Skip to content

Stephen Ross

New York University, Bellevue Hospital Center

37 papers in the library · 4,621 citations · publishing 2012-2026

Papers

Sort Most recent Most cited

The intersection between psychedelics and schizophrenia spectrum disorders: Reevaluating risk and therapeutic potential.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) June 25, 2026 Pavan S Brar, Rebecca B Price, Stephen Ross et al.

In the past decade, interest in studying psychedelic compounds as potential therapeutic agents has resurged. These studies carefully exclude individuals at risk for developing psychotic symptoms in response to psychedelic use. Given the potential for psychedelics to be established as treatments in psychiatry, it is important to more robustly understand their link with psychosis and...

Psychedelic Use and Mystical-Type Experiences are Associated With Greater Self-Compassion, Compassionate Love, and Life Satisfaction

Journal of Humanistic Psychology April 28, 2026 Austin J. Mallard, Matthew Broussard, Richard J. Zeifman et al.

Emerging evidence suggests psychedelic-assisted therapies ameliorate symptoms of psychopathology. However, less is known about how psychedelics influence positive psychological functioning (e.g., compassionate love, self-compassion, and life satisfaction). These constructs may be relevant in understanding how psychedelics exert their therapeutic effects, as they are central to both intra- and...

Psychedelic Therapy, Positive Emotional Experiences, and the Central Role of Self-Compassion

Research Square August 22, 2025 Richard J. Zeifman, George Danias, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes et al. 2 citations

Abstract Background: Psychedelics can acutely induce mystical experiences and elevated positive mood, which may contribute to the potential benefits of psychedelic therapy. However, there remains limited understanding of the occurrence and importance of specific positive emotional experiences within psychedelic therapy. Therefore, we examined the effects of psychedelics on positive emotional...

Exploring serotonergic psychedelics as a treatment for personality disorders.

Neuropharmacology July 1, 2025 Brennan M. Carrithers, Daniel E. Roberts, Brandon M Weiss et al. 4 citations

Both psychotherapeutic interventions and pharmacological agents have demonstrated limited efficacy in the treatment of personality disorders (PDs). Emerging evidence suggests that psychedelic therapy, already showing promise in treating various psychiatric conditions commonly comorbid with PDs, may exert therapeutic effects by promoting adaptive changes in personality. Thus, psychedelic therapy...

Stephen Ross: Psychedelic-assisted therapies for difficult-to-treat psychiatric and medical disorders

Psychedelics June 10, 2025 Stephen Ross

Professor Stephen Ross is a prominent faculty member in the Departments of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine who has transformed the landscape of psychedelic research since 2006. In this Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Ross reveals how as co-director of the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine and director of its...

Effects of Psilocybin on Religious and Spiritual Attitudes and Behaviors in Clergy from Various Major World Religions

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....

A Field-Wide Review and Analysis of Study Materials Used in Psilocybin Trials: Assessment of Two Decades of Research

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...

Multidimensional Personality Changes Following Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: Results From a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

American Journal of Psychiatry 2025 Noam Goldway, Snehal Bhatt, Stephen Ross et al. 23 citations

PAT elicited durable shifts in personality, suggesting normalization of abnormal personality trait expression in AUD. Further study is needed to clarify whether PAT exerts its beneficial effects by reducing impulsiveness or whether impulsive individuals inherently respond better to PAT.

Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy improves psychiatric symptoms across multiple dimensions in patients with cancer

Nature Mental Health October 7, 2024 Petros Petridis, Jack Grinband, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes et al. 10 citations

Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has shown promise in treating mood and anxiety disorders in patients with cancer. However, patients with cancer often suffer from more than just depression and anxiety, and so far, PAP's effect on other psychiatric symptoms remains largely unknown. To address this gap, we pooled previously unpublished data from two phase II, randomized, placebo-controlled...

Psychedelic medicine in psychiatry residency training: a survey of psychiatric residency program directors.

Int Rev Psychiatry September 11, 2024 Mary E. Yaden, Terence H. W. Ching, Noam Goldway et al. 2 citations

OBJECTIVE: The growth of psychedelic medicine creates new challenges in psychiatric education as physicians may soon be responsible for prescribing a number of psychedelic interventions. Despite this growing need for educated providers, very little is known about the training psychiatry residents receive in psychedelic medicine. We conducted a survey to determine the current educational...

Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress: practical considerations for therapeutic application—a review

Annals of Palliative Medicine August 22, 2024 Arum Kim, Barley Halton, Akash Shah et al. 11 citations

Existential distress is commonly experienced by patients diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. This condition has been shown to adversely impact quality of life and is correlated with increased suicidal ideation and requests for hastened death. While palliative care teams are experienced in treating depression and anxiety, existential distress is a distinct clinical condition for which...

Preliminary evidence for the importance of therapeutic alliance in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.

European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2024 Richard J. Zeifman, Hannes Kettner, Stephen Ross et al. 34 citations

Background: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) is a combined psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic intervention that shows promise in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although therapeutic alliance has been established as a key predictor across psychotherapies and is emphasised within MDMA-AP treatment manuals, research has not yet examined the relationship between...

