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.
This randomized, double‑blind, cross‑over trial gave 51 patients with life‑threatening cancer two sessions of psilocybin (one very low dose and one high dose) spaced five weeks apart. The high dose (22–30 mg/70 kg) produced large drops in clinician‑ and self‑rated depression and anxiety, and increased quality of life, meaning, and…
This randomized, double-blind phase 3 trial tested MDMA-assisted therapy versus placebo with the same therapy in 90 adults with severe PTSD. Participants had three drug sessions plus preparatory and integration therapy, and were assessed 18 weeks after starting. The MDMA group had larger drops in PTSD symptoms and in functional…
This multi-site, randomized, double-blind phase 3 trial tested MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) versus placebo with the same therapy in 104 people with moderate to severe PTSD. Blinded assessors found larger average reductions in PTSD symptoms and in functional impairment for the MDMA-AT group than for the placebo group. The MDMA group…
Researchers collected and read 15 studies where patients described their own experiences with psychedelic treatments for mental disorders. These studies looked at about 180 patient accounts across different drugs and different illnesses. Even though the drugs and treatment settings were very different, many patients described similar helpful processes, such as…
Researchers used a large prospective online survey to test whether psychedelic drug use changes people’s metaphysical beliefs. After psychedelic use, people tended to move away from physicalist or materialist views and toward panpsychism and fatalism. Except for fatalism, these shifts lasted for at least 6 months. The shifts were linked…
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…
Recent, early-phase trials suggest psychedelics—especially psilocybin—may help treat several mental and substance use disorders. The psychedelic experience can include loss of self-importance, feelings of unity or connection, ineffable insights, and encounters with ‘deep’ reality or God, and it can change a person’s personality and worldview. The authors argue these unusual…
In a small randomized, double-blind crossover study of 15 men with chronic radicular lower‑limb neuropathic pain, a single sublingual dose of THC (about 15.4 mg on average) reduced pain more than placebo. The amount of pain relief was linked to changes on resting‑state fMRI: reduced connectivity between emotional/cognitive brain areas…
This paper describes a pilot study protocol that will test psilocybin-assisted therapy in 20 adult females with anorexia nervosa. Participants will get up to three oral doses (up to 25 mg) over a 6-week period, with psychological preparation, support people involved, and remote follow-up for 12 months. The study aims…
This paper looked across existing studies of psilocybin and found that, when it is given along with psychotherapy or therapy-style support, it looks promising as a treatment for several mental health problems, including cases that did not get better with other treatments. But the authors say the current studies are…
MAPS reports results from a randomized, blinded Phase 3 trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for severe, chronic PTSD (90 people, average 14 years of PTSD). After three MDMA-assisted therapy sessions, 67% of treated participants no longer met the study's PTSD diagnosis and 88% had a clinically meaningful symptom drop, compared with…
This small, exploratory study gave people with moderate to severe major depressive disorder placebo first (19 people) and then a single dose of psilocybin (0.3 mg/kg) to 15 people four weeks later, with all dosing embedded in therapy based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). After the psilocybin session, measures…
