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11 papers
This paper reviews the recent comeback of psychedelic research and points out that much of that work borrows from indigenous healing traditions. The authors say Indigenous people, ethnic and racial minorities, women, and other marginalized groups are often left out of research and the mainstream story about psychedelic medicine. The…
This paper reviews how people talk about and practice “psychedelic integration.” The authors say the term has many different definitions and many kinds of practices, which has created confusion. They present the first wide-ranging review and a new, synthesized definition and model of integration, plus a long list of integration…
Researchers compared an MBTI-style test and a Big Five test in studies of U.S. adults and found the Big Five predicted 37 measured life outcomes about twice as well as the MBTI-style test. The MBTI-style test did better than astrology but worse than the Big Five. The MBTI-style test often…
This systematic review of research up to 2024 found that meditation and mindfulness are linked to measurable brain changes and to better emotional regulation, cognition, and stress resilience. Many studies report thicker cortex in certain areas, lower amygdala reactivity, changes in brain connectivity and neurotransmitters, and improvements in anxiety, depression,…
The authors built the Altered States Database (ASDB), a public collection of questionnaire answers about people’s experiences in altered states of consciousness. They pulled data from scientific articles, checked them using a standard review method, and put the raw questionnaire results online so anyone can view and compare them. The…
This review explains that classical serotonergic psychedelics — drugs like psilocybin, DMT (in ayahuasca), LSD, and ibogaine — can change brain cells and connections in lab and animal studies. These drugs have been shown to help neurons grow new branches and form more synapses, which are the contact points where…
Researchers looked back at recordings and interviews from 26 people who got ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant depression. They found that things people were exposed to in the days before treatment — especially digital media like videos — sometimes showed up inside their ketamine experiences and changed how emotional or “mystical”…
This review and meta-analysis looked at studies up to 2024 on body-positive social media content. It reviewed 56 studies (19 were left out of the meta-analysis for bad or missing data). Overall, short-term exposure to body-positive posts was linked to better body satisfaction and improved mood, especially when posts showed…
Researchers pooled results from 29 human studies that measured blood levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, after people received so-called psychoplastogen drugs such as ketamine or psychedelics. They found no clear change in blood BDNF after these drugs. The authors say this does not prove the…
This report describes informal ibogaine treatments given in a small program. In 24 sessions (18 aimed at addiction), a single ibogaine dose often stopped physical opioid withdrawal and created a window when people felt more able to choose. Some people stayed drug-free for months or years, but many relapsed and…
The study surveyed 419 psychiatrists working in 33 European countries about their knowledge and attitudes toward psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). Overall, psychiatrists showed general openness to psychedelics and PAP but also notable concern about risks. Younger age, being male, higher knowledge, identifying as spiritual, past personal use of psychedelics,…