Older adults in psychedelic-assisted therapy trials: A systematic review

Journal of Psychopharmacology 2024 Lisa Bouchet, Zachary Sager, Antoine Yrondi et al. 22 citations

Background: Growing clinical interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies has led to a second wave of research involving psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and other substances. Data suggests that these compounds have the potential to treat mental health conditions that are especially prevalent in older adults such as depression, anxiety,...

Exploring the Potential Utility of Psychedelic Therapy for Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Journal of Palliative Medicine October 1, 2023 Noah D Gold, Austin J. Mallard, Jacob C Hermann et al. 5 citations

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an aggressive, terminal neurodegenerative disease that causes death of motor neurons and has an average survival time of 3-4 years. ALS is the most common motor neuron degenerative disease and is increasing in prevalence. There is a pressing need for more effective ALS treatments as available pharmacotherapies do not reverse disease progression...

Single-Dose Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder

JAMA August 31, 2023 Charles L. Raison, Gerard Sanacora, Joshua Woolley et al. 493 citations

Importance Psilocybin shows promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Objective To evaluate the magnitude, timing, and durability of antidepressant effects and safety of a single dose of psilocybin in patients with MDD. Design, Setting, and Participants In this phase 2 trial conducted between December 2019 and June 2022 at 11 research sites in the US, participants were...

Co-use of MDMA with psilocybin/LSD may buffer against challenging experiences and enhance positive experiences

Scientific Reports August 22, 2023 Hannes Kettner, Stephen Ross, Richard J. Zeifman et al. 31 citations

Abstract Psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) experiences can range from very positive to highly challenging (e.g., fear, grief, and paranoia). These challenging experiences contribute to hesitancy toward psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy among health care providers and patients. Co-use of 3,4-Methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA) with psilocybin/LSD anecdotally reduces challenging...

Examining the Rationale for Studying Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Caregiver Distress.

Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) June 1, 2023 Noah D Gold, Samantha K. Podrebarac, Lindsay A White et al. 3 citations

More than 50 million people in the United States serve as uncompensated informal caregivers to chronically ill friends or family members. Providing care to a sick loved one can contribute to personal growth but can also cause significant strain. Caregiver distress refers to a constellation of physiological, psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual impairments that typically result when an...

Are psychedelic medicines the reset for chronic pain? Preliminary findings and research needs

Neuropharmacology April 2, 2023 Farah Z Zia, Michael H. Baumann, Sean J Belouin et al. 28 citations

Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability, reduced productivity, healthcare seeking behavior, and a contributor to opioid overdose in the United States. For many people, pain can be satisfactorily managed by existing medicines and comprehensive psychosocial treatments. For others, available treatments are either ineffective or not acceptable, due to side effects and concerns about risks....

Psilocybin for alcohol use disorder: Rationale and design considerations for a randomized controlled trial.

Contemporary Clinical Trials December 1, 2022 Kelley C O'Donnell, Sarah E. Mennenga, Lindsey T. Owens et al. 24 citations

Several lines of evidence suggest that classic psychedelics (5-HT2A receptor agonists or partial agonists) such as psilocybin might facilitate behavior change in individuals with substance use disorders. We conducted a multi-site, double-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in alcohol-dependent volunteers. In addition to a...

Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy in Palliative Care

Oxford University Press eBooks December 1, 2022 Stephen Ross, Anthony P. Bossis

Abstract Following a decades-long hiatus and building on an innovative research model first developed from the 1960s to 1970s utilizing psychedelic therapeutics to alleviate the marked psychic distress in end-of-life cancer patients, major academic centers are resuming contemporary clinical research into the safety and efficacy of psilocybin and other serotonergic psychedelics delivered in...

If the Doors of Perception Were Cleansed, Would Chronic Pain be Relieved? Evaluating the Benefits and Risks of Psychedelics.

The journal of pain October 1, 2022 Robert H. Dworkin, Brian T Anderson, Nick Andrews et al. 22 citations

Psychedelic substances have played important roles in diverse cultures, and ingesting various plant preparations to evoke altered states of consciousness has been described throughout recorded history. Accounts of the subjective effects of psychedelics typically focus on spiritual and mystical-type experiences, including feelings of unity, sacredness, and transcendence. Over the past 2 decades,...

MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder.

Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) October 1, 2022 Jenna M Traynor, Daniel E. Roberts, Stephen Ross et al. 14 citations

Borderline personality disorder is a complex psychiatric disorder with limited treatment options that are associated with large heterogeneity in treatment response and high rates of dropout. New or complementary treatments for borderline personality disorder are needed that may be able to bolster treatment outcomes. In this review, the authors comment on the plausibility for research on...

Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder

JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022 Michael P. Bogenschutz, Stephen Ross, Snehal Bhatt et al. 668 citations

Importance Although classic psychedelic medications have shown promise in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD), the efficacy of psilocybin remains unknown. Objective To evaluate whether 2 administrations of high-dose psilocybin improve the percentage of heavy drinking days in patients with AUD undergoing psychotherapy relative to outcomes observed with active placebo medication and...