Journal of Psychopharmacology
August 29, 2026
Marlene L. Tai, B. Szigeti, Amanda E. Downey et al.
BACKGROUND Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, is metabolized to psilocin, the compound responsible for its psychoactive effects. Psilocybin has demonstrated therapeutic potential for neuropsychiatric conditions. While recent trials have primarily used orally administered synthetic psilocybin, alternative formulations and delivery methods may offer...
Journal of Affective Disorders
August 10, 2026
Yves Martins Varela, Patrícia Cavalcanti-Ribeiro, Geovan Menezes de Sousa et al.
BACKGROUND: Ketamine is an effective rapid-acting treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), producing antidepressant effects within hours of administration. Because it induces states of heightened neuroplasticity and psychological openness, psychotherapy may enhance its therapeutic effects. METHODS: This exploratory, nonrandomized, open-label clinical trial evaluated the adjunctive...
medRxiv Preprint Server
May 31, 2026
Yves Martins Varela, Patrícia Cavalcanti-Ribeiro, Geovan Menezes de Sousa et al.
preprint
Background Ketamine has emerged as an effective rapid-acting treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), producing significant antidepressant effects within hours of administration. Given ketamine’s capacity to induce states of heightened neuroplasticity and psychological openness, psychotherapy may represent a meaningful complement to its pharmacological effects — facilitating...
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
March 28, 2026
Yves Martins Varela, Vagner Deuel O de Tavares, Luiza Macedo Delgado et al.
1 citation
The use of psychedelics in the treatment of psychopathologies has been expanding, highlighting Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) as a promising resource in mental health care. This systematic review investigates. This systematic review investigates whether and how cognitive-behavioral therapies are integrated with psychedelic substances—both classical and atypical—for the treatment of...
September 7, 2025
Mathew Herbert, Brian H. Blanco, Dimitri Perivoliotis et al.
preprint
There is promise for 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assistedpsychotherapy as a highly effective and durable treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD). However, the Food and Drug Administration rejected MDMA-assisted psychotherapy inits current form, expressing concerns about the lack of standardization and empirical basis ofpsychotherapy methods. This highlights the need to...
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
June 4, 2025
Sarah Forsberg, Amanda E. Downey, Lindsey D Bruett et al.
5 citations
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is gaining recognition as a promising intervention for treatment-refractory mental health conditions in adults. While interest in its applications for adolescents is growing, critical gaps remain in understanding safe and effective delivery of PAT to this vulnerable population, including implications for caregiver/family (used interchangeably) involvement in...
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
April 9, 2025
Ellen Bradley, Kimberly Sakai, Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold et al.
23 citations
Mood dysfunction is highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD), a main predictor of functional decline, and difficult to treat-novel interventions are critically needed. Psilocybin shows early promise for treating depression and anxiety, but its potential in PD is unknown, as safety concerns have excluded people with neurodegenerative disease from previous trials. In this open-label pilot...
Psychiatry Research
March 1, 2025
Stephanie L. Haft, Amanda E. Downey, Marissa Raymond-Flesch et al.
22 citations
A lack of diverse and representative participant samples in mental health intervention research perpetuates mental health disparities. This issue has become a salient concern in studies of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAT), which is emerging as a promising mental health intervention. This systematic review evaluates the reporting, representation, and analysis of participant...
Front Psychol
February 5, 2025
Joseph A. Zamaria, Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold, Jonathan Shedler et al.
21 citations
Psychedelics assisting therapy, or therapy assisting psychedelics? The importance of psychotherapy in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Psychopharmacology
August 1, 2024
Jacob S. Aday, David Horton, Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold et al.
39 citations
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has emerged as a potential treatment for a variety of mental health conditions, including substance use disorders and depression. Current models of PAP emphasize the importance of psychotherapeutic support before, during, and after ingestion of a psychedelic to maximize safety and clinical benefit. Despite this ubiquitous assumption, there has been...
The Journal of analytical psychology
September 1, 2023
Helge Michael Osterhold, Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold
2 citations
In recent years a renewed scientific, public and commercial interest in psychedelic medicines can be observed across the globe. As research findings have been generally promising, there is hope for new treatment possibilities for a number of difficult-to-treat mental health concerns. While honouring positive developments and therapeutic promise in relation to the medical use of psychedelics,...
Psychedelic Medicine
February 16, 2023
Zachary Skiles, Noa Eaton, Lisa Fredenburg et al.
49 citations
Background: An emerging controversy in psychedelic therapy regards the appropriateness or necessity of psychedelic therapists having personal experience using psychedelics themselves. Although there are a number of potential advantages and disadvantages to personal use among psychedelic therapists, no studies to date have measured their use or other aspects of their training. Materials and...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
Vagner Deuel O de Tavares, Kaike Thiê da Costa Gonçalves, Maria Luiza de Morais Barros et al.
1 citation
In recent years, there has been a significant focus on exploring the potential therapeutic impact of altered states of consciousness on treatment outcomes for mental illness, with the goal of enhancing therapeutic strategies and patient results. This meta-analysis was designed to investigate the potential link between the psychomimetic effects of ketamine and clinical outcomes in mental health,...