Conference

About

Conference

About

Débora González, PhD

Isabel I University

Speaker Bio

Débora González, PhD., is a clinical psychologist and professor at Isabel I University. Her main interest is to study the potential of psychedelics as a tool to transform Western culture around death. She is currently collaborating with the Beckley Med Foundation and the San Joan de Deu Foundation in a clinical study to assess the potential of ayahuasca assisted with psychotherapy in the prevention of prolonged grief.

ICPR 2024 Abstract

Ayahuasca-assisted psychotherapy for prevention of Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder

The death of a loved one is one of the most painful experiences that we will ever face along our life. Although every person could benefit from support, only 9.8% are diagnosed with prolonged grief disorder requiring treatment between 6 months and one year after the death of a loved one. However, pharmacotherapy alone is not effective, and while psychological interventions for prolonged grief disorder may be efficacious, the clinical effectiveness is small (Hedges' g: 0.41-0.45). To date, no bereavement prevention program has proven to be effective, and intervention is discouraged. Thus, there are no effective resources for supporting the bereaved, a need which peaks during the months following the death of a loved one when grief is most intense. The lack of an effective intervention also incurs substantial medical costs. In the talk I will present the preliminary data of a non-randomized clinical study in which the adaptation of a constructivist psychotherapeutic protocol assisted with ayahuasca is compared with the same constructivist protocol without ayahuasca. The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy of the first adapted therapy protocol to the use of psychedelics for preventing prolonged grief disorder. Moreover, the study explores whether ayahuasca experiences modify the perception of death, as well as the bond with the deceased, from a phenomenological perspective.

© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands