Adele Lafrance: Healing Eating Disorders with Psychedelics

In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life. And as psychedelics are becoming more mainstream, there is an increased interest in using new tools to overcome these disorders. Today, with guest Adele Lafrance, we discuss the promising impact that ayahuasca, MDMA, ketamine, and psilocybin can have on a person who is struggling to heal from disordered eating.

We begin our conversation by discussing the challenges of healing eating disorders and how psychedelics can help. Adele then shares her work with Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), and resources that are specific to clinicians. She speaks on ayahuasca as a healing modality with the unique concerns of ayahuasca preparation diets and the importance of integration. We close with discussing MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine as treatment options, and the importance of love in healthcare.

Dr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, author, and developer of Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). She is a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine, with a focus on ayahuasca, MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine. Currently, Adele is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for a MAPS-sponsored study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

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Timestamps

:05 - Challenges of healing from an eating disorder and ayahuasca for treatment
:15 - Adele’s introduction to working with eating disorders and Emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT)
:21 Resources for EFFT and specific techniques for clinicians
:31 - Findings with ayahuasca as a healing modality for eating disorders, and psychedelic integration
:36 - Training to bring practitioners up to speed on eating disorders
:43 - MDMA and its treatment with PTSD
:48 - Ketamine and eating disorders
:50 - The importance of talking about love in psychedelic research