Abstract Background Research on psychedelics centres on two key areas: the action of psychedelics on the brain and the protocol for delivering therapy. There is little research that considers the implications of this novel therapy on the therapist delivering the treatment. This research study sought to explore this. Aim and Objectives The aim of this research was to explore the considerations...
Chronic neuropathic pain is a significant public health issue affecting an estimated 1.5 billion individuals worldwide. The mechanisms underlying chronic pain are multifaceted and not fully understood. Chronic pain amplifies specific neural pathways through peripheral and central sensitization triggered by repeated exposure to noxious stimuli, ultimately resulting in physical and emotional...
BACKGROUND: Clinical trials demonstrate that psychedelic-assisted therapy can improve mental health outcomes; however, few studies have recruited sexually diverse samples or reported information on sexual identity. AIMS: The purpose of this analysis was to examine the relationship between hallucinogen use and mental health outcomes with respect to sexual identity. METHODS: We conducted a...
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has shown preliminary efficacy for psychiatric and physical health conditions. Although some people report naturalistic psychedelic use with so-called "underground" practitioners, little is known about PAT that occurs outside of controlled clinical settings or perspectives of these practitioners. We conducted an anonymous online survey of individuals who...
There is an urgent need to develop better treatments for mental health conditions that affect one in every eight people in the world. To combat this concern, psychedelic drugs have been combined with psychotherapy and studied in clinical trials in the United States and Europe. Psychedelics are hallucinogenic drugs that alter brain activity and facilitate altered states of consciousness. The...
Improving safe and effective access to ketamine therapy is of high priority given the growing burden of mental illness. Telehealth-supported administration of sublingual ketamine is being explored toward this goal. In this longitudinal study, moderately-to-severely depressed patients received four doses of ketamine at home over four weeks within a supportive digital health context. Treatment...
Neuropathic pain (NP), a debilitating and chronic condition often accompanied by comorbid depression, presents significant therapeutic challenges. While conventional pharmacological treatments, though valuable, usually fall short in addressing their multifaceted nature, the pursuit of innovative solutions has led to the exploration of ayahuasca , a psychedelic brew originating from Amazonian...
Abstract The chapter undertakes three main tasks. The first is to review, briefly, the history of psychedelics in psychiatry, including the phenomenological and behavioural effects that first led to their being studied for therapeutic purposes. The second is to give an overview of recent research into the safety, efficacy, and therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. The...
Abstract The visual effects of psychedelic drugs are well known but not well understood. This chapter aims to situate psychedelic visual phenomenology within the context of what we know about everyday visual perception. Three types of open-eye visuals—common alterations to external visual appearances under psychedelic drugs—are described, and it is argued that they are caused by...