Research Square
May 19, 2026
Sunjuri Sun, Claudia Hanson, Peter S. Hendricks et al.
As the cultural, scientific, and legal landscape surrounding psychedelics continues to shift toward greater access and acceptability, it is likely that increasing numbers of women of reproductive age may be exposed to these substances. Despite this, the evidence on antenatal exposure has not been systematically reviewed. To synthesize the human literature on child and maternal outcomes...
Research Square
February 23, 2026
Sandy R Shultz, Josh Allen, Grace O'Regan et al.
Abstract Repeated mild traumatic brain injury (RmTBI) can produce lasting cognitive, emotional, and social deficits (e.g., persistent post-concussion symptoms; PPCS). Despite the prevalence of RmTBI in sports, military, and domestic violence settings, effective treatments to alleviate the neurological consequences of RmTBI remain limited. Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, can enhance...
Brain and Behavior
February 1, 2026
Rachel Ham, John Gardner, Adrian Carter et al.
1 citation
Although commonly used in psychedelic-assisted therapy, the role of therapeutic touch remains loosely defined and ethically sensitive. Gaining insight into how participants experience and interpret touch during psychedelic sessions is essential for informing safe and effective clinical practice. Participants were sampled from a large randomized clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy that...
medRxiv
November 17, 2025
Georgia Ioakimidis-Macdougall, John Gardner, Paul Liknaitzky
preprint
Abstract First-hand experience with psychedelics may help clinicians develop skills and knowledge needed to work with the profound changes to conscious awareness occasioned by psychedelics. However, the topic remains contentious and underexplored. In this world-first study, we investigated the utility of psilocybin experiential therapist training in a sample of 14 mental healthcare...
September 26, 2025
Rachel Ham, John Gardner, Adrian Carter et al.
preprint
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) frequently utilises a “cotherapy” model, in which two therapists jointly support participants or patients through preparation, dosing, and integration sessions. While common in clinical trials, the experience of cotherapy from the participant perspective remains underexplored. This qualitative study examined experiences of cotherapy within a trial of...
Addiction
September 20, 2025
Elizabeth Knock, Krista J. Siefried, Gillinder Bedi et al.
4 citations
Abstract Background & Aims There are few effective treatments for methamphetamine use disorder, despite increasing global demand. Here, we assessed the safety and feasibility of outpatient psilocybin‐assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder. Design Single arm, open label pilot study. Setting Outpatient public stimulant treatment program at St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney,...
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
September 1, 2025
Sally Meikle, Olivia Carter, Paul Liknaitzky et al.
2 citations
Background: Depressive disorders are a major global health challenge, with many individuals unresponsive to existing treatments. Novel psychedelic therapies show promise but require further research. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of psilocybin with psychotherapeutic support for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), investigate predictors of...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 1, 2025
Susan Meikle, Olivia Carter, Paul Liknaitzky et al.
Abstract Background Depressive disorders are a major global health challenge, with many individuals unresponsive to existing treatments or left with residual symptoms such as impairments in cognition and social functioning. Emerging psychedelic therapies show promise for treating depression but require further research. Aims & Objectives This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility,...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 1, 2025
Andrew S. Gibbons, Paul Liknaitzky, Suresh Sundram
Abstract Background Early intervention and management of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is essential to effectively reduce both symptom severity and the risk of developing other psychiatric disorders. However, current first-line treatments are only about 50% effective, with high rates of relapse and many adverse effects. Psychedelic medicines, such as psilocybin, have emerged as promising...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
July 1, 2025
Dilara Bahceci, Krista J. Siefried, Maureen Steele et al.
Methamphetamine use disorder, associated with significant morbidity and mortality, has limited effective treatments. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy shows promise, but data on its safety and efficacy in this population are limited. This exploratory study describes the demographic, substance use, and mental health characteristics of people who used methamphetamine and psychedelics and the...
Drug Science Policy and Law
June 16, 2025
Max Wolff, Natalie Gukasyan, Leor Roseman et al.
5 citations
Current regulation frameworks for medicines struggle to address the combination of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic elements in psychedelic therapy. We propose a more appropriate and advantageous approach may be to regulate psychedelic drugs as therapeutic tools or adjuncts to psychotherapy, rather than as treatments for specific mental disorders. Drawing parallels with anesthetics, which...
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
June 1, 2025
Joshua Kugel, Ruben Laukkonen, David B. Yaden et al.
15 citations
Insight - a sudden change in understanding or perspective that feels true or reliable - is a common occurrence during psychedelic experiences, and often considered by clinicians and patients to be central to their therapeutic value. However, their occurrence and role has not been systematically assessed. We reviewed all peer-reviewed studies that published data on insight catalysed by a classic...
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
2025
Diana McHerron, Michaela Barber, Rachel Ham et al.
