Significance StatementYoung people who identify as gender or sexually diverse often face high levels of mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety, depression, and self-criticism.This study shows that Mindful Self-Compassion, an online-delivered supportive group training program, can help reduce these difficulties while increasing self-kindness and emotional resilience.Participants...
Een nieuwe gerandomiseerde studie toonde aan dat seriële intraveneuze ketamine niet significant effectiever was dan het actieve placebo midazolam bij het verminderen van depressieve symptomen of het verbeteren van de kwaliteit van leven. Hoewel de studie mogelijk onvoldoende power had door een kleine steekproefomvang (n=63), bleef de verbetering in MADRS-scores ruim onder het minimaal klinisch...
In the general population, psychosis-like experiences have been extensively studied under the psychometric rubric of schizotypy (psychosis-proneness). As such, Phase 1 of this thesis aimed to assess the distribution of schizotypal traits and associated personality correlates displayed within a quota sample of the general population stratified by Gender and Ageband, the emphasis being upon...
This chapter examines how psychoactive substances shape hallucinations by acting on perception, prediction and meaning-making rather than “creating” experiences from nothing. It contrasts the hallucinatory styles of classic psychedelics, stimulants and dissociative drugs, linking their neurochemical effects to characteristic changes in vision, sound, body experience and selfhood. The discussion...
The serotonergic hallucinogen psilocybin has shown potential as a treatment for psychiatric conditions like alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression in clinical studies. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, are hypothesized to contribute to its lasting therapeutic benefits. In this exploratory study, we present the first methylome-wide analysis of psilocybin-induced changes in a...
Background: Cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy frequently encounter high levels of distress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, which reduced quality of life (QoL). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (MB-CBT) integrates mindfulness principles along with cognitive restructuring and has become a potential intervention. Objective: To systematically review evidence on effectiveness of...
This chapter is an excerpt from a larger book project on the phenomenon traditionally described as the “Dark Night of the Soul” in the writings of John of the Cross. It combines historical, phenomenological, psychological, and contemplative perspectives in order to reinterpret this classical mystical concept for a contemporary audience. While remaining grounded in the Catholic and monastic...
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is an evidence-based group intervention, typically delivered in an eight-week standard protocol, which has limited accessibility, especially for Chinese adolescents. This study evaluated an intensive, one-week mindfulness-based skills training program designed to improve engagement among adolescents. Participants (N = 14, aged 12-22, Mage= 16.33, SDage= 2.53)...
Functional recovery in cannabis-induced first-episode psychosis (FEP) remains incompletely understood. Dissociative symptoms, frequently associated with cannabis use, may represent a key but underexplored determinant of functional trajectories. This prospective cohort study followed 72 patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for cannabis-induced psychotic disorder over 24 months. Functional recovery...
With the resurgence of psychedelic research and growing evidence of their therapeutic potential, there is an urgent need to understand how these compounds act across biological sexes. Despite widespread interest in their use for conditions marked by social impairments, including depression, anxiety, and anorexia nervosa, the influence of sex as a biological variable on the prosocial effects of...