Abstract The mechanisms by which Psilocybin Therapy (PT) improves depression remain an important object of study, with scientists actively exploring acute psychological experiences and neurobiological processes as candidates. In a phase 2, double-blind, randomized, active comparator controlled trial involving patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive...
Psilocybin is the most researched classic psychedelic for Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD). While optimizing set and setting are considered essential for efficacy and safety, patient perspectives on these aspects have rarely been investigated. To address this knowledge gap, the current paper explored the experiences of 11 TRD patients (8 women, 3 men) pa...
“Pretty girls don't buy cocaine,” Greta1 says and laughs as she walks out the front door.My hands and face sting as I stand frozen in the entryway and hear her start the car. I'd asked my twenty-two-year-old daughter where she got the money to feed the addictions she was battling.Over the past three years, she'd chosen a few subpar boyfriends who introduced ...
Music and psychedelics have been intertwined throughout the existence of Homo sapiens, from the early shamanic rituals of the Americas and Africa to the modern use of psychedelic-assisted therapy for a variety of mental health conditions. Across such settings, music has been highly prized for its ability to guide the psychedelic experience. Here, we examine ...
ObjectiveTreatment for anorexia nervosa (AN) remains challenging; there are no approved psychopharmacological interventions and psychotherapeutic strategies have variable efficacy. The investigation of evidence-based treatments has so far been compounded by an underdeveloped understanding into the neurobiological changes associated with the acute stages of A...
Introduction: Psychedelic-assisted therapy with psilocybin has shown promise in Phase 2 trials for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Set and setting, particularly factors facilitating a connection with nature, may positively influence the psychedelic experience and therapeutic outcomes. But to date, randomized controlled trials of interventions to enhance set and ...
The purpose of the study is to understand the feasibility of a resilience focused community of practice program that includes psilocybin-assisted therapy for End-of-Life Distress. The community of practice refers to a research informed group therapy process that runs over a 10-week period of time and includes one group administered psilocybin-assisted therap...
In a recent article, Messell and colleagues provide a curated list, the "Copenhagen Music Program for Psilocybin". We test their music program with an experienced Indigenous therapist/psychonaut on a 3.5 gram psilocybin journey. Based on comments provided by the Indigenous therapist, we find the program contains musical choices that evoke specific colonial a...
The recent publication in the Journal of Affective Disorders titled "Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression" identified significant region-of-interest based effects of treatment in the task scans. In this letter to the editor, I am hoping to raise methodological concerns with regards to the ANOVA ROI analysis...
While a relatively large body of research exists on many aspects of psychedelic therapy, articles describing a complete, successful treatment process are rarely found. This article therefore presents a case of a woman in her early forties with early complex trauma due to domestic violence, sexual abuse and poverty in her childhood, resulting in approximately...
While a relatively large body of research exists on many aspects of psychedelic therapy, articles describing a complete, successful treatment process are rarely found. This article therefore presents a case of a woman in her early forties with early complex trauma due to domestic violence, sexual abuse and poverty in her childhood, resulting in approximately...
BackgroundMusic listening is a staple and valued component of psychedelic therapy, and previous work has shown that psychedelics can acutely enhance music-evoked emotion.AimsThe present study sought to examine subjective responses to music before and after psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMR...
The psychedelic drug psilocybin has been successfully explored as a novel treatment for a range of psychiatric disorders. Administration of psilocybin requires careful attention to psychological support and the setting in which the drug is administered. The use of music to support the acute psychoactive effects of psilocybin is recommended in current guideli...
The psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor (5HT2AR) agonist psilocybin (or the active metabolite psilocin) has emerged as potential useful drug for various neuropsychiatric diseases, with a rapid onset of therapeutic activity. However, the mechanisms responsible for such effects remain incompletely characterized. We aimed to study in vitro pharmacological profile and i...
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with psilocybin is an emerging therapy with great promise for depression, and modern psychedelic therapy (PT) methods incorporate music as a key element. Music is an effective emotional/hedonic stimulus that could also be useful in assessing changes in emotional responsiveness following psychedelic therapy. Brain responses ...
Research on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances is rapidly expanding. A major limitation within this field is the unpredictability of individual responses to psychedelic substances. A better understanding of factors that can predict psychedelic experience is essential to both clinical progress and wider harm reduction frameworks. Ketamine, MD...
Research on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances is rapidly expanding. A major limitation within this field is the unpredictability of individual responses to psychedelic substances. A better understanding of factors that can predict psychedelic experience is essential to both clinical progress and wider harm reduction frameworks. Ketamine, MD...
ObjectiveThis systematized review sought to fill a gap in psilocybin research by investigating the structure and format of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP), with a focus on the counseling components of the treatment.MethodsA systematized review of PAP was conducted by using the PubMed and PsycInfo databases to search for peer-reviewed studies of human...
