The Symmetrical Global Mental Health (Sym-GMH) paradigm proposes a reciprocal integration between traditional and Western medical systems. This prospective, longitudinal study evaluates the psychological outcomes of 264 Western participants who engaged in Shipibo-led ayahuasca retreats at the Temple of the Way of Light in the Peruvian Amazon. Over a 12-month period, participants completed...
Despite the existence of current treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD), depression symptoms and burdens often persist, prompting the need for novel therapies, including psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), with promising potential for early and durable antidepressant responses. Objectives: This research aims to compare pharmacist opinions regarding logistical and ethical considerations...
Psychiatric symptoms and existential distress are common at the end of life and associated with poor outcomes. Psychedelic therapies are an emerging option for managing such patients, but their testing and application depends, inter alia , on prescribers’ perspectives. However, no published data exist on the opinions of Australasian palliative care medical staff regarding psychedelic safety and...
PsychedelicsApril 2, 2026Dalia N. Balsamo, Prachi Garodia, Nima Fayazmanesh et al.
The integration of music into psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has emerged as a key aspect of therapeutic psychedelic experiences, providing a significant enhancement in emotional processing and insight generation. This review examines the interplay between music and psychedelics, and explores how this integration can enhance therapeutic outcomes in various conditions with a broader emphasis...
The global psychedelic field has been narrated through the metaphor of a “Psychedelic Renaissance.” While effective in mobilizing public interest, this framing reproduces Eurocentric histories, Darwinian narratives of sociocultural progress, and biomedical logics that marginalize Indigenous sciences and relational ecologies. Enduring coloniality and conflicts concerning biomedicalization,...
Psychedelics have long histories of use in Indigenous communities for healing, spiritual, and ceremonial purposes. In contrast, Western psychedelic science has emerged through frameworks shaped by colonization, racism, and medicalization. These systems often marginalize and exclude the very communities most impacted by trauma, including transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) individuals,...
PsychedelicsMarch 1, 2026A.m Ortiz Bernal, C L Raison, A.m Vargas Prieto et al.
5-methoxy- N,N -dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a potent, short-acting psychedelic compound found in several South American plant species and in the glandular secretions of Incilius alvarius, a toad native to the Sonoran Desert. While plant-based snuff preparations containing 5-MeO-DMT have documented use in Indigenous Caribbean and South American contexts, recent claims that toad-derived...
Psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, have shown therapeutic potential across several psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia nervosa (AN). These disorders often share social deficits that may be effectively alleviated by psychedelics considering their use has been linked with emotional empathy and enhanced social cognition. However,...
As psychedelic use grows in popularity, it is important to understand usage patterns and clinical outcomes associated with their consumption. This study explored patterns of psychedelic use among college-aged individuals, focusing on dosing behaviors, usage intentions, and the impact of childhood trauma. Using a self-administered online survey, participants reported on their demographics,...
The original MAPS manual for MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) opened a therapeutic frontier for PTSD. However, it drew critique for concepts—such as “inner healing intelligence” – that originated in transpersonal traditions rather than academic or empirically grounded clinical models. While many patients found the therapies helpful, these constructs were difficult to interpret and standardize....
Attachment theory suggests that early-life interactions with caregivers define lifelong outcomes, including mental and physical health, problematic substance use, and well-being. However, little is known on how the resulting attachment orientations interact with outcomes of a novel treatment approach, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies, or non-clinical psychedelic use. This critical...
Serotonergic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD have shown potential therapeutic benefits for mental health conditions, including depression, PTSD, and addiction. However, research remains limited due to regulatory barriers and a lack of diversity in study populations. Spanish-speaking individuals, despite their significant global and U.S. presence, are underrepresented in psychedelic...
Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic with growing evidence for efficacy in mood disorders, and its therapeutic potential in obsessive—compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions is increasingly recognised but remains understudied. We systematically evaluated clinical and preclinical evidence on psilocybin's effects on obsessive and compulsive behaviours with attention to translational...
Psychedelics including psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine, and lysergic acid diethylamide are known to disrupt the normal flow of time perception, for example, producing time dilation, compression, and loss of time. These temporal anomalies provide interesting clues about how the brain processes time, what consciousness is, and what produces the sense of self. This opinion article discusses the...
Psychiatric illness, particularly stress-related disorders including depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, presents a considerable health burden worldwide with high prevalence, disabling symptoms, and scant efficacy of available treatments. Chronic stress is a major contributor to the origin and development of these conditions, to the detriment of both individual and, by...
MDMA, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“ecstasy,” “molly”), is a distinctive entactogen that reverses the serotonin (5-HT) transporter to increase synaptic 5-HT, while also engaging catecholaminergic and oxytocinergic pathways. In clinical trials, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has yielded substantial improvements in treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although regulatory...
Professor Gregor Hasler stands at the forefront of revolutionary psychedelic research and neuroplasticity studies, transforming our understanding of mental health treatment through groundbreaking scientific discoveries. As Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he directs the Molecular Psychiatry Lab, Hasler has pioneered research on how psychedelics like LSD,...
Professor Harriet de Wit, a pioneering researcher in psychoactive drugs at the University of Chicago, shares her remarkable 45-year scientific journey in this illuminating Genomic Press Interview. As Director of the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory and recipient of prestigious honors including the 2019 European Behavioral Pharmacology Society Distinguished Investigator Award, Dr. de Wit...
This commentary examines a recent Lykos Therapeutics-funded cost-effectiveness analysis of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD following FDA's 2024 decision to decline approval. While methodologically rigorous in its use of empirical trial data, the study has two critical limitations that undermine its relevance to healthcare decision-makers: an inappropriate comparison to placebo-based therapy...
Professor Stephen Ross is a prominent faculty member in the Departments of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine who has transformed the landscape of psychedelic research since 2006. In this Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Ross reveals how as co-director of the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine and director of its...
Dr. Erin E. Mauney serves as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Gastroenterology) at Tufts University while maintaining a research appointment at Massachusetts General Hospital. With dual board certification, including obesity medicine, she integrates clinical expertise with innovative research at the intersection of gut-brain disorders and psychedelic medicine. Dr. Mauney's groundbreaking work...
In a thought-provoking Genomic Press interview, Dr. Michael Wheeler emerges as a brilliant scientific innovator at the intersection of neuroscience and immunology. As an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and an investigator at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Wheeler's groundbreaking research explores how brain-immune communication shapes our behaviors and emotions. His innovative...
Spiritual health practitioners (SHPs), also known as healthcare chaplains, are increasingly involved in facilitating psychedelic-assisted therapies in clinical trials and community settings. Although the motivations of therapeutic practitioners are known to impact clinical decision-making and treatment outcomes, little research has investigated what drives SHPs to pursue this work. This...
Psychedelic compounds have demonstrated remarkable therapeutic potential for treating neuropsychiatric disorders by promoting sustained neuroplasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Cognitive flexibility-the ability to adapt previously learned rules to novel situations-represents a critical PFC function that is frequently impaired in depression, PTSD, and neurodegenerative conditions. In this...
At the intersection of medicine, psychedelics, and social impact stands Fayzan Rab, an MD Candidate at Emory University School of Medicine who brings a fascinating blend of experiences to his current role as a clinical researcher at the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality. His research explores crucial questions surrounding the emerging psychedelic therapy landscape, from...