Psychedelic medicine has gained rapid popularity for the treatment of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. As novel psychedelic analogues and treatment regimes emerge, increasing numbers of variables are being tested. Here, we review various approaches and considerations for novel psychedelic therapies, including the...
= 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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...