Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 1, 2026
Brian P. Meier, Courtney M. Lappas, Matthew W. Johnson
= 1,102), we examined the intentions to use psilocybin in a mental health context in relation to psychotherapy, psychiatric medication, and natural versus synthetic options. We also examined potential predictors of the intentions to use psilocybin. In Study 1, we found that participants had significantly lower intentions to use psilocybin in a mental health context versus psychotherapy and...
Neuropsychopharmacology Reports
August 27, 2026
Futaba Umemura, Hiroko Kotajima‐Murakami, Justin C. Strickland et al.
INTRODUCTION: Interest in therapeutic applications of psychedelics has recently resurged. Mystical-type and challenging experiences that are elicited by psychedelics are commonly assessed using the 30-item Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30) and the 26-item Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), respectively. The brief 4-item MEQ (MEQ-4) and 7-item CEQ (CEQ-7) may reduce respondent...
JAMA Network Open
May 7, 2026
Peter S. Hendricks, Sara N Lappan, Richard C. Shelton et al.
4 citations
Importance: Cocaine use disorder is a serious public health problem and no medications have been proven effective for its treatment. Objective: To evaluate psilocybin in the treatment of cocaine use disorder. It was hypothesized that psilocybin, compared with placebo, would yield a higher percentage of cocaine abstinent days, a greater likelihood of complete abstinence from cocaine, and a...
Journal of Psychiatric Research
May 26, 2025
Bjørn Holmøy, Tor-Morten Kvam, Kristoffer Andreas Aamodt Andersen et al.
3 citations
Psychedelic drugs, known for their potent psychoactive effects, have gained attention for their potential therapeutic benefits in treating mental disorders. However, distressing experiences induced by psychedelics can lead to adverse long-term effects. To better assess these experiences, we aimed to provide a Norwegian translation and psychometric validation of the Challenging Experience...
Psychedelic Medicine
May 16, 2025
Roland R. Griffiths, William A. Richards, Robert L. Jesse et al.
14 citations
Background: Although historical writings, anthropological accounts, and experimental studies document associations between psilocybin use and religion, no prospective experimental study has investigated how the effects of psilocybin are experienced and interpreted by religious clergy. This exploratory study evaluated the overall safety and the acute and enduring effects of psilocybin in clergy....
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
February 7, 2025
Amy Lehrner, Heather Jackson, David S. Mathai et al.
11 citations
The classic psychedelic psilocybin has attracted special interest across clinical and non-clinical settings as a potential tool for mental health. Despite increasing attention to challenging psychedelic experiences, few studies have explored the relevance of shame-related processes with psychedelic use. This prospective, longitudinal study involved sequential, automated, web-based surveys that...
Psychedelic Medicine
January 20, 2025
Marianna Graziosi, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Mary P Cosimano et al.
9 citations
Introduction: Serotonergic psychedelics, serotonin 2A receptor agonists such as psilocybin that can result in substantially altered states of consciousness, are used in recreational and research settings. The safety of psychedelic experiences in research settings is supported by controlled physical environments, presence of clinical and medical staff to address emergent issues, screening for...
International review of neurobiology
2025
Caitlin M. DuPont, Matthew W. Johnson
6 citations
The current chapter presents the literature evaluating the effects of classic psychedelic treatments on five substance use disorders: alcohol, tobacco, opioid, stimulant, and cannabis. Most work on psychedelics and substance use disorders was conducted for alcohol use disorder. A range of classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, and ayahuasca) appear to be beneficial for facilitating both reduced...
JAMA Health Forum
November 1, 2024
Otto Simonsson, Matthew W. Johnson, Peter S. Hendricks
10 citations
This Viewpoint discusses the need to better understand potential risks associated with psychedelic and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use to ensure safe and ethical practice and identifies 4 key research goals.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
September 19, 2023
Hillary Jackson, Sara So, Abigail Yaffe et al.
87 citations
Introduction The classic psychedelic psilocybin, found in some mushroom species, has received renewed interest in clinical research, showing potential mental health benefits in preliminary trials. Naturalistic use of psilocybin outside of research settings has increased in recent years, though data on the public health impact of such use remain limited. Methods This prospective, longitudinal...
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
May 4, 2023
Sandeep M. Nayak, Melissa Bradley, Bethea A Kleykamp et al.
38 citations
To systematically review control conditions of all available randomized psychedelic trials. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE for randomized trials of psychedelics in humans from 1940 through May 2020 with no language restrictions. PRISMA guidelines were followed. (PROSPERO registration number: PROSPERO-CRD42020205341.). All randomized trials of psychedelics in humans from 1940 through...
Tasman’s Psychiatry
2023
Sandeep M. Nayak, Matthew W. Johnson
Hallucinogens are a broad category of substances encompassing drugs with diverse pharmacological, phenomenological, and adverse effects. In this chapter, the focus is on disorders caused by and exacerbated by two classes of hallucinogens. These are classic psychedelics (drugs including LSD and psilocybin that exert subjective effects principally by 5HT_2A agonism) and the substituted...
Military Medicine
December 24, 2022
Joshua C. Gray, Mikela A. Murphy, Sierra Carter et al.
