JAMA
August 31, 2023
Charles L. Raison, Gerard Sanacora, Joshua Woolley et al.
493 citations
A single 25-mg dose of synthetic psilocybin, administered with psychological support, produced a clinically significant and sustained reduction in depressive symptoms and functional disability over 43 days in adults with major depressive disorder. In a phase 2 trial of 104 participants, those receiving psilocybin showed a mean 12.3-point greater improvement on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale at day 43 compared with those receiving a niacin placebo. Psilocybin also improved daily functioning and led to more sustained response, though not remission. No serious adverse events occurred, but psilocybin was associated with more overall and severe adverse events.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
September 18, 2023
Karina Sergi, Micah Linton, Rhianna Rich et al.
21 citations
A nature-themed video intervention called Visual Healing, designed to optimize the environment during psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder, was tested in a pilot trial. Nineteen of 20 participants completed the study, and the video intervention was feasible, safe, and well-tolerated, with no video-related adverse events. During the first psilocybin session, participants viewed an average of 37.9 minutes of the 42-minute video. Peak increases in blood pressure after psilocybin were significantly smaller for those assigned to Visual Healing compared to standard procedures. Alcohol use decreased in both groups, and psychedelic effects, stress, and anxiety were similar. The intervention may reduce cardiovascular risks without interfering with treatment outcomes.
Neurosurgery
December 8, 2022
Akanksha Sharma, Shanthi Gowrinathan, Karina Sergi et al.
13 citations
After a long pause, psychedelics are again being studied for treating depression, anxiety, addiction, PTSD, anorexia, and chronic pain. Classic serotonergic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD, along with nonclassic ones like MDMA and ketamine, are recognized as neuroplastogens that can alter mood and behavior beyond the drug's presence. Imaging studies are advancing understanding of neural networks. This review examines recent clinical trials, the set and setting model, risks, and mechanisms of action, and suggests psychedelics could benefit patients with brain tumors, pain, ruminative disorders, stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, and movement disorders, potentially through subpsychedelic doses that do not require mind-altering effects.
Psychedelic Medicine
January 12, 2026
Kelsey T. Laird, Prabha Siddarth, Ashley Ramos et al.
In psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder, the intensity of mystical experiences is linked to several psychological and environmental factors. Spirituality and spiritual intentions were strongly associated with mystical experience intensity, especially during the first dosing session. Positive mindset and positive perceptions of the treatment setting were more strongly linked to mystical experiences during the second session. Mystical experience intensity increased from the first to the second session, while the precursor factors did not change significantly across sessions. The findings suggest that both internal factors (spirituality, intentions, mindset) and external factors (the treatment environment) may predict how intense a mystical experience a person has during psychedelic therapy.
Psychedelic Medicine
December 26, 2025
Rhianna Rich, Kelsey T. Laird, Prabha Siddarth et al.
In adults with alcohol use disorder, watching a nature-themed video during psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy increased nature relatedness (a subjective sense of connection to nature) more than a standard body-scan condition. Nature relatedness rose significantly in the nature-video group (median increase of 0.33 on the NR-6 scale) but not in the standard-setting group. Social connectedness did not change significantly in either group. The findings suggest that a brief nature-themed video may enhance one form of connectedness in psychedelic-assisted therapy, though the study was small and further research is needed.