Background: In recent years, both meditation and psychedelics have attracted rapidly increasing scientific interest. While the current state of evidence suggests the promising potential of psychedelics, such as psilocybin, to enhance meditative training, it remains equivocal whether these effects are specifically bound to psilocybin or if other classical psy...
Abstract Background and Aims This naturalistic mixed methods field study, aimed to assess the potential of a psilocybin induced experience, to help Emergency Medical Service Workers (EMSW) to address psychological and stress related symptoms stemming from a challenging working environment, known to contribute to occupational burnout (OB). Methods This explor...
Abstract Background Psychedelic use and its impact on well-being is garnering a lot of research attention, however, little has been done to understand the potential associations between multiple characteristics of the psychedelic experience and psychological flexibility (PF), which encompasses a conscious awareness of thoughts and behavior, allowing individu...
INTRODUCTION: This study explores how individuals self-treat psychiatric conditions with psychedelics outside medical guidance bridging the gap in understanding unregulated therapeutic use. AIMS: The primary objective was to extract specific factors underlying the effects of psychedelics, exploring their relationship with the need for medication, particularl...
Abstract Background and aims Online communities provide insights into psychedelic consumption, assisting in identification of trends, informing both harm reduction provisions and clinical research. This study extracts forum data on psychedelic substances, dosages, and administration routes, categorising and analysing self-reported consumption to inform care ...
. It remains unclear how human brain network changes relate to subjective and lasting effects of psychedelics. Here we tracked individual-specific brain changes with longitudinal precision functional mapping (roughly 18 magnetic resonance imaging visits per participant). Healthy adults were tracked before, during and for 3 weeks after high-dose psilocybin (2...
Several trials of psilocybin for symptoms of depression have shown encouraging findings, as have a number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. However, several of the reviews have included nonrandomized trials and studies in which psilocybin was used in conjunction with psychotherapeutic interventions, making it difficult to isolate psilocybin's effects...
OBJECTIVE: 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. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Australians, targeting i...
As psychedelic use expands, the number of adverse effects will increase proportionally. New frameworks for monitoring safety outcomes on a population level are required to limit potential harms. Darke et al. characterized 33 lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and 10 psilocybin-related deaths in Australia between 2000 and 2023 using the country's sophisticated ...
Introduction: Studies of psychedelic-assisted therapy with LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and related substances show clinical promise but inadequately assess side effects. Measuring side effects is challenging because they are not always easily differentiated from treatment effects or disease symptoms and show high heterogeneity, variable duration and impact, and s...
Background: Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Fibromyalgia is a particularly debilitating form of widespread chronic pain. Fibromyalgia remains poorly understood, and treatment options are limited or moderately effective at best. Here, we present a protocol for a mechanistic study investigating the effects of psychedelic-assisted-thera...
During the 1960s, several studies were conducted to test the therapeutic effects of hallucinogenic drugs, also known as psychedelics, on various disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the non-medical use of these substances became rampant due to their hallucinogenic effects, leading to their classification as narcotics in numerous count...
The use of psilocybin to treat alcohol use disorder is very promising, but its mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. We combined behavioural, pharmacological and gene expression analyses to decipher the mechanisms of action of psilocybin, for the first time, when injected into the brain. Male Long Evans rats underwent chronic operant ethanol self-ad...
Introduction: Substance use disorder (SUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are major public health crises, affecting millions of Americans. Current treatment options include behavioral therapies and medications. In this review, we explored psilocybin’s efficacy in treating SUD and AUD. Methods: Key terms were used to search databases to identify articles that...
This study explores the relationship between psychedelic use and insight among Indian adults aged 18 to 40 years. Psychedelics, such as LSD and psilocybin, are known for altering consciousness and potentially enhancing self-awareness. A total of 100 participants (79 males and 21 females) completed the Psychedelic Integration Scale (PIS), which includes the I...
Abstract Psychological flexibility has been proposed as a core process of change when psychedelics are used for therapeutic purposes, but to date empirical outcomes have only documented changes on the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), a very general measure of psychological flexibility. This pilot study measured outcomes from psilocybin administe...
Abstract Background and aims Interest in psychedelic research has grown significantly in recent years and the naturally derived substance psilocybin, in combination with therapy, has shown promising results as a treatment for a range of psychiatric conditions. However, the negative effects and risks of psilocybin-assisted treatment are not well-established. ...
OBJECTIVE: To capture UK medical students' self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and to explore the factors associated with support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further clinical research. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, anonymous online survey of UK medical students using a non-random sampling method. SETTING: UK...
