The clinical model pairing a psychedelic session with structured psychological support.
Synthesized from 24 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below
Found by searching the library for Psychedelic-assisted therapy, psychedelic therapy, assisted psychotherapy, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, then ranked by relevance.
Research indicates that psychedelic-assisted therapy can produce rapid, large, and often durable improvements in conditions such as treatment-resistant depression, anxiety associated with life-threatening illness, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder, with effects persisting for months to over a year. However, many trials are small, open-label, or pilot studies, and methodological limitations—including small samples, expectancy effects, and incomplete integration of assessment domains—mean the evidence, while promising, is not yet conclusive.
Direction is which way each study's own result points, not our rating of the study.
| Study | Design | Sample size | Direction | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up. 2017 | open-label trial | 20 | Supports | Two doses of psilocybin produced large, rapid reductions in depressive symptoms that persisted for six months in patients with treatment-resistant depression. |
| Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. 2011 | randomized controlled trial | 18 | Supports | Under supportive conditions, 20 and 30 mg/70 kg psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior. |
| Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases 2014 | randomized controlled trial | 12 | Supports | LSD-assisted psychotherapy reduced trait and state anxiety at 2 months, with effects sustained for 12 months, and no serious adverse events. |
| The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and Future. 2017 | circumspective piece | Supports | Argues that psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, show therapeutic promise for depression, but notes pitfalls and the need for careful research. | |
| The safety and efficacy of {+/-}3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. 2010 | randomized controlled pilot study | Supports | MDMA-assisted psychotherapy reduced PTSD symptoms more than placebo therapy in people with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder. | |
| Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder 2022 | randomized controlled trial | 95 | Supports | Psilocybin plus psychotherapy led to 9.7% heavy drinking days over 32 weeks, compared to 23.6% with diphenhydramine plus psychotherapy, a significant reduction. |
| Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression 2017 | qualitative study | 20 | Supports | Patients reported psilocybin treatment fostered connection and emotional acceptance, unlike conventional treatments which they felt reinforced disconnection and avoidance. |
| The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics Are Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects. 2020 | review | Supports | Argues that the subjective effects of psychedelics are necessary for their enduring beneficial effects and account for the majority of their benefit. | |
| LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects 2014 | prospective follow-up with qualitative content analysis | 10 | Supports | LSD-assisted psychotherapy produced sustained reductions in anxiety and improvements in quality of life over 12 months, with no lasting adverse reactions. |
| 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans, firefighters, and police officers: a randomised, double-blind, dose-response, phase 2 clinical trial. 2018 | randomized, double-blind, dose-response, phase 2 clinical trial | Supports | The active dose of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy led to significant and lasting reductions in PTSD symptoms compared to a lower dose. | |
| Increased global integration in the brain after psilocybin therapy for depression. 2022 | open-label trial and double-blind phase II randomized controlled trial | Supports | Psilocybin's antidepressant action correlates with global increases in brain network integration, as indicated by decreased fMRI brain network modularity. | |
| A randomized, controlled pilot study of MDMA (±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of resistant, chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 2012 | randomized controlled trial | 12 | Mixed | MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can be safely administered and produced clinically and statistically significant self-reported improvement in PTSD symptoms, though clinician-rated reductions were not statistically significant. |
| Durability of improvement in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and absence of harmful effects or drug dependency after 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy: a prospective long-term follow-up study. 2013 | long-term follow-up of a completed trial | 19 | Supports | MDMA-assisted psychotherapy provided durable symptom relief for most participants with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD over an average of 45.4 months, with no reported harm. |
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. 2020 | cross-sectional survey | 985 | Supports | Increases in psychological flexibility fully mediated the effect of mystical and insightful experiences on decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience. |
| Psychedelic integration beyond the verbal: participatory-imaginal processing as a hypothesis-generating therapeutic framework 2026 | theoretical or philosophical paper | Unclear | Argues that participatory-imaginal processing, operationalized by the DREAM protocol, can help patients re-engage somatically salient aspects of their psychedelic experience and identify embodied touchstones that remain accessible long afterward, without requiring verbal translation. | |
| Methodological fragmentation and integration priorities in psychedelic-assisted therapy assessment: a scoping review 2026 | scoping review | Mixed | The review documents advances in PAT evaluation, including validated instruments for mystical and challenging experiences and articulated clinical frameworks, but finds that methodological integration is incomplete, with assessment domains rarely combined into unified protocols. | |
| Understanding treatment expectations toward emerging therapies in veterinary medicine: the role of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward psychedelic-assisted interventions 2026 | cross-sectional survey | 87 | Supports | Positive attitudes toward psychedelics were the strongest and most consistent predictor of favorable treatment expectations for psychedelic-assisted therapies among veterinary students. |
| Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Education at GSPP: Assessing PsyD Student and Alumni Interest, Attitudes, and Perceived Training Needs 2026 | exploratory survey | Supports | Substantial interest in greater exposure to PAP-related education exists among students and alumni, alongside a perceived gap between the expansion of psychedelic medicine and current formal training. | |
| Psychedelic therapy at the end of life: unexplored alternative to assisted suicide in the UK. 2026 | editorial | Supports | Argues that the UK should reschedule psychedelics to allow research into their use in palliative care before institutionalising assisted suicide. | |
