Drug and Alcohol Dependence
May 1, 2026
Juan Carlos C. Montoy, Ralph C. Wang, Allison R. Coker et al.
Psychedelic drug use is increasing due in part to local legislative reforms. Understanding the patterns of first-time psychedelic drug use is imperative for informing consumers, healthcare providers, and policy makers. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is a repeated cross-sectional nationally representative survey of civilians aged 12 and older. Use estimates are presented for...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
April 15, 2026
Hannah Whitmore, Brian T Anderson, Elena Flowers et al.
Abstract Background and Aims Mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and existential distress are common among individuals with terminal illness. Preliminary evidence suggests that death acceptance may protect against these issues, but there is limited research on the role of psychedelic-assisted therapy in fostering death acceptance. This scoping review aims to explore the...
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
March 1, 2026
William B Alexander, Eric D Hansen, Brian T Anderson et al.
1 citation
Meaning is a primary existential concern in those with advanced illnesses and functions as an important coping mechanism. Loss of meaning contributes to existential distress, and, in particular, may manifest as demoralization, a syndrome of poor coping that is associated with negative outcomes. Psychedelics are unique psychoactive compounds that, among other properties, are proposed to enhance...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
January 30, 2026
Veronica Magar, Marlena Robbins, Óscar Martín López Fernández Lobo Blanco et al.
1 citation
Indigenous Peoples have cultivated and protected natural psychoactive medicines through ceremony, kinship, and spiritual responsibility across generations, yet their long-standing contributions have often been marginalized through extractive research, commercialization, and policy exclusion. It is Indigenous communities that have stewarded and gained expertise working with psychoactive...
Palliative Medicine Reports
2026
Hannah Whitmore, Maria Mangini, Heather Leutwyler et al.
Background: Emotional distress is often comorbid with serious illness, especially in individuals facing social stigmas, such as patients with HIV. Death acceptance may serve as a protective factor against such distress. Standard psychopharmacologic interventions have shown insufficient results in alleviating distress associated with serious illness. Preliminary research shows...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
November 22, 2025
Maha N. Mian, Allison R. Coker, Grace Kretzer et al.
Alongside the important contributions of the harm reduction movement to improving public health in secular settings, communities that use psychedelics as religious sacraments (i.e., entheogens) have developed their own frameworks for supporting safety within their spiritual practices and hold their own conceptualizations of risk and harm. In order to understand better the lived realities of...
J Psychoactive Drugs
November 10, 2025
Nicky J. Mehtani, Maha N. Mian, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes et al.
1 citation
Psychedelic Augmentation of 12-Step Engagement: A Novel, Accessible Approach to Enhance Community-Based Recovery from Substance Use Disorders.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
June 10, 2025
Torsten Passie, Anja Loizaga-Velder, Alicia Danforth et al.
4 citations
The authors offer a model for curriculum for education and training in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAP), that is, psychedelic, psycholytic, and entactogen/MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted psychotherapy, addressing both the detailed contents of training and the question of experiential training. All authors of this model have an abiding interest and extensive experience in...
Nature Mental Health
May 1, 2025
Daniel H. Grossman, Kevin R. Madden, Nicky J. Mehtani et al.
10 citations
Socioeconomic status (SES) substantially influences mental health outcomes and treatment access, yet its reporting in psychedelic-assisted therapy trials remains underexplored. Here we systematically reviewed 98 articles (49 primary trials and 49 secondary analyses) published between 2006 and 2024 examining classic psychedelics and MDMA for mental health conditions. Only 12% of primary trials...
Psychiatr Res Clin Pract
February 11, 2025
Jules Evans, Marc Aixalà, Brian T Anderson et al.
18 citations
Objective: This article outlines recommendations from 30 psychedelic researchers on how to create a better psychedelic safety net. Methods: A survey of 30 psychedelic researchers asked them to identify key critical research gaps around psychedelic harm and safety. Results: The critical research gaps identified by the authors included defining the main types of psychedelic harm, the predictors...
Am J Psychiatry
2024
Kelley C. O’donnell, Brian T Anderson, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
31 citations
Misinterpretations and Omissions: A Critical Response to Goodwin and Colleagues' Commentary on Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2024
Kelan Thomas, Robert L. Jesse, Nicky J. Mehtani et al.
4 citations
In recent years, policymakers have proposed and implemented regulatory changes promoting the deprioritization, decriminalization, or state-level legalization of one or more psychedelic substances, usually referencing data from clinical trials as reasons to support liberalizing drug control policies. As psychedelic policies continue to be drafted, personal possession limits may be considered for...
Neuropsychopharmacology
July 21, 2023
Jennifer Mitchell, Brian T Anderson
47 citations
The clinical investigation of psychedelic medicines has blossomed over the last 5 years. Data from a Phase 3 industry trial and a multicenter Phase 2 industry trial, in addition to multiple early phase investigator-initiated and industry trials, have now been published in peer-reviewed journals. This narrative review summarizes both the recent data and the current clinical trials that are being...
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
2023
C Bree Johnston, Maria Mangini, Charles S. Grob et al.
33 citations
Psychedelics and related compounds have shown efficacy for the treatment of a variety of conditions that are prevalent among older adults, including mood disorders, the psychological distress associated with a serious medical illness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and prolonged grief disorder. Psychedelics also have properties that could help provide therapeutic benefits for patients...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2023
Julian Urrutia, Brian T Anderson, Sean J Belouin et al.
21 citations
As individuals and communities around the world confront mounting physical, psychological, and social threats, three complimentary mind-body-spirit pathways toward health, wellbeing, and human flourishing remain underappreciated within conventional practice among the biomedical, public health, and policy communities. This paper reviews literature on psychedelic science, contemplative practices,...
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,...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
2022
David B. Yaden, Sandeep M. Nayak, Natalie Gukasyan et al.
31 citations
End of life and palliative care has improved in recent decades but the psychopharmacological options available to clinicians and patients in these contexts remain limited. In particular, psychological factors such as depression, existential distress, and well-being remain challenging to address with current medications. Here, we review recent research on the use of psychedelics in clinical...
Lancet Psychiatry
October 1, 2020
Brian T Anderson, Alicia Danforth, Charles S. Grob
99 citations
Psychedelic medicine: safety and ethical concerns.
April 8, 2016
Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Rafael Guimarães Dos Santos, Brian T Anderson et al.
2 citations
This chapter presents a series of reflections on the therapeutic potential of the ritual use of ayahuasca in the treatment and handling of substance dependence problems. It reviews anthropological and psychiatric data on the ritual use of ayahuasca for 'healing' dependence in psychotherapeutic centers as well as in ayahuasca religions. The chapter discusses methodological, ethical and political...
Int J Drug Policy
March 27, 2012
Brian T Anderson, Beatriz C. Labate, Matthew Meyer et al.
26 citations
Statement on ayahuasca.