Abstract Traditional psychedelics are undergoing a transformation from recreational drugs, to promising pharmaceutical drug candidates with the potential to provide an alternative treatment option for individuals struggling with mental illness. Sustainable and economic production methods are thus needed to facilitate enhanced study of these drug candidates to support future clinical efforts....
In a recent article, Messell and colleagues provide a curated list, the “Copenhagen Music Program for Psilocybin”. We test their music program with an experienced Indigenous therapist/psychonaut on a 3.5 gram psilocybin journey. Based on comments provided by the Indigenous therapist, we find the program contains musical choices that evoke specific colonial and religious contexts. We also find...
Abstract Psychedelics are a broad class of drugs defined by their ability to induce an altered state of consciousness 1,2 . These drugs have been used for millennia in both spiritual and medicinal contexts, and a number of recent clinical successes have spurred a renewed interest in developing psychedelic therapies 3–9 . Nevertheless, a unifying mechanism that can account for these shared...
Abstract Psychoactive substances such as psilocybin and 3,4‐methylenedioxy‐methamphetamine (MDMA) are currently being investigated for a variety of psychiatric indications including major depressive disorder and post‐traumatic stress disorder. It is critical that clinicians working in the mental health field understand the regulatory framework that balances access and control for such...
This article presents the case of a young woman in her mid-twenties with a history of depression since childhood. She lived with a mother who failed to take care of her. The patient cared for the emotional needs of the mother instead of the mother caring for the daughter's needs. Her father was mostly absent. Already around the age of thirteen, the patient was severely depressed and was...
Recent studies suggest psychedelic use may be associated with changes in a variety of beliefs or belief-like states, including increased 1) mind perception, 2) non-naturalistic beliefs, and 3) Atheist-Believer status (e.g., believer, agnostic, or non-believer). We conducted a prospective longitudinal study among participants (N = 657) who planned to have a psychedelic experience. We asked...
This retrospective study presents the case of a young woman in her mid-twenties who suffered from insecurity and abandonment-related anxiety, which intensified after a breakup of her relationship. Her parents' alcoholism and schizophrenia, as well as emotional and physical violence, had been a part of her childhood, but they had appeared 'normal' to her. Her parents and relatives had not...
Background: Psilocybin is being studied for depression, but little is known about how it interacts with common antidepressants. Limited data suggest that psilocybin’s effects may be diminished by serotonergic antidepressants acutely and even after a medication washout period. Aims: To learn the extent to which antidepressants may diminish the effects of psilocybin-containing mushrooms both...
Abstract Background and aims Given the shifting landscape of hallucinogen use, particularly with increased therapeutic use, understanding current changes in use is a necessary part of examining the potential risk hallucinogens pose to vulnerable populations, such as young adults. This study aimed to measure hallucinogen use among young adults aged 19–30 years from 2018 to 2021. Design, setting...
Psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms have antidepressant effect, however, their safety in cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure is not fully known and needs to be investigated. Cardiac hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for heart failure morbidity and mortality. Angiotensin II (Ang-II) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. We...
OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this qualitative study was to delineate psychological mechanisms of change in the first randomized controlled trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD). Theories regarding psychological processes involved in psychedelic therapy remain underdeveloped. METHOD: Participants (N = 13) mostly identified as non-Hispanic and White, with...
The Altered Xperience Project (AXP) is an ongoing research project that takes the form of an open citizen science initiative. Its main goal is to systematically collect and consolidate data on the subjective experiences induced by various consciousness-manipulating techniques (CMTs). These include both psychoactive substances as well as non-pharmacological manoeuvres that induce altered states...
The Church of Psilomethoxin claims to produce a novel tryptamine by adding 5-MeO-DMT to the substrate of cultivated Psilocybe mushrooms, which is then biosynthesized into psilomethoxin, the church’s sacrament. In this study, we investigate the validity of this claim using comprehensive analytical techniques, namely ultra-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry...
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a surge in depression cases, a pervasive and debilitating mental illness1. This trend is evident in the increased prescriptions for antidepressants. Depression is a chronic condition that affects a significant proportion of the global population, with ~280 million people, or about 3.8%, suffering from it. As a result, it is a significant mental health...
Abstract Classic psychedelics, lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, mescaline and N,N-dimethyltryptamine, are potent psychoactive substances that have been studied for their physiological and psychological effects. However, our understanding of the potential interactions and outcomes of using these substances are used in combination with other psychoactive drugs is limited. This systematic...
12021 Background: Up to 25% of people living with cancer have depression. Existing psychological interventions have limited efficacy in treating depression. Psilocybin, a 5-hydroytrptamintergic psychedelic, coupled with group therapy is safe and effective in ameliorating symptoms of depression (Agrawal et al, ASCO 2022). Response to psilocybin treatment was observed in 83.3% of patients at 8...
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a seminal first ever psychedelic drug substance-focused speaker series, from April 22 to June 10, 2021, titled the "NIH Psilocybin Research Speaker Series." This speaker series provided evidence-based scientific information to the public and the scientific community. Its aims were to assess the current state of the science, the regulatory...
Nearly all mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus contain the natural product psilocybin, which is a psychoactive alkaloid derived from l-tryptophan. Considering their use in ancient times, as well as their psychedelic properties, these mushrooms have re-emerged with psychotherapeutic potential for treating depression, which has triggered increased pharmaceutical interest. However, the psilocybin...
There is increasing interest in exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Classic psychedelics (such as psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca/DMT), and atypical psychedelics (such as ketamine) have been studied in TRD. The evidence for the classic psychedelics TRD is limited at the present time; early studies however show promising results. There is also...