The Compass Psychological Support Model (CPSM) used in psilocybin trials is arguably a form of bona fide psychotherapy, not merely psychological support. Its components—psychoeducation, trust, present-moment focus, and client autonomy—align with humanistic-experiential therapies like client-centered and emotion-focused therapy. These methods, such as building therapeutic alliance and reducing experiential avoidance, have established links to improved outcomes in both general psychotherapy and psilocybin treatments. Framing the CPSM as non-therapeutic undermines methodological transparency and may obscure its contribution to efficacy. Recognizing it as psychotherapy could enable optimization of therapist skills and client factors, enhancing treatment outcomes.
A protocol for the first study testing whether movement tasks can be performed safely while under the influence of psilocybin. Twelve healthy participants will each receive three different doses (5 to 20 mg) in a randomized, blinded order at least one week apart. Motor function, safety, brain activity via fMRI, and subjective experience will be measured during the acute drug effects. The study aims to inform future research combining psychedelics with motor retraining for conditions involving motor dysfunction.
Intramuscular (IM) ketamine is as effective as intranasal (IN) esketamine for treatment-resistant depression, with comparable safety and a dramatically lower cost. In a retrospective cohort of 179 Veterans, the difference in depression symptom improvement was only 0.04 points on the PHQ-9, well within the non-inferiority margin. PTSD symptom reductions were also similar, and rates of emergency department visits or hospitalizations did not differ significantly. The cost per eight-treatment course was $6069 for IN esketamine versus $647 for IM ketamine, driven primarily by the cost of the nasal spray. These results indicate that IM ketamine could be a high-value alternative that expands access to care.
Both mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and present-centered group therapy (PCGT) led to significant improvement in PTSD symptoms among U.S. military veterans, as measured by the clinician-administered CAPS-IV scale, with no statistically significant difference between the two treatments. However, the MBSR group showed a statistically significant improvement in self-reported PTSD symptoms on the PTSD Checklist over the nine-week treatment period, though this difference was not maintained at the 16-week follow-up. The study involved 214 veterans randomly assigned to eight weeks of either 90-minute group MBSR or PCGT. Strengths include a large sample and multisite design; limitations include high attrition and low representation of women.