Objective: Emerging evidence suggests that mystical experiences mediate the therapeutic effects of psychedelic-assisted therapy. The current study examines associations between mystical experiences and components of “set” (positive mindset, participant intentions, and spirituality) and “setting” (perceived positivity of the dosing environment) in the context...
Background: Emotional distress is often comorbid with serious illness, especially in individuals facing social stigmas, such as patients with HIV. Death acceptance may serve as a protective factor against such distress. Standard psychopharmacologic interventions have shown insufficient results in alleviating distress associated with serious illness. Prelimin...
Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms are typically not consumed for their nutritional value. The main reason people ingest these mushrooms is for their psychoactive effects. Recently, there has been growing interest in the potential therapeutic applications of psilocybin-containing mushrooms in a range of psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety disorde...
There remain significant gaps in knowledge about best practices for facilitated psychedelic care and psychedelic-assisted therapy. To inform the development of service models that support safe and beneficial experiences, this qualitative study explored expert perspectives on current and ideal standards of care, including key practices (e.g., screening, adapt...
Background: Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has shown promising results for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) and other mental health conditions. Although the precise mechanisms of psychedelic therapies remain unclear, many studies report increased feelings of connectedness following psychedelic experiences. Specifically, both nature relatedness (one’s ...
Background: Psilocybin therapy is an emerging treatment for cancer-related anxiety, depression, and existential distress. Most clinical trials to date have studied individual models of psilocybin therapy, but group models may offer increased access and benefits of community. Purpose: This technical report describes a group facilitation model developed for an...
Background: Psilocybin has been granted breakthrough therapy status in the United States, speeding its advancement from research to clinical care. Due to the controversial nature of psilocybin, psychiatrists may not be fully prepared to incorporate it into clinical practice. The current study aimed to evaluate the opinions toward psilocybin among practicing ...
OBJECTIVES: Interest in psilocybin as a treatment for depression has risen over the past decade, fuelled by promising clinical trials and a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Media coverage plays a critical role in shaping public perceptions, yet little is known about how psilocybin is portrayed in global anglophone online news for the treatment of depre...
Introduction:Psilocybin, a classical psychedelic, has shown to produce persistent antidepressant effects, including in patients with treatment-resistant depression. In clinical practice, it is common to coprescribe benzodiazepines (BZDs) alongside antidepressants. However, our preliminary study indicated that preadministration of lorazepam diminished the ant...
Abstract Substance use disorders (SUDs) are increasingly common in the United States, and while this may be a dilemma for those using, it also inflicts problems for those around the user. In couples where drug abuse is present, negative codependent characteristics can arise independently in the non-user, having a damaging effect on the couple dynamic. This i...
Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition leading to significant personal and societal burden. Standard treatments frequently demonstrate limited efficacy, leading to persistent symptoms and high dropout rates. Psilocybin has shown promise in treating depression, a condition that is often comorbid with PTSD. We aimed to ex...
Griffiths et al.'s recent "Effects of Psilocybin on Religious and Spiritual Attitudes and Behaviors in Clergy from Various Major World Religions" is an important study in the literature on psychedelic medicine and religious experience. In this commentary on the study, we argue: (1) The study design's implicit presupposition of perennialism in its conception ...
Background: Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) may be an effective intervention for a range of mental disorders. However, there appears to be a relative lack of qualitative evidence to complement emerging quantitative findings. To our knowledge, no reviews have systematically mapped the literature on qualitative studies on PAP for the treatment of menta...
Psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound, has received attention as a novel therapeutic option for major depressive disorder (MDD), particularly in cases where traditional treatments prove ineffective. The study aims to evaluate psilocybin's therapeutic potential by examining its efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action as well as addressing ...
Emerging evidence suggests that classical psychedelics may offer therapeutic potential for opioid use disorder (OUD) by alleviating key hallmarks such as altered reward processing and dependence. However, the mechanisms behind these effects remain unclear. Our data demonstrate that a single administration of the psychedelic psilocybin (PSI) reduces condition...