Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration (PHRI) is a clinical model for working with people who use or are thinking about using psychedelics. It blends harm-reduction therapy with methods from psychedelic-assisted therapy, can be used in short or ongoing psychotherapy, and aims to be compassionate and non-stigmatizing rather than focused only…
This study used a smartphone app to compare 4,050 people who said they microdose psychedelics with 4,653 people who did not. Psilocybin was the most common microdose substance, and people who microdosed often said they did so for health and wellness reasons. In people who reported past mental health concerns,…
Researchers used responses from the Global Drug Survey 2020 to look at how people try to treat themselves with LSD and psilocybin mushrooms. In this large international sample, many people reported positive results, but unwanted or difficult effects were reported more often than you see in carefully controlled medical studies.…
Researchers followed 953 people who microdosed psilocybin and 180 non-microdosing controls for about 30 days. Microdosers showed small-to-medium improvements in mood and overall mental health at one month compared with controls. These improvements were seen across genders, age groups, and in people with and without prior mental health concerns. The…
This review looks at recent research where drugs like MDMA and psilocybin are given inside carefully run therapy programs. People get hours of preparation, one or more drug sessions, and several follow-up therapy sessions to help make sense of the experience. Trials so far show big improvements for some people…
Researchers ran a national online survey of U.S. adults from November 2020 to March 2021 that was weighted to represent the adult population. They asked about use of psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin), reasons for use, and mental health. Many users said they took mushrooms for general mental health and well-being. Users…
Researchers reviewed 15 studies involving about 2,200 people to see how two kinds of psychedelic experiences — losing the sense of a separate self (called ego-dissolution) and feeling more connected to others and the world (called connectedness) — relate to therapeutic change. They found both experiences are linked to a…
Researchers followed 62 older adults (age 60 and up) and 62 younger adults who planned to take part in guided psychedelic group sessions. People in both age groups reported better well-being in the weeks after the sessions, but older adults experienced weaker immediate drug effects during the sessions. For older…
This paper reviews research on three naturally occurring psychedelics: psilocybin, ibogaine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (the active part of the brew ayahuasca). It explains that these drugs work on the brain's serotonin system and summarizes growing studies that suggest they might help with problems like post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, and…
Researchers reported a single case where a traditional Amazonian healer gave a weeklong, ritual treatment that included drinking a liquid made from the native tobacco plant. The patient was a 37-year-old woman with diagnosed low mood, anxiety, and attention problems plus a long-term physical health issue. The team used both…
This small qualitative study interviewed 13 people who were microdosing psychedelics to try to support their mental health and wellbeing. The interviews were anonymous and text-based, and the researchers used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to understand participants' experiences. Three main themes emerged: people were seeking solutions, they experimented in a careful,…
This systematic review looked at research on psychedelic microdosing and mental health. It found 19 studies (published from 2018 onward) that reported people often said low doses of LSD or psilocybin improved mood, focus, and daily functioning, while some people reported physical discomfort or more anxiety. The authors say the…
