Communications medicine
July 30, 2026
Stacey B Armstrong, Adam W Levin, Nathan D Sepeda et al.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise for treating PTSD in adults but hasn't been studied in U.S. military Veterans, who face higher symptom severity and suicide risk. This open-label pilot trial evaluated the safety and feasibility of PAT in Veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD. The clinical trial was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05554094). The eligibility...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
May 28, 2026
Rafaelle Lancelotta, Paul Nagib, Stacey B. Armstrong et al.
Abstract Background and Purpose Music plays a central role in psychedelic-assisted therapy, yet few methodologies exist to create and assess therapeutic playlists. This study aimed to illustrate a methodology for developing and evaluating a music playlist for a clinical psilocybin trial using an integrative framework grounded in theory, intentionality, and metrics. Methods A playlist was...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
September 4, 2025
Alan K. Davis, Meghan DellaCrosse, Nathan D. Sepeda et al.
4 citations
Abstract Background Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability and economic loss, with high recurrence and treatment resistance. Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise in reducing depressive symptoms, but long-term effects are unknown. We aimed to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of PAT for MDD over a five-year follow-up period. Methods Individuals who...
Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology
June 11, 2025
Victor Pablo Acero, Taylor A Flatt, Peter M. Gooch et al.
Psychedelic compounds are emerging treatments for depression, capable of producing rapid and lasting symptom reduction after 1-2 administrations in the context of psychotherapy - a stark contrast to traditional antidepressants. Despite promising outcomes, the mechanisms underlying psychedelics' reported antidepressant effects remain poorly understood and are often framed in fragmented ways....
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
May 1, 2025
Adam W. Levin
4 citations
Current models of psychedelic action in the brain propose changes along the dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior axes but neglect to address the lateral axis. This article proposes a novel model of psychedelic action called HEALS (Hemispheric Annealing and Lateralization Under Psychedelics) which involves the reversal of the typical hierarchical relationship between the two hemispheres of the...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
September 17, 2024
Adam W. Levin, Aryan Sarparast, Paul Nagib et al.
This study sought to identify patterns of psychedelic use among American psychiatrists, to compare the demographic variables across categories of social proximity and personal use, and to determine how these categories influenced psychiatrists' attitudes towards drugs and people who use drugs.Respondents (N = 180; mean age = 48.4 [SD = 16.2]; male = 65.5%; trainees = 24.1%) were recruited via...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 12, 2024
Katinka Hooyer, Rachel Yehuda, Alan K. Davis et al.
4 citations
We sought to identify patterns of psychedelic use among United States military veterans, compare demographic variables and perspectives of those who did and did not report use, and characterize benefits and adverse outcomes associated with use. Respondents (N = 426) were recruited to complete an online cross-sectional survey. Approximately one-half (51%) reported using psychedelics. Most did so...
PLoS One
March 14, 2024
Adam W. Levin, Rafaelle Lancelotta, Nathan D. Sepeda et al.
65 citations
We examined if the therapeutic alliance between study participants and intervention facilitators in a psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) trial changed over time and whether there were relationships between alliance, acute psilocybin experiences, and depression outcomes. In a randomized, waiting list-controlled clinical trial for major depressive disorder in adults ( N = 24), participants were...
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
September 1, 2023
Zachary Herrmann, Adam W. Levin, Steven P Cole et al.
9 citations
Mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicide, and burnout are common among health care providers. Resilience and well-being are factors thought to protect against these incidents. Clinical trials and naturalistic studies of psychedelic compounds have shown decreases in depression, anxiety, and suicidality while suggesting improvements in well-being. This secondary analysis of a...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
August 21, 2023
Stacey B. Armstrong, Adam W. Levin, Yitong Xin et al.
12 citations
Abstract Background and aims Because psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is likely to be provided by interdisciplinary professional teams comprised of social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, understanding the acceptability of this treatment approach among these professional disciplines is essential as the treatment advances through approval processes at the Food and Drug...
BMJ Open
May 1, 2023
Alan K. Davis, Adam W. Levin, Paul Nagib et al.
19 citations
Introduction Psilocybin-assisted therapy has shown significant promise in treating the cluster of mood and anxiety symptoms that comprise post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but has yet to be tested specifically in this condition. Furthermore, current pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments for PTSD are difficult to tolerate and limited in efficacy, especially in the US Military...
Behavioural Neurology
November 12, 2014
Adam W. Levin, Emily J. Hadgkiss, T. Weiland et al.
Objectives. To explore the association between meditation and health related quality of life (HRQOL), depression, fatigue, disability level, relapse rates, and disease activity in a large international sample of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods. Participants were invited to take part in an online survey and answer questions relating to HRQOL, depression, fatigue, disability, relapse...