narcosynthesis

n. a treatment technique that involves the administration of narcotic drugs to stimulate recall of emotional traumas, followed by “synthesis” of these experiences with the patient’s emotional life through therapeutic discussions in the waking state. [developed during World War II by U.S. psychiatrists Roy Richard Grinker (1901–1993) and John P. Spiegel (1911–1991)]

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Psychology term of the day

January 11th 2025

dose–response relationship

a principle relating the potency of a drug to the efficacy of that drug in affecting a target symptom or organ system. Potency refers to the amount of a drug necessary to produce the desired effect; efficacy refers to the drug’s ability to act at a target receptor or organ to produce the desired effect. Dose–response curves may be graded, suggesting a continuous relationship between dose and effect, or quantal, wherein the desired effect is an either–or phenomenon, such as prevention of arrhythmias. There is considerable variability among individuals in response to a given dose of a particular drug.