There is now evidence from multiple Phase II clinical trials that psychedelic drugs can exert long-lasting anxiolytic, anti-depressant, and anti-drug abuse (nicotine and ethanol) effects in patients. Despite these benefits, the hallucinogenic actions of these drugs at the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) limit their clinical use in diverse settings. Activation of the 5-HT2AR can stimulate both G...
Background: Anxiety disorders are commonly diagnosed and cause substantial functional impairment. A mixture of pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments currently exists, but these treatments are not always tolerable and effective. For patients with anxiety resistant to standard therapy, psychedelics may be a promising alternative. This review assesses the therapeutic benefits and safety of...
ChildrenDecember 22, 2022Saral R. Desai, Vidisha Jain, Sona Xavier et al.
(1) Objectives: Hallucinogens are being explored as a potential treatment of psychiatric disorders. Micro dosing of illicitly purchased hallucinogen drugs is on the rise despite conclusive benefits. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and odds of hopelessness, suicidality, and co-occurring substance use among adolescent hallucinogen users. (2) Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of...
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death amongst adolescents and decades of research have failed to curb suicide rates within this population. There is thus a need to better understand factors that correlate with adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). MDMA/ecstasy and classic psychedelics represent two areas for exploration, as use of these substances has been associated with...
After a decades-long pause, psychedelics are again being intensely investigated for treating a wide range of neuropsychiatric ailments including depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, anorexia, and chronic pain syndromes. The classic serotonergic psychedelics psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide and nonclassic psychedelics 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and...
Importance Psychedelic drugs are becoming accessible in the US through a patchwork of state legislative reforms. This shift necessitates consensus on treatment models, education and guidance for health care professionals, and planning for implementation and regulation. Objective To assess trends in psychedelics legislative reform and legalization in the US to provide guidance to health care...
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and similar psychoactive drugs have been used in psychotherapy since 1949, when the first clinical study with lower-dose LSD showed therapeutically relevant effects. This caused an intense interest among psychotherapists and researchers, alike, on an international scale. In 1960, the use of serial lower-dose LSD/psilocybin sessions in a psychoanalytical...
SAM FALCONERP sychedelics are a class of substances known to produce alterations in consciousness and perception.In the last 2 decades, psychedelic research has garnered increasing attention from scientists, therapists, entrepreneurs, and the public.While many of these compounds remain illegal in the United States and in many parts of the world (Box, 1 page 16), a recent resurrection of...
We read with interest the study of ketamine psychedelic and analgesic effects by Olofsen et al.1 and the accompanying editorial by Mashour.2 In both articles, the authors refer to the “dissociative” effects of ketamine. Corssen and Domino3 originally used the term “dissociative” in 1966 to describe “patients and subjects who, during recovery from CI-581 [ketamine], felt as though they were in...
The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) has evolved out of a pharmaco-supported psychotherapy setting in which the Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) has been evoked with strong psychedelic drugs. However, Helen Bonny observed that inducing an ASC with deep relaxation methods and a subsequent journey in a reclined or supine position elicited sufficient imagery for the therapy...