3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) has shown promising safety and efficacy in phase 3 studies of post-traumatic stress disorder, but has not been investigated for a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD). We aimed to explore the proof of principle and safety as a first study with MDMA-AT for MDD, and to provide preliminary efficacy data. Twelve...
Background: Although classic psychedelic trials show therapeutic potential, the limited diversity of participants raises concerns about generalizability and safety. Aims: This study assesses the representation of race, ethnicity, and sex in interventional clinical trials of psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to evaluate disparities in participant diversity. Methods: We conducted a...
Innovative therapies, such as psilocybin-assisted psychotherapies, hold great promises for treating anxiety, depression, and various other mental health disorders, addressing some of the challenges faced by conventional psychiatric medicine. This study focuses on developing and validating an HPLC-DAD methodology for detecting psilocybin and psilocin in extracts from psychedelic mushrooms...
Background: There is promising evidence that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy may be a powerful new treatment approach for mortality-related distress. However, less is known about the possible benefits for people experiencing grief. Aim: To explore what is known about using psychedelics to attend to grief following death due to advanced illness. Design: This scoping review followed Arskey and...
Psychobiography of Ragil Kencono, a 28-year-old man, has embarked on an emotionally and spiritually transformative journey. He has dedicated himself to the exploration of transpersonal psychology, guided by mentors who have continuously supported his path. Through this process, he has identified and integrated multiple subpersonalities within himself. Following his studies in transpersonal...
Classic psychedelics and the gut microbiome interact bidirectionally through mechanisms involving 5-HT2A receptor signaling, neuroplasticity, and microbial metabolism. This viewpoint highlights how psychedelics may reshape microbiota and how microbes influence psychedelic efficacy, proposing microbiome-informed strategies─such as probiotics or dietary interventions─to personalize and enhance...
N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a psychedelic compound commonly co-administered with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor harmine in ayahuasca-inspired formulations. However, the impact of harmine on DMT pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) remains insufficiently characterized. In this single-blind, randomized, two-arm, factorial, dose-finding study, 16 healthy participants (9 males, 7...
While growing evidence suggests that psychedelic-assisted therapy may have antidepressant effects in certain populations, little is known about the effects of psychedelic use on depressive symptoms in non-clinical, naturalistic settings. This observational cohort study included a large sample of US residents (18-50 years old) and longitudinally evaluated the relationships between naturalistic...
Psychedelics are known to elicit intense and meaningful subjective experiences. These subjective experiences are supposed to play a major role in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. However, not much attention has been paid to the role played by emotions in these experiences. In this paper, we argue that typical psychedelic-induced experiences share many phenomenological features with two...
Psychedelic-assisted therapies and ketamine are two modalities gaining attention in psychiatry for treating conditions such as depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders. However, perceptions of these treatments vary globally. This study explores the familiarity, attitudes, and perceptions of Jordanian physicians and medical students toward psychedelic substances, addressing a gap in Middle...