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…
The source explains what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is and reports research comparing ACT with cognitive therapy (CT). In a randomized trial of 101 outpatients with moderate to severe anxiety or depression, people assigned to ACT or to CT showed large, similar improvements in depression, anxiety, daily functioning, quality…
Psychedelic "bad trips" can be intense and sometimes last past the session. Surveys and studies report that a minority of users have serious short- or long-term problems, while other people later say the experience was meaningful or helpful. Risk and duration vary by dose, setting, and support, and studies give…
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…
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…
This paper looked at 20 clinical trials to see whether therapies that use psychedelic drugs together with talking therapy can help people who have serious, life‑limiting illnesses. The review found that these therapies often helped with psychological and spiritual problems like anxiety, low mood, and fear of dying. The drugs…
Researchers followed 37 people who attended a one-week residential wellness retreat in rural Queensland. They measured many health and well-being outcomes on arrival, at departure, and again 6 weeks later (17 people were followed at 6 weeks). After one week, participants showed statistically significant improvements in most measures, including weight,…
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 paper argues that psychedelic-assisted therapy should include optional, clear discussion of metaphysical views during integration. It presents a "Metaphysics Matrix" schema and a new "Metaphysics Matrix Questionnaire (MMQ)" as tools to help integrate and to measure metaphysical aspects of psychedelic experiences. The authors say metaphysics (a branch of philosophy…
Researchers looked at studies on mindfulness training and psychedelic-assisted therapy. They found both can reduce mental-health symptoms and boost well-being. Early results also show that psychedelics can make people more mindful. Combining the two might give stronger benefits, but the evidence is still early. Bigger and better studies are needed…
The authors reviewed 13 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and combined data from 8 trials. They found higher odds of side effects with MDMA-AP compared with control. In Phase 2 studies side effects were more likely during medication sessions (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.12–2.49) and in the 7 days after…
The authors created a fast lab method (LC-MS/MS) to measure the psychoactive chemicals psilocybin and psilocin in Psilocybe sclerotia, also called "magic truffles." The method was sensitive and reliable, and when used on the samples in this study it detected only psilocybin, at 59.3–167.8 µg per 100 mg of fresh…
