Background: Psilocybin treatment has shown promise across a range of psychiatric conditions. Mystical-type experiences during dosing sessions have been shown to predict the clinical effects of psilocybin treatment in depression, anxiety, and addiction. However, no studies have examined whether acute subjective experiences predict treatment response in obsess...
Introduction: Cognitive flexibility is essential for behavioral adaptation in response to environmental changes and is impaired in various neuropsychiatric disorders. The serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin has shown potential in enhancing cognitive flexibility, although with mixed results. In this study, we investigated the effects of psilocybin on cognitiv...
Naturalistic psychedelic use can result in a range of difficulties that impair social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning. Yet, the prevalence, phenomenology, and etiology of these outcomes remain poorly understood. Recent qualitative research has shown that individuals with long-term difficulties after psychedelic use sometimes attribute...
INTRODUCTION: Although commonly used in psychedelic-assisted therapy, the role of therapeutic touch remains loosely defined and ethically sensitive. Gaining insight into how participants experience and interpret touch during psychedelic sessions is essential for informing safe and effective clinical practice. METHODS: Participants were sampled from a large r...
BACKGROUND: Recent advancements in psychedelic research have highlighted psilocybin's potential therapeutic benefits for various mental disorders. Understanding its effects on brain function and identifying predictors of individual responses are essential for developing effective treatments. METHODS: This double-blind, randomized, crossover, and placebo-cont...
BACKGROUND: Changes in well-being, personality, and personal values have been documented post-psilocybin; however, evidence from placebo-controlled trials is limited. AIMS: To examine the effects of psilocybin versus placebo on psychiatric symptoms, personality, and personal values in healthy participants. Potential mediators were also explored. METHODS: = 2...
Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 2-3% of the population worldwide. 40-60% of patients do not respond to first-line interventions. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a single dose of psilocybin in patients with treatment-resistant OCD. Methods: In this phase 2, randomized, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 28 adults with tre...
A key distinction among clinical trials on psilocybin treatments, for example, those targeting depression, has been whether the psilocybin dosing session is combined with bona fide psychotherapy or with what is referred to as “psychological support” (1-3). The most developed model of psychological support is the Compass Psychological Support Model (CPSM; 1)....
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...
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) remain an ongoing challenge for public health, forensic laboratories, and regulatory agencies, especially when they are chemically related to controlled tryptamines but are marketed as legal alternatives. In the United States, the Federal Analogue Act (FAA) was intended to restrict such substances; however, regulatory loop...
BACKGROUND: The claustrum, a subcortical structure densely expressing 5-hydroxytryptamine 2 A (5-HT2A) receptors, has been implicated in sensory integration, emotional regulation, salience, and attention. Despite its hypothesized involvement in the effects of serotonergic psychedelics, the neurochemical impact of these substances on claustral neurotransmissi...
INTRODUCTION: Psilocybin may effectively treat psychological distress in cancer patients. A meta-analysis assessed its safety and effectiveness in this context. METHODS: A comprehensive search across six databases (Scopus, PsycINFO, PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL Complete, and Web of Science) was conducted to identify studies on psilocybin's effects on mental heal...
Background: Major depressive disorder is a prevalent psychological condition that is characterized by sustained low mood, dysfunction and biological dysregulation. Depression can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy, and newer studies indicate that psilocybin-based therapy may improve depressive symptoms when used under supervised psychological suppo...
Introduction: Depression is a widespread mental illness that affects a large portion of the world population and many of those who suffer from depression are resistant to treatment currently available. The purpose of this review is to compare the efficacy of psilocybin to the current available methods for the treatment of refractory depression. Methods: PubM...
Psychedelics are a group of substances within the heterogeneous class of hallucinogenic drugs. Via binding to the serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptor, psychedelics exert profound alterations in various mental domains, including sensation, cognition, emotions, and self-perception. Psychedelics comprise phenethylamines (e.g., mescaline), tryptamines (e.g., psilocybin...
Classic psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and DMT from unregulated markets pose considerable risks through unknown adulterants and potencies. In this chapter, we explore the importance of drug checking in minimizing harm among users of classic psychedelics and examine the opportunities and challenges associated with intervention settings, analytical tech...
BACKGROUND: Psilocybin has shown rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in patients with major depressive disorder, yet the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these outcomes remain unclear. AIMS: receptor occupancy (RO) achieved after administration of psilocybin and its effects on behavior and markers of neuroplasticity in mice. METHODS: H]MDL-100,90...
Background: Although psychedelics have regained attention as potential treatment tools for various mental disorders, little research has examined their impact on temporal perception. Aims: This double-blinded placebo-controlled study aimed to investigate changes in temporal perception under psilocybin, both through performance during the Temporal Bisection T...
Psychedelic substances reliably occasion transient self-transcendent states, including mystical-type experiences, which are theorized to support salutogenic psychological change and long-term well-being. Despite growing interest in these phenomena, little is known about how acute self-transcendent states translate into enduring trait-level changes, or whethe...
Background: Psilocybin has shown promise in neuropsychiatric disorders but presents a paradoxical relationship with seizures and epilepsy. Methods: A narrative review was conducted up to November 23, 2025. We conducted structured literature searches across PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science. and Google Scholar using MeSH terms and keywords to identify st...
