A six-week online mindfulness-based intervention significantly improved well-being among healthcare workers in Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not significantly reduce their stress. Eighty healthcare workers were randomly assigned to either the intervention or a waitlist-control group. The intervention consisted of weekly one-hour online sessions plus daily home practice. Well-being, measured by the WHO-5 Well-being Index, improved more in the intervention group than in the control group, with medium-to-large effect sizes. However, stress, measured by the Perceived Stress Scale, did not differ significantly between groups. Low adherence, with a median of only three sessions attended, may explain the lack of effect on stress.
People who have used psychedelics naturally report higher admiration and lower rivalry compared to non-users who do not plan to use psychedelics. Among users, ego dissolution experiences are associated with lower rivalry, while mystical experiences are linked to higher admiration. Effect sizes are small, so the practical relevance of these findings is limited.
A patient with chronic PTSD from domestic violence no longer met diagnostic criteria for PTSD or major depression after MDMA-assisted therapy in an Australian outpatient clinic. Her Impact of Events Scale-Revised score dropped from 61 at intake to 0 after the second dosing session and remained 0 at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Depression and anxiety scores also fell to normal ranges after the second session and were maintained. She reported greater self-compassion, less distress from trauma memories, and improved daily functioning, including feeling comfortable leaving her children with family for the first time. No adverse events occurred; only loss of appetite in the first 24 hours after dosing was reported. The case illustrates safe and effective translation of psychedelic-assisted therapy into clinical practice.