| Changes in trauma symptoms of discrimination after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. 2026 | preliminary study | 5 | Supports | MDMA-assisted therapy significantly reduced discrimination-related trauma symptoms, with a 38% decrease in TSDS scores and a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.28). |
| Mystical Experiences as Catalysts in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Case Study 2026 | case study | 1 | Supports | Mystical-type experiences during ketamine-assisted psychotherapy appeared to play a meaningful role in therapeutic change for a patient with generalized anxiety disorder and migraines. |
| Making a case for using MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder and complex PTSD: a descriptive systematic review of the literature 2026 | descriptive systematic review | 335 | Supports | MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may have applicability beyond PTSD, with potential benefits for complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder, though no studies directly assessed these conditions. |
| Reframing distress in oncology: the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy. 2026 | review | Supports | Psychedelic-assisted therapy shows promise for improving anxiety, depression, pain-related distress, and quality of life in advanced cancer patients, but evidence is limited by small sample sizes and other methodological constraints. | |
| Dance of the four bodies: an enactive-individuative approach to ketamine assisted psychotherapy 2026 | theoretical or philosophical paper | Unclear | Argues that an expanded enactivist framework, including a fourth individuative body, better explains transformative psychedelic experiences than computationalist models, and that ketamine's effects involve distinct arrangements of these bodies influenced by dosage and set and setting. |
Two doses of psilocybin produced large, rapid reductions in depressive symptoms that persisted for six months in patients with treatment-resistant depression.
open-label trial Sample size: 20
Under supportive conditions, 20 and 30 mg/70 kg psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior.
randomized controlled trial Sample size: 18
LSD-assisted psychotherapy reduced trait and state anxiety at 2 months, with effects sustained for 12 months, and no serious adverse events.
randomized controlled trial Sample size: 12
Argues that psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, show therapeutic promise for depression, but notes pitfalls and the need for careful research.
circumspective piece
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy reduced PTSD symptoms more than placebo therapy in people with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder.
randomized controlled pilot study
Psilocybin plus psychotherapy led to 9.7% heavy drinking days over 32 weeks, compared to 23.6% with diphenhydramine plus psychotherapy, a significant reduction.
randomized controlled trial Sample size: 95
Patients reported psilocybin treatment fostered connection and emotional acceptance, unlike conventional treatments which they felt reinforced disconnection and avoidance.
qualitative study Sample size: 20
Argues that the subjective effects of psychedelics are necessary for their enduring beneficial effects and account for the majority of their benefit.
review
LSD-assisted psychotherapy produced sustained reductions in anxiety and improvements in quality of life over 12 months, with no lasting adverse reactions.
prospective follow-up with qualitative content analysis Sample size: 10
The active dose of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy led to significant and lasting reductions in PTSD symptoms compared to a lower dose.
randomized, double-blind, dose-response, phase 2 clinical trial
Psilocybin's antidepressant action correlates with global increases in brain network integration, as indicated by decreased fMRI brain network modularity.
open-label trial and double-blind phase II randomized controlled trial
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can be safely administered and produced clinically and statistically significant self-reported improvement in PTSD symptoms, though clinician-rated reductions were not statistically significant.
randomized controlled trial Sample size: 12
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy provided durable symptom relief for most participants with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD over an average of 45.4 months, with no reported harm.
long-term follow-up of a completed trial Sample size: 19
Increases in psychological flexibility fully mediated the effect of mystical and insightful experiences on decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience.
cross-sectional survey Sample size: 985
Argues that participatory-imaginal processing, operationalized by the DREAM protocol, can help patients re-engage somatically salient aspects of their psychedelic experience and identify embodied touchstones that remain accessible long afterward, without requiring verbal translation.
theoretical or philosophical paper
The review documents advances in PAT evaluation, including validated instruments for mystical and challenging experiences and articulated clinical frameworks, but finds that methodological integration is incomplete, with assessment domains rarely combined into unified protocols.
scoping review
Positive attitudes toward psychedelics were the strongest and most consistent predictor of favorable treatment expectations for psychedelic-assisted therapies among veterinary students.
cross-sectional survey Sample size: 87
Substantial interest in greater exposure to PAP-related education exists among students and alumni, alongside a perceived gap between the expansion of psychedelic medicine and current formal training.
exploratory survey
Argues that the UK should reschedule psychedelics to allow research into their use in palliative care before institutionalising assisted suicide.
editorial
MDMA-assisted therapy significantly reduced discrimination-related trauma symptoms, with a 38% decrease in TSDS scores and a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.28).
preliminary study Sample size: 5
Mystical-type experiences during ketamine-assisted psychotherapy appeared to play a meaningful role in therapeutic change for a patient with generalized anxiety disorder and migraines.
case study Sample size: 1
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may have applicability beyond PTSD, with potential benefits for complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder, though no studies directly assessed these conditions.
descriptive systematic review Sample size: 335
Psychedelic-assisted therapy shows promise for improving anxiety, depression, pain-related distress, and quality of life in advanced cancer patients, but evidence is limited by small sample sizes and other methodological constraints.
review
Argues that an expanded enactivist framework, including a fourth individuative body, better explains transformative psychedelic experiences than computationalist models, and that ketamine's effects involve distinct arrangements of these bodies influenced by dosage and set and setting.
theoretical or philosophical paper
This synthesis reads the 15 most-cited and 10 most recent studies whose primary subject is Psychedelic-assisted therapy, up to 25 in all. The most-cited set anchors the established evidence, and the recent set surfaces work that is too new to have gathered citations yet.
