BACKGROUND: Research with the Psychedelic Experience Questionnaire/Scale (PES) focuses on questions relating to mystical experience (Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ)). The psychometric potential of the non-MEQ items of the PES remains largely unexplored. AIMS: We investigated whether the PES also yields subscales besides the MEQ30 subscales. METHODS: ...
Tryptamines, a class of 3-aminoethyl-indoles that activate the serotonin receptor, show potential for novel mental health treatments. The FDA has granted "breakthrough therapy designation" to psilocybin and MDMA for treatment-resistant depression, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, sparking global research efforts. Various clinica...
Abstract Background: Body Image Disturbance (BID) is the distorted experience of one’s body. BID presents a risk for the onset, maintenance and relapse of body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa (AN). Current treatments tend to focus on the cognitive and behavioural aspects while overlooking the perceptual symptoms and BID f...
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex disorder expressed as a variety of neurobiological symptoms, including anxiety, re-experiencing, hyperarousal, and avoidance symptoms, along with comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, and increased risk for self-medicating substance abuse. Currently, there are only two approved medications in the United...
BackgroundMany benefits and some harms associated with psychedelic use could be attributable to these drugs' acceptance/avoidance-promoting effects and corresponding changes in psychological flexibility. Underlying psychological mechanisms are insufficiently understood.AimThe purpose of this study was the validation of a psychological model of acceptance/avo...
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating, chronic disorder and efficacy rates of current PTSD treatments are underwhelming. There is a critical need for innovative approaches. We provide an overview of trauma and PTSD and cite literature providing converging evidence of the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for PTSD. No study to date has inve...
Preliminary evidence suggests that classic psychedelics may be effective in the treatment of some psychiatric disorders, yet little remains known about their effects on health behavior and physical health. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations of lifetime classic psychedelic use and psychological insight during one's most insightful class...
BackgroundSeveral measures have been developed to examine acute psychedelic effects (e.g. mystical-type and challenging experiences), but no measure assesses acute psychologically insightful experiences that may occur during psychedelic experiences.AimThe purpose of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Psychological Insigh...
Attachment insecurity is determined early in life, is a risk factor for psychopathology, and can be measured on two separate continuous dimensions: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Therapeutic changes toward more secure attachment correlate with reduction in psychiatric symptoms. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy has demonstrated promise in the t...
The efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental disorders has been attributed to the lasting change from experiential avoidance to acceptance that these treatments appear to facilitate. This article presents a conceptual model that specifies potential psychological mechanisms underlying such change, and that shows substantial parallels between psyc...
Objective: To identify patients’ perceptions of the value of psilocybin as a treatment for depression. Method: Twenty patients enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression participated in a semistructured interview at 6-month follow-up. Thematic analysis was used to identify patients’ experiences of the treatment and how i...
Evidence has been presented that d-amphetamine interacts with various types of behavior in the context of a conditioning paradigm. Rats exposed simultaneously to a locomotor activity measurement and three dose levels of d-amphetamine on repeated occasions gradually developed dose-related enhancement of drug-stimulated activity, which persisted after disconti...
1. LSD-25, psilocybin and JB-329 reduced the noradrenaline content of the rat hypothalamus.2. All three drugs affected the acquisition of a conditioned avoidance response, LSD-25 and psilocybin retarding and JB-329 enhancing the acquisition. With the exception of JB-329, doses affecting the acquisition of a conditioned avoidance response were lower than thos...
