Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy
Open Access

The Beginning of Narcosynthesis: Deep-Sleep Therapies

Steven Rian^{* *}Correspondence: Steven Rian, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Email:

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Description

Deep Sleep Therapy (DST), also known as Narcosynthesis, is a controversial psychiatric treatment that was developed in the 1950s and 1960s. It involves placing a patient into a medicallyinduced coma for several days, while administering high doses of barbiturates and other drugs, with the aim of "resetting" the patient's psyche and curing mental illness. While some proponents of the therapy claimed it was effective for treating conditions such as depression and schizophrenia, others condemned it as dangerous and unethical, and the practice has since fallen out of favor. One of the main justifications for DST was the belief that it could help patients access traumatic memories and repressed emotions that were believed to be causing their mental health problems. By inducing a coma-like state, it was thought that patients could be freed from their conscious inhibitions and defenses, and allowed to delve into the deeper, more primal regions of their psyche. This was supposed to facilitate the resolution of underlying conflicts and promote psychological healing. However, the use of DST was not without its risks. Critics argued that the technique was tantamount to brainwashing, as patients were essentially being stripped of their ability to think critically and make rational decisions. Moreover, the high doses of barbiturates used in the procedure posed a significant risk of respiratory depression and other life-threatening complications. The potential for abuse and coercion by practitioners was also a concern, as patients in a vulnerable state could be easily manipulated or coerced into revealing personal information or making false confessions. Despite these concerns, DST continued to be used in some psychiatric institutions well into the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in Australia where it was pioneered by the controversial psychiatrist Harry Bailey. Bailey claimed that DST was an effective treatment for a range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. He also promoted the technique as a form of aversion therapy for homosexuality, claiming that it could "cure" gay people by inducing them to associate their sexual desires with negative feelings. The use of DST in this context was widely condemned by LGBTQ activists and mental health professionals, who argued that it was based on flawed and outdated assumptions about the nature of sexuality and gender identity. Moreover, the use of aversion therapy techniques has been shown to be ineffective and potentially harmful in changing sexual orientation, and has been widely discredited by professional organizations such as the American Psychological Association. DST is considered a discredited and unethical practice, and its use has been largely abandoned in modern psychiatry. However, the legacy of DST continues to be felt in the ongoing debates over the appropriate use of psychotherapy and other forms of mental health treatment. While there is still much to be learned about the underlying causes of mental illness, and the most effective ways of treating it, it is clear that any form of therapy must be grounded in ethical principles and respect for patient autonomy.

Conclusion

While DST may have been well-intentioned in its aim to help people with mental illness, it ultimately failed to live up to its promise, and was widely condemned for its potential for abuse and harm. The practice of placing patients in a medicallyinduced coma and subjecting them to high doses of drugs is no longer considered an acceptable form of treatment for mental health problems, and has been largely discredited by the scientific community. Today, there are many other approaches to mental health treatment that are safer, more effective, and grounded in ethical principles, and it is important that we continue to explore and develop these approaches in order to improve the lives of those struggling with mental illness.