Physical touch is often included as a supportive or therapeutic tool in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), involving instrumental forms of physical contact, supportive touch and somatic techniques. However, participants under the influence of psychedelics have reduced capacity to provide consent, are more suggestible and may experience and interpret therapeutic touch in ways they did not...
Drug and Alcohol Review
November 5, 2024
Jordan J. Negrine, Cheneal Puljević, Jason Ferris et al.
8 citations
Abstract Introduction This study explores the attitudes of psychologists towards psychedelics and psychedelic‐assisted therapy (PAT) following the world‐first regulatory changes in 2023 in Australia which permitted psilocybin and 3,4‐methylenedioxy‐methamphetamine (MDMA) to be used in clinical services. Methods A purposive sample of 20 Australian psychologists was recruited using snowball...
Psychol Psychother
September 16, 2024
Michaela Barber, John Gardner, Paul Liknaitzky et al.
3 citations
BACKGROUND: Policy changes in Australia mean that psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is now available to consumers outside of clinical trials. Yet, the regulatory frameworks guiding the practice of PAT are underdeveloped, and the evidence base for guiding clinical practice is diverse and emerging, resulting in anticipated challenges in translation to community practice. Mental health clinicians...
Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)
July 1, 2024
Claire J. Foldi, Paul Liknaitzky, Martin L Williams et al.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disease, yet available pharmacological treatments are largely ineffective due, in part, to an inadequate understanding of the neurobiological drivers that underpin the condition. The recent resurgence of research into the clinical applications of psychedelic medicine for a range of mental disorders has highlighted the...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
June 14, 2024
Vince Polito, Paul Liknaitzky
16 citations
Some recent research and commentary have suggested that most or all the effects reported by people who microdose psychedelics may be explained by expectations or placebo effects. In this rapid review, we aimed to evaluate the strength of evidence for a placebo explanation of the reported effects of microdosing. We conducted a PubMed search for all studies investigating psychedelic microdosing...
Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.)
April 1, 2024
Rachael Wilkes, Darren M Roberts, Paul Liknaitzky et al.
8 citations
The global use of certain classical psychedelics has increased in recent years, but little is known about their spectrum of toxicity within Australia. We aim to describe calls to New South Wales Poisons Information Centre relating to exposures to classical psychedelics including lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, ayahuasca, mescaline and ibogaine. This is a...
Psychoactives
March 25, 2024
Agnieszka D. Sekula, Prashanth Puspanathan, Luke A. Downey et al.
1 citation
A set of interventions that can produce altered states of consciousness (ASC) have shown utility in the treatment of substance misuse. In this review, we examine addiction-related outcomes associated with three common interventions that produce ASCs: psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PP), Transcendental Meditation (TM) and hypnotherapy (HT). While procedurally distinct, all three...
Front Psychiatry
September 28, 2023
Lauren Johansen, Paul Liknaitzky, Maja Nedeljkovic et al.
5 citations
How psychedelic-assisted therapy works for depression: expert views and practical implications from an exploratory Delphi study.
June 4, 2023
Vince Polito, Paul Liknaitzky
2 citations
preprint
Some recent research and commentary have suggested that most or all the effects reported by people who microdose psychedelics may be explained by expectations or placebo effects. Here we step through all the available evidence from dose-controlled studies that have investigated the effects of low doses of LSD and psilocybin. We suggest eight reasons why current claims that microdosing is...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
March 14, 2023
Jonathan Brett, Elizabeth Knock, Paul Liknaitzky et al.
16 citations
Methamphetamine use disorder is a chronic relapsing condition associated with substantial mental, physical, and social harms and increasing rates of mortality. Contingency management and psychotherapy interventions are the mainstays of treatment but are modestly effective with high relapse rates, while pharmacological treatments have shown little to no efficacy. Psilocybin-assisted...
October 18, 2022
Paul Liknaitzky
Psychedelic therapies have the potential to treat mental illness but there’s still a long way to go. After decades in the wilderness, psychedelic therapies are making a comeback into clinical research and are poised to re-enter medical care. When used alongside psychotherapy, drugs like psilocybin (found in ‘magic mushrooms’) and MDMA (found in ‘ecstasy’) have […]
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
May 21, 2022
Vince Polito, Paul Liknaitzky
110 citations
The use of low doses of psychedelic substances (microdosing) is attracting increasing interest. This systematic review summarises all empirical microdosing research to date, including a set of infrequently cited studies that took place prior to prohibition. Specifically, we reviewed 44 studies published between 1955 and 2021, and summarised reported effects across six categories: mood and...
Syst Rev
May 5, 2022
Lauren Johansen, Paul Liknaitzky, Maja Nedeljkovic et al.
9 citations
BACKGROUND: There is currently renewed interest in the use of psychedelic therapy in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including depression. The proposed systematic review will aim to identify, evaluate and summarise the psychological processes of change underlying psychedelic therapy for depression in the current literature and consider the implications these processes may have on the...