistant to the conventional treatments currently on offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Potential of Psilocybin To Help With Negative Self-Image<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Psilocybin\u2019s effectiveness does not lie in an ability to conjure a fantastical version of oneself, but in its potential to help us see ourselves clearly, as we really are. This is key for those who are trapped in the psychological prison of BDD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who do not suffer specifically from BDD, but may grapple with their body image from time to time, psilocybin in either a mikrod\u00e1vky<\/a>nebo carefully-planned-trip<\/a> form can still be of great help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Foto: Noah Buscher on Unsplash<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Psilocybin enables us to cut through the noise, and locate what is really important. To find inner beauty, connection, and unity with the wider world. When we feel good about ourselves, we are kinder, more open \u2014 and we make others feel good too.\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pod\u00edv\u00e1te se n\u011bkdy do zrcadla a c\u00edt\u00edte se nespokojeni s t\u00edm, co vid\u00edte? P\u0159istihnete se p\u0159i nekone\u010dn\u00e9m listov\u00e1n\u00ed, \u017ee se srovn\u00e1v\u00e1te s ostatn\u00edmi a c\u00edt\u00edte se je\u0161t\u011b h\u016f\u0159? Nov\u00e1 studie nazna\u010duje, \u017ee psilocybin by v\u00e1m mohl pomoci.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":212308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,86],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-212211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychedelic-studies","category-welness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212211"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212231,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212211\/revisions\/212231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212211"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=212211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}