Psychic driving (Cameron, MKUltra)

Domain XVI · Historical, discredited & harmful · D. Ewen Cameron · 1956 · Montreal

What it is

This entry is listed for history and safety. Psychic driving and the "depatterning" programme it belonged to caused serious, lasting harm to patients who had not consented. The guide describes what patients went through, never how to carry it out. The guide covers the psychotherapist's own work:…

Format

• The phases below are, anchored where stated to NICE NG116. Session number and length follow the client's needs and the setting. NG116 says trauma-focused treatment for people with complex needs may need more sessions or a longer course to build trust (1.7.3).

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• The client hearing refusal as rejection. It is working if they engage with a supported alternative.
• Pressure to take on advocacy that changes the therapy. It is working if the therapeutic frame stays intact.
• Subtle pressure through the therapeutic relationship. It is working if the client's decision is clearly free.
• Exhaustion or exposure after media contact. It is working if the client's public role feels chosen and sustainable.
• Guilt about anger towards an injured parent. It is working if the client can hold both compassion and their own losses.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.