Introduction: Ketamine is an evidenced-based treatment for depression, and it has shown promise in addressing many other mental health conditions related to work-related stress or burnout, such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is part of an emerging model of psychedelic medicine that employs psychoactive agents to support the psychotherapeutic...
AbstractBackground and aimsPsychedelic and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy are at the forefront of new treatment models for mental illnesses such as PTSD and depression, as well as improving well-being. Mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation have also gained research traction, showing promise for enhancing emotional regulation and psychological well-being. This paper explores the...
Abstract Altered states of consciousness (ASCs), induced e.g. during psychedelic-assisted therapy, show potential to treat prevalent mental health disorders like depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, access to such treatments is restricted by legal, medical, and financial barriers. Circular breathwork may present a non-pharmacological and hence more accessible alternative to...
Background: The Psychological Insight Questionnaire (PIQ), the Emotional BreakthroughInventory (EBI), and the Psychological Insight Scale (PIS) have been developed to assess the subjective effects of psychedelic experiences, in order to better understand the therapeutic mechanism of psychedelic-assisted therapy. This study aimed to evaluate Dutch translations of these questionnaires (the...
Psilocybin demonstrates a clinically meaningful reduction in phantom and residual limb pain. Adaptive sensory environments (ASEs) separately offer biosensor-guided modulation of psychological states during psychoactive therapy. This Patent Highlight explores the pharmacological findings of a psilocybin trial and discusses future integration with ASE systems to precision and scale...
Peak and mystical experiences can be seen as states of consciousness that exist on a spectrum of varying intensity and duration. They are often described as moments of profound joy, ecstasy, and awe that involve feelings of noetic quality, decreased self-salience, and heightened interconnectedness. The renewed interest in psychedelics as a potential tool for therapeutic intervention has been...
Abstract. Illness requiring critical care can lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a complex mental health condition resulting from exposure to traumatic events. In the intensive care unit (ICU), the nature of interventions often contributes to a high incidence of PTSD, which is a significant component of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). This article provides a...
Obesity is a multifactorial disorder involving a behavioural aetiology in subsets of patients that traditional therapeutic approaches have failed to address. Drawing parallels with addiction, the rewarding aspects of a chronic energy-dense diet can compromise dopaminergic reward circuits, eventually causing individuals to become habitually responsive to food-related stimuli despite adverse...
Abstract Psychedelic treatments like MDMA can sometimes have side effects which persist despite management with Western medical approaches. In what follows, we present a case study of an individual who suffered from insomnia, anxiety, tinnitus, and more for months following MDMA therapy. Ultimately, her symptoms responded to management within the Traditional Chinese Medicine framework. We...
IntroductionFirefighters face routine occupational risks and high-stress environments. Accordingly, 96.4% are exposed to a potentially traumatizing event throughout their career (Nazari et al. Work 2020; 67(1):215-222). This is accompanied by high rates of trauma-related mental illnesses (TRMI) such as PTSD. First-line treatments of TRMI remain limited. A novel treatment that has emerged,...