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.
The authors reviewed psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy studies published from 1993 to 2017 to see how many people of color took part. They found 18 studies with about 280 people. About 82% of participants were non-Hispanic White, while only small percentages were African American, Latino, Asian, indigenous, or mixed race. Because so…
This small, randomized, double-blind pilot study tested MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety tied to life‑threatening illness. Eighteen people were enrolled (13 got MDMA, 5 got placebo) and had two blinded 8‑hour therapy sessions, with later open‑label MDMA sessions and 6‑ and 12‑month follow-ups. The MDMA group showed a larger drop in…
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.…
This paper is a clear review of ayahuasca, the Amazon plant brew made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine plus a DMT-containing plant such as Psychotria viridis. The authors summarize its history, how it acts in the body and brain, what people report feeling during the experience, and the early research…
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 review looks at studies on using classic psychedelics and nutraceuticals to treat concussion and lasting symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury. Concussion is common in the military, civilians, and contact sport players and usually causes temporary mental impairment, though a small minority have lasting problems. The authors report that…