10 citations
ABSTRACT Introduction Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are common in service members and veterans, and the response to currently available treatments is often modest at best. Recent studies suggest potential benefit with psychedelic-assisted therapies (PATs), particularly 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy for PTSD and psilocybin-assisted therapy for...
Kennedy Institute of Ethics journal
December 1, 2022
Neşe Devenot, Aidan Seale-Feldman, Elyse Smith et al.
50 citations
While the literature on psychedelic medicine emphasizes the importance of set and setting alongside the quality of subjective drug effects for therapeutic efficacy, few scholars have explored the therapeutic frameworks that are used alongside psychedelics in the lab or in the clinic. Based on a narrative analysis of the treatment manual and post-session experience reports from a pilot study of...
Frontiers in Psychology
May 23, 2022
David B. Yaden, Dylan Earp, Marianna Graziosi et al.
106 citations
The acute subjective effects of psychedelics are responsive to users’ expectations and surroundings (i.e., “set and setting”). Accordingly, a great deal of thought has gone into designing the psychosocial context of psychedelic administration in clinical settings. But what theoretical paradigms inform these considerations about set and setting? Here, we describe several historical, sociological...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 1, 2022
Natalie Gukasyan, Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
419 citations
Background: Preliminary data suggest that psilocybin-assisted treatment produces substantial and rapid antidepressant effects in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), but little is known about long-term outcomes. Aims: This study sought to examine the efficacy and safety of psilocybin through 12 months in participants with moderate to severe MDD who received psilocybin. Methods: This...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
2022
Matthew W. Johnson
31 citations
This manuscript reviews research suggesting that classic psychedelics (5-HT2A receptor agonists) are effective in treating addictions including tobacco use disorder. I review historical research from the 1950s to 1970s suggesting that classic psychedelics are associated with addiction recovery across pharmacologically distinct drugs of addiction. I then review anthropological reports about...
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
June 5, 2021
David J. Cox, Albert Garcia‐romeu, Matthew W. Johnson
29 citations
Background: Experiences with psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), are sometimes followed by changes in patterns of tobacco, opioid, and alcohol consumption. But, the specific characteristics of psychedelic experiences that lead to changes in drug consumption are unknown.Objective: Determine whether quantitative descriptions of psychedelic experiences...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 29, 2021
Pedro J. Teixeira, Matthew W. Johnson, Christopher Timmermann et al.
87 citations
Healthful behaviours such as maintaining a balanced diet, being physically active and refraining from smoking have major impacts on the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other serious conditions. The burden of the so-called ‘lifestyle diseases’—in personal suffering, premature mortality and public health costs—is considerable. Consequently, interventions designed...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
May 10, 2021
Natalie Gukasyan, David B. Yaden, Matthew W. Johnson et al.
56 citations
Abstract Psychedelic substances produce unusual and compelling changes in conscious experience that have prompted some to propose that psychedelics may provide unique insights explaining the nature of consciousness. At present, psychedelics, like other current scientific tools and methods, seem unlikely to provide information relevant to the so-called “hard problem of consciousness,” which...
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science
April 9, 2021
Matthew W. Johnson
109 citations
This viewpoint identifies pitfalls in the study of psychedelic compounds, including those that pose challenges for the potential use of psychedelics as medicines. They are as follows: (1) Sloppiness regarding use of the term "consciousness". (2) Inappropriate introduction of religious/spiritual beliefs of investigators or clinicians. (3) Clinical boundaries and other ethical challenges...
March 24, 2021
Pedro J. Teixeira, Matthew W. Johnson, Christopher Timmermann et al.
1 citation
preprint
Healthful behaviors such as maintaining a balanced diet, being physically active, and refraining from smoking have major impacts on the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and other serious conditions. The burden of the so-called “lifestyle diseases” - in personal suffering, premature mortality, and public health costs - is considerable. Consequently, interventions...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 20, 2021
Albert Garcia‐romeu, Frederick S. Barrett, Theresa M. Carbonaro et al.
101 citations
Background: Growing evidence suggests psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic, is a safe and promising pharmacotherapy for treatment of mood and substance use disorders when administered as part of a structured intervention. In most trials to date, psilocybin dose has been administered on a weight-adjusted basis rather than the more convenient procedure of administering a fixed dose....
Emerging Trends in Drugs Addictions and Health
2021
Jessica Lochtenberg, Ari P. Kirshenbaum, Matthew W. Johnson
2 citations
Recent interest has emerged regarding the use of several short-acting pharmacotherapies that may be explicitly delivered in the context of psychotherapy for anxiety, mood and substance-dependence disorders. Our objective in this narrative review is to highlight the potential of medically-assisted psychotherapy by outlining the current state of research on some of these drugs, including...
2021
Felix Betzler, Gerhard Gründer, Matthew W. Johnson et al.
Purpose of Review: The use of psychedelics in a therapeutical setting has been reported for the treatment of various diagnoses in recent years. However, as psychedelic substances are still commonly known for their ( illicit) recreational use, it may seem counterintuitive to use psychedelic therapy to treat substance use disorders. This review aims to discuss how psychedelics can promote and...