A study qualifies only when Psychedelic-assisted therapy or a known alias appears in its title or keywords, so broad reviews that mention it only in passing are left out. Each study is read from its abstract, strongest evidence first, and the summary reports the direction of the results along with any conflicts and gaps.
Latest monthly recap: July 2026 →
2,736 articles · 1,255 from the last two years · 1,591,091 participants across 821 studies reporting sample size
OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) September 10, 2026 Bartosz Helfer, Katarzyna Henke‐Ciążyńska, Daniel Pankowski et al. preprint
The original data comprise the extraction, coding, identity mappings and appraisals produced for the accompanying meta-research study. Their source material is previously published literature.
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology September 9, 2026 K Henke-Ciążyńska, D Pankowski, B Helfer
Abstract Background Systematic reviews with meta-analyses (SR-MAs) of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) guide clinical and policy decisions. Their trustworthiness depends, in part, on how consistently different SR-MAs assess risk of bias (RoB) in the same underlying randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and how transparently those judgments are justified. Aims & Objectives To summarise...
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology September 9, 2026 D Erritzoe
Abstract Background Recent clinical and neuroscientific work has revived interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies as promising treatments for a range of psychiatric conditions. Mechanistically, classical psychedelics and atypical agents such as ketamine appear to act as catalysts of neural and psychological flexibility, disrupting entrenched patterns of activity in “stuck” brain networks and...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) September 7, 2026 Torsten Passie, Michiel van Elk
Common wisdom in the psychedelic literature suggests that early controlled trials of psychedelic therapy were methodologically flawed. In this review we challenge this view and discuss 11 controlled studies that were conducted in the United States and Canada between 1965 and 1977 to evaluate psychedelic (peak) therapy for individuals suffering from alcohol and opioid use disorder and...
Current Addiction Reports September 2, 2026 Kathryn Fletcher, Jack Freestone, Nadine Ezard et al.
Abstract Purpose of Review Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has re-emerged as a potential intervention for substance use disorders (SUDs), yet the psychological mechanisms underlying behaviour change remain poorly synthesised. This scoping review mapped and evaluated proposed psychological processes underpinning PAT in adults with SUDs. Recent Findings Peer-reviewed English-language empirical...
Psychoanalytic Inquiry August 28, 2026 Diana Moga
Autistic individuals are more susceptible to trauma due to higher baseline anxiety and overwhelm; poorer episodic memory; and the frequent lack of a sense of community, safety, and belonging that are both protective and needed to heal from trauma. Furthermore, many autistic adults have adopted a false self to get by in a neurotypical world and are often cut off from their affective, embodied...
The American journal of hospice & palliative care August 28, 2026 Krishna Hanubal, Akul Munjal, Jino Park et al.
PurposeDespite most psychedelic substances remaining Schedule I, clinical research exploring psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) in oncology is expanding. We sought to assess oncology providers' attitudes toward and understanding of PAT.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals involved in oncology across five academic institutions in California, South Carolina,...
Psychopharmacology August 27, 2026 Frederick S. Barrett, David Wolinsky, Zach Daily et al.
RATIONALE: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) has been reported to evoke psychedelic-like experiences at high doses in some individuals. However, the doses of Δ9-THC that occasion such effects and the phenomenology of these experiences are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: This brief report presents preliminary findings from a pilot human laboratory study that directly compared the acute...
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry August 20, 2026 Charalampos L. Kandilakis, Costas Papatheodoropoulos
Psychedelic-assisted therapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach across several psychiatric disorders, yet the mechanisms linking acute brain-state changes and subjective experience to sustained clinical improvement remain incompletely understood. Here, we extend a previously proposed excitation/inhibition (E/I)-centred dual-phase model of psychedelic action to the therapeutic...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) August 17, 2026 Christopher P. Albertyn, Ron Shore, Linda E. Carlson et al.
As interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy grows, an important policy question remains largely unaddressed: who is responsible for ensuring safe, equitable, and accountable implementation within cancer care systems? This poster explores the emerging governance landscape for psychedelic-assisted therapy in Canada. Abstract Background: Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) is emerging as a promising...
Not yet recruiting Phase 2 12 participants ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre
Not yet recruiting Phase 2 15 participants Jenna M. Traynor
Recruiting 40 participants First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba
Suspended Early Phase 1 5 participants University of Wisconsin, Madison
Recruiting Phase 2 12 participants Irma Fleming