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.
10 papers
This observational study followed 98 people who microdosed psychedelics over six weeks and found that people reported better psychological functioning on days they took a microdose, but there was little evidence that those effects lasted into the next days. Among 63 people who completed formal tests before and after the…
Microdosing means taking a very small, sub‑hallucinogenic amount of a psychedelic drug. Research so far is limited and mixed: some large observational studies report small-to-medium mood gains, but at least one randomized trial found no objective benefit. There is no standard definition of microdosing, potency and legality vary, and long‑term…
Researchers studied more than 1,200 people at six multiday mass gatherings in the US and the UK. They found that psychedelic use was linked with better mood. That link appeared to work through people reporting a transformative experience and feeling more socially connected. The link was stronger when use had…
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…
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…
This paper reviews past and recent research on classic psychedelics and some newer psychedelic-like drugs as treatments for unipolar and bipolar depression. Classic psychedelics named in the paper are LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and ayahuasca. Early carefully controlled studies of psilocybin show encouraging results for unipolar depression, and ketamine (in the…
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 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…
