Practical considerations in the establishment of psychedelic research programs.

There is increasing interest in establishing psychedelic research programs at academic medical centers. However, psychedelics are intensely psychoactive, carry considerable sociopolitical baggage, and most are Schedule I drugs, creating significant potential impediments to implementation. There is little formal guidance for investigators on navigating the co...

Healing, Harms, and Humility: Expanding the Scope of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Research.

Research and Implementation of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Veterans Health Administration.

Psychedelic Medicine Exceptionalism.

Research on psychedelic medicines is experiencing a revival. Some clinicians, scientists, and ethicists believe that psychedelics are so different from other treatments that they warrant special consideration in how they are researched, regulated, commercialized, and administered. Others argue that psychedelic medicines show clinical potential, but they shou...

Molecular brain imaging of psychedelic action.

Molecular brain imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computer-tomography (SPECT) entails the mapping of the cerebral distribution of radiopharmaceuticals that track physiological processes such as blood perfusion and glucose metabolism, or the abundance in brain of specific molecular targets such as neuroreceptors. PET and...

Post-traumatic stress disorder in psychedelic research.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychiatric condition that develops after exposure to trauma such as combat, natural disasters, or assault. It is characterized by re-experiencing trauma, avoidance, hyperarousal, and negative alterations in cognition and mood. Since its formal inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diso...

Psychedelics for the treatment of end-of-life distress in patients with a life-threatening disease.

Patients with a life-threatening disease (LTD) sometimes suffer from end-of-life distress (EOLD) which refers to the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual suffering related to chronic illness and the possibility of death. Palliative care interventions seek to improve the quality of life of patients with EOLD and their significant others. Currentl...

Behavioral Neurobiology of Alcohol Addiction: A Decade of Great Challenges, New Hopes, and Hypes.

Over a decade after the first edition of "Behavioral Neurobiology of Alcohol Addiction," this chapter revisits the field at a critical juncture, marked by both persistent challenges and emerging opportunities. We reflect on the translational gap that has stalled the development of new treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD), despite decades of promising pr...

"" A Qualitative Analysis of Patient Perspectives on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy for Cancer-Related Psychosocial Symptoms.

People living with cancer (PLWC) often face profound existential distress that is insufficiently addressed by conventional psychosocial supports. This qualitative study explored PLWC's attitudes, beliefs, and experiences regarding psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) as a novel approach to addressing psychosocial suffering, particularly existential distress. F...

Psychedelics assisting therapy, or therapy assisting psychedelics? The importance of psychotherapy in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Characteristics and mental health of psychedelic mushroom and multi-psychedelic users relative to non-psychedelic users in American adults, 2020-2021.

Few population-based studies have examined associations between psychedelic use and mental health outcomes. This work describes characteristics of exclusive psychedelic mushroom use (referred to as PM use), PMs in combination with other psychedelic substances (multi-psychedelic or MP) use, and non-psychedelic use and explores mental health ratings in non-cli...

Contextual and experiential aspects of the psychedelic experience predicting improvement in subjective wellbeing: results from a Norwegian internet convenience sample.

Interest in the therapeutic effects of classical psychedelics has risen recently. However, little epidemiological knowledge exists about the use of classical psychedelics in Scandinavian countries. Additionally, there is a limited understanding of what factors drive self-reported improvement in wellbeing. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation...

Music as a collaborating actor: new insights into the nature and role of music in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Music has been identified as a central feature of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) and has hitherto been understood to amplify the psychedelic experience in a predictable way that has been codified into music recommendations and playlists. To re-evaluate the nature and role of music within the participant's world during psychedelic-assisted psychothe...

PolDrugs 2025: results of the third edition of the nationwide study on psychoactive substance use in the context of psychiatry and harm reduction.

PolDrugs is a biennial epidemiological study aimed at analyzing patterns of mostly illicit psychoactive substance use in Poland in the context of psychiatry and harm reduction. This survey was held for the third time, and its results were compared to the last two editions. The survey was conducted as an online survey with 37 closed-ended single-choice questi...

The Epidemiology of Psychedelic Use Among United States Military Veterans.

We sought to identify patterns of psychedelic use among United States military veterans, compare demographic variables and perspectives of those who did and did not report use, and characterize benefits and adverse outcomes associated with use. Respondents ( = 426) were recruited to complete an online cross-sectional survey. Approximately one-half (51%) repo...

Psychedelics and mental health: reimagining care through science, insight, and compassion.

The ethical use of therapeutic touch in psychedelic-assisted therapy: a qualitative study of researcher perspectives and experiences.

Physical touch is often included as a supportive or therapeutic tool in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), involving instrumental forms of physical contact, supportive touch and somatic techniques. However, participants under the influence of psychedelics have reduced capacity to provide consent, are more suggestible and may experience and interpret therape...

Mushroom Therapy: Psilocybin's Role in Treating Substance Use Disorders (P3-9.018).

Attitudes toward psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapy among potential mental health service users and the general population in Australia.

Despite rapid advances in psychedelic sciences and the increasing number of countries legalizing psychedelics for the treatment of mental illnesses, the attitudes, knowledge and readiness of both mental health consumers and the general population remain largely unknown. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Australians, targeting individuals with ment...

Artificial intelligence and psychedelic medicine.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and psychedelic medicines are among the most high-profile evolving disruptive innovations within mental healthcare in recent years. Although AI and psychedelics may not have historically shared any common ground, there exists the potential for these subjects to combine in generating innovative mental health treatment approaches. ...