Behavioral Psychedelics: Integrating Mind and Behavior to Improve Health and Resilience
Edmund C. Neuhaus, George M. Slavich
Frontiers in Psychiatry March 14, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.821208 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Mental health Psychotherapist Public health Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key points | Argues that the field of psychedelic therapy lacks standard practices and proposes a framework called 'behavioral psychedelics' to study how psychedelics can induce lasting behavioral changes to improve health. |
Abstract
One of the most recent and potentially promising advancements in the health sciences has involved the attempted use of psychedelics for treating mental and behavioral health problems, such as anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and addiction. Despite surging scientific and public interest in this work, however, we presently have no standard of care or consensus regarding how best to combine psychotherapy and psychedelics or to assess effectiveness. We discuss these timely issues here through the lens of behavioral psychedelics , which we define as the study of psychedelics to foster intentional changes in habits and behaviors to improve health and resilience. Psychedelics may have the potential to reduce chronic disease risk caused by mental and behavioral rigidity. To fully realize this potential, though, we believe the field must establish best practices and guidelines that include how to induce lasting changes in behavior.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics as Medicines: An Emerging New Paradigm General population | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Learning to Let Go: A Cognitive-Behavioral Model of How Psychedelic Therapy Promotes Acceptance | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Taking Psychedelics Seriously | 2018 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How could MDMA (ecstasy) help anxiety disorders? A neurobiological rationale | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Embedding existential psychology within psychedelic science: reduced death anxiety as a mediator of the therapeutic effects of psychedelics | 2019 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Self-transcendent experiences as promoters of ecological wellbeing? Exploration of the evidence and hypotheses to be tested Frontiers in Psychology November 14, 2022
- The Birth of the Psychedelic Industry: Capitalising on the Psychedelic Renaissance Future Humanities December 26, 2024
- Health-related behavioral changes following the use of psychedelics in naturalistic settings. Preventive Medicine Reports August 1, 2025
- The combination of exercise and psychedelics for the treatment of major depressive disorder Discover Mental Health March 7, 2026
- Exploring self-reported health behavior change following naturalistic psychedelic use Journal of Health Psychology December 31, 2025
and 4 more in the library
Cites 5
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine June 1, 2021
- Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2019
- The Current Status of Psychedelics in Psychiatry. JAMA Psychiatry February 1, 2021
- The cost-effectiveness of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD PLoS One October 14, 2020