Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
August 1, 2026
Christian N Schmitz, Marijan Bernardic, Anamaria-Domnica Vlădoiu et al.
High ventilation breathwork (HVB) is increasingly used in psychotherapeutic and contemplative contexts to induce altered states of consciousness (ASC), yet its neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Thirty experienced HVB practitioners (mean age 44.97 ± 11.80 years) underwent perfusion and resting-state fMRI to assess acute cerebrovascular and post-acute network changes. Cerebral...
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
May 27, 2026
Lea J. Mertens, Felix Betzler, Manuela Brand et al.
Psilocybin shows promise for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but long-term data are limited. This study examined the antidepressant effect of one or two psilocybin doses with adjunct psychotherapy in TRD until twelve months. This is a naturalistic follow-up of a phase 2b, randomized, active placebo-controlled trial, where participants were randomized to receive two drug administrations...
JAMA Psychiatry
March 18, 2026
Lea J. Mertens, Michael Koslowski, Felix Betzler et al.
9 citations
Importance: Psilocybin shows promise in treating depression, although limitations of previous research warrant further research. Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of oral psilocybin, 25 mg, with adjunct psychotherapy in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a 2-center, triple-blinded (investigator, participant, rater), phase 2b, active...
Der Nervenarzt
March 1, 2025
Moritz Spangemacher, Jonathan R Reinwald, Hana Adolphi et al.
Novel antidepressive substances are challenging the explanations for the mechanisms of action of traditional psychopharmacology. What could be the shared effects of various antidepressants and in this context what role do extrapharmacological factors, such as the body and environment, play? The available literature on clinical and preclinical data for assumed combined active factors of...
The Lancet Psychiatry
December 12, 2023
Gerhard Gründer, Manuela Brand, Lea J. Mertens et al.
103 citations
Treatment of psychiatric disorders with psychedelic substances represents one of the most promising current treatment approaches in psychiatry. Since its inception in the 1950s, therapy with psychedelics has been conceptualised as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy-ie, a form of psychotherapy that uses the profound biological effects of this class of substances as a catalyst for changing...
Frontiers in Neuroscience
October 6, 2023
Tobias Buchborn, Hannes Kettner, Laura Kärtner et al.
21 citations
The ego is one of the most central psychological constructs in psychedelic research and a key factor in psychotherapy, including psychedelic-assisted forms of psychotherapy. Despite its centrality, the ego-construct remains ambiguous in the psychedelic literature. Therefore, we here review the theoretical background of the ego-construct with focus on its psychodynamic conceptualization. We...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
November 14, 2022
Meg J. Spriggs, Bruna Giribaldi, Taylor Lyons et al.
15 citations
Background: Psilocybin is a serotonin type 2A (5-HT 2A ) receptor agonist and naturally occurring psychedelic. 5-HT 2A receptor density is known to be associated with body mass index (BMI), however, the impact of this on psilocybin therapy has not been explored. While body weight-adjusted dosing is widely used, this imposes a practical and financial strain on the scalability of psychedelic...
Psychopharmacology
August 8, 2022
Rosalind Watts, Hannes Kettner, Dana Geerts et al.
159 citations
Abstract Rationale A general feeling of disconnection has been associated with mental and emotional suffering. Improvements to a sense of connectedness to self, others and the wider world have been reported by participants in clinical trials of psychedelic therapy. Such accounts have led us to a definition of the psychological construct of ‘connectedness’ as ‘a state of feeling connected to...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
March 31, 2022
Roberta Murphy, Roberta Murphy, Hannes Kettner et al.
229 citations
Background: Across psychotherapeutic frameworks, the strength of the therapeutic alliance has been found to correlate with treatment outcomes; however, its role has never been formally assessed in a trial of psychedelic-assisted therapy. We aimed to investigate the relationships between therapeutic alliance and rapport, the quality of the acute psychedelic experience and treatment outcomes....
Der Nervenarzt
March 1, 2022
Gerhard Gründer, Manuela Brand, Laura Kärtner et al.
Psychedelics, such as psilocybin represent one of the most promising current therapeutic approaches in psychiatry. Psychedelics seem to have not only potent antidepressant effects. Do they also work particularly quickly, i.e. within one day? The available literature on clinical studies of psychedelics in depressive syndromes is presented both from the period up to the prohibition of these...
Front Pharmacol
March 25, 2021
Hannes Kettner, Fernando E. Rosas, C. Timmermann et al.
205 citations
Psychedelic Communitas: Intersubjective Experience During Psychedelic Group Sessions Predicts Enduring Changes in Psychological Wellbeing and Social Connectedness.
Elife
March 2, 2021
Balázs Szigeti, Laura Kärtner, Allan Blemings et al.
192 citations
Microdosing is the practice of regularly using low doses of psychedelic drugs. Anecdotal reports suggest that microdosing enhances well-being and cognition; however, such accounts are potentially biased by the placebo effect. This study used a 'self-blinding' citizen science initiative, where participants were given online instructions on how to incorporate placebo control into their...
December 11, 2020
Balázs Szigeti, Laura Kärtner, Allan Blemings et al.
1 citation
Article Figures and data Abstract eLife digest Introduction Materials and methods Results Discussion Appendix 1 Data availability References Decision letter Author response Article and author information Metrics Abstract Microdosing is the practice of regularly using low doses of psychedelic drugs. Anecdotal reports suggest that microdosing enhances well-being and cognition; however, such...