In this time of the so-called psychedelic renaissance, it is “mind-revealing” to rediscover the body of work on LSD therapy by Stanislav Grof. As researcher of the transformative potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness, his observations from over fifty years of LSD research offer a holistic and deeply philosophical approach towards the realms of the human unconscious. Reading his...
Psychedelic substances, such as psilocybin and LSD, have long been touted as holding promise for treating some mental health conditions. An increasing number of U.S. state and local governments are implementing or considering alternative policies to prohibiting some of these substances for nonclinical purposes (i.e., adults can use them for any reason). The authors of this report present new...
Introduction to the Special Section on Psychedelics Research and Treatment Dominic Sisti Against a backdrop of post-pandemic malaise, diseases of despair, and a fragmented mental health care system, psychedelics have enjoyed a resurgence of interest as powerful psychotherapeutic agents and as catalysts of personal growth. The true power of these substances—some of which are considered...
The emergence of a so-called psychedelic renaissance has been proposed to characterize the revival of research into (psycho-)therapies using psychedelic drugs. In Europe, the most widespread approach employed in the 1960s and 1970s that involved the use of drugs like LSD and psilocybin as an adjunct to psychotherapy was named according to its main theoretical framework, that is, psychoanalysis...
Classical psychedelic drugs, e.g., psilocybin and LSD, stimulate the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) and have recently been intensely investigated for their clinical effects in various brain disorders. At the ECNP "New Frontiers meeting" in March 2023, scientific experts in psychedelics met to identify key knowledge gaps in the mechanism of action of psychedelics as investigated using...
Drug use and trading are typically social activities; however, supply through cryptomarkets can occur without any in-person social contact. People who use drugs alone may be at higher risk of experiencing harms, for example, due to lack of others who may call for emergency assistance. Alternatively, cryptomarkets may be a source of harm reduction information and drugs with better-known content...
In psychedelic therapy, the importance of set and setting is a fundamental but under-researched assumption. The aim of this study is to correlate variables of set (psychedelic use motivation) and setting (psychedelic use location and type of companion) with psychopathology, wellbeing and personality variables. A sample of 1022 participants of the Spanish-speaking population was collected...
Background: Growing clinical interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies has led to a second wave of research involving psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and other substances. Data suggests that these compounds have the potential to treat mental health conditions that are especially prevalent in older adults such as depression, anxiety,...
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with significant patient burden. While pharmacotherapies and evidence-based psychotherapy interventions (EBPI) are effective, studies consistently highlight inadequate outcomes and high treatment dropout. Psychedelic therapy (PT) has shown preliminary promise across difficult-to-treat conditions, including MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD,...
The use of psychoactive substances to increase cognitive performance while studying has been termed 'pharmacological cognitive enhancement' (PCE). In previous years, several large-scale national surveys have focused on their use by students at university, including drug types, prevalence rates, and predictive factors. The recent coronavirus pandemic brought about widespread structural changes...