medRxiv Preprint ServerMay 5, 2026Nicholas C. Borgogna, D. Drew Whittington, Tyler Owen et al.
preprint
Mental illness poses a substantial global burden, yet existing psychotherapies and psychopharmacologies often produce limited outcomes. Psychedelic-assisted therapies have re-emerged as potential transdiagnostic interventions. In particular, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine–assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) has generated interest for its rapid psychological effects and potential to enhance...
Abstract Purpose of Review This commentary summarizes how the intense and distinctive subjective effects of psychedelics complicate tests of the efficacy and mechanisms of action (MOAs) of psychedelic-assisted treatments (PATs) for mental-health conditions. Specifically, we discuss (a) how estimates of PAT efficacy are confounded under functional unblinding and (b) uncertainty surrounding...
Abstract Rationale Psilocybin is a potentially paradigm-shifting depression intervention. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of psilocybin-for-depression randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Objectives Systematically assess harm reporting, risk of bias, action mechanism specification, and incremental therapeutic effect sizes in the psilocybin-for-depression RCT literature....
Ketamine has demonstrated early promise for treating substance use disorder (SUD). Despite the emerging evidence for ketamine-based approaches for SUD, little has been published on the integration of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) with existing pharmacologic, psychosocial, and peer-support approaches to treatment and recovery, including 12-step programs. Here, we present the case of a...
Psychedelic drug policy is changing, both in the USA and internationally. However, psychedelic use is not homogeneous, as there are multiple unique contexts for use, including clinical therapies, naturalistic use, and microdosing. There are notable differences between these contexts regarding emerging evidence for safety, therapeutic efficacy, likely future legality, and more. We compared...
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is an emerging treatment approach that often combines pharmacotherapeutic dosing sessions with more traditional psychotherapy. Despite limited formal regulatory approval, treatment seekers can currently access PAT through a variety of avenues, including ketamine treatment centers and “supported adult use” psilocybin centers in the U.S., drug tourism,...
Abstract Abundant research supports the benefits of participating in mindfulness meditation training programs including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. However, these well researched programs include a narrow range of meditation practices and research to date has minimally examined how home practice associates with favorable outcomes. The present...
Dan Petrovitch, Sean M. Mitchell, Jason van Allen et al.
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Introduction: Treatment-outcome expectancies are an individual’s beliefs about how a medical or psychological intervention will affect them and others. These response expectancies represent serious potential confounds to clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapies for a variety of conditions because of difficulties associated with blinding psychedelic trials. On the other hand,...