Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
March 27, 2026
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Geovanna Maria Isidoro, Cremilson de Paula Silva
For people with serious illness, psychedelic experiences can transform how they relate to their own finitude. Before the experience, death is a dominant threat, marked by fear and an illness-centered identity. During the psychedelic state, expanded consciousness enables transcendence—symbolic encounters with death, ego expansion, spiritual unity, and emotionally challenging experiences—which allow people to reinterpret suffering as transformative and reconstruct their personal narratives. Afterward, finitude becomes integrated into life with greater acceptance of mortality, reduced death anxiety, and a revaluation of life priorities. The process does not eliminate suffering but involves its traversal and integration, supporting existential adaptation at the end of life.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
March 26, 2026
Aly Shah Aziz
Adolescent treatment-resistant mental health disorders are increasing worldwide, and standard medications and therapy often fail. Classic psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD-25, and DMT, given within psychedelic-assisted therapy, have shown strong effectiveness in adults with refractory conditions, but adolescents have been excluded from trials. Safety concerns in adolescents are justified but must be weighed against limitations in current evidence, which is observational and underpowered for long-term outcomes. Adult studies indicate low physiological toxicity, minimal dependence risk, and a wide therapeutic index, but these findings cannot be directly applied to developing adolescents. This commentary advocates for cautious, ethically grounded research with these compounds in adolescents who have not responded to other treatments.
OUTRAS PALAVRAS
March 18, 2026
Gabriela Marques Guimarães Simão, Isabella Andrade Santana, Luiza Paulone Santos Fortunato Dias et al.
Psychedelics such as psilocybin and MDMA show therapeutic potential for treating neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Their controlled use can induce meaningful experiences that provide lasting symptom relief, especially for conditions that do not respond to conventional therapies. This review of clinical studies highlights the pharmacological properties and mechanisms of action underlying these effects. The findings suggest that psychedelics offer a promising avenue toward more integrative mental health care.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 13, 2026
Francisco A. Moreno, Katja Ehrmann Allen, Christopher B. Wiegand et al.
3 citations
Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound, was generally well-tolerated and reduced obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in a small clinical trial. No serious adverse events, psychotic symptoms, or changes in suicide severity occurred. Psilocybin, but not placebo, significantly lowered scores on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. After eight weeks of treatment including at least four high doses, 73.3% of participants responded (at least 35% reduction in symptoms), and 40% achieved remission. Benefits diminished but remained substantial at six months. Higher cumulative doses were linked to greater symptom reduction. Larger trials are needed to confirm efficacy and refine protocols.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
March 13, 2026
Prashant Gunjan
Contemplative practices like mindfulness and meditation can reduce egoic boundaries, which in turn diminishes existential fears and improves impulse regulation. This conceptual model proposes that enhanced self-control and lower death anxiety are key mechanisms through which these practices foster emotional stability, resilience, and adaptive behavior. The framework integrates contemporary psychological theory with contemplative insights to explain personal growth and spiritual development, offering a basis for future empirical testing and applications in therapy and organizations.
Journal of Emerging Technology in Teaching and Learning
March 10, 2026
Fadhilah Aini, Nurul Husna, Mutia Hidayati
Integrating BAKU (Good and Strong) culture into Islamic mindfulness therapy helps young Muslims in the Daarut Tauhiid Bandung environment better manage anxiety and depression. The qualitative phenomenological study involved digitally active young Muslims who regularly participate in religious activities. Thematic analysis of in-depth interviews showed that this culturally aligned approach improves resilience, psychological well-being, and emotional management skills. Because the therapy matches participants' spiritual and cultural values, it is more relevant and acceptable than standard interventions. The authors recommend developing mental health programs that combine Islamic mindfulness with local culture as both a preventive and curative solution for young Muslims in the digital era.
Research Square
March 10, 2026
Giammarco di Gregorio, Sophia Basset, Harjot Manmohan et al.
Depression and anxiety affect one in five adults, with age influencing prevalence. A cross-sectional survey of 1,088 adults aged 18–55+ years examined how lifetime use of classic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, LSD), non-classic psychedelics (e.g., MDMA, ketamine), or both relates to mental health. Age significantly moderated these relationships: classic psychedelic use was linked to lower depression and anxiety among younger adults, but these benefits diminished with age and even reversed for anxiety in older participants. These age-related effects persisted regardless of dosage, frequency, or recency of use and were moderated by mystical experiences for depression but not anxiety. Age may be a meaningful moderator of mental health outcomes from psychedelic use, highlighting the need for age-stratified research to optimize psychedelic-assisted interventions.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 9, 2026
Alicia Cohorst, Petri Kajonius
A meta-analysis and systematic review found that psychedelic substances are associated with moderate-to-large reductions in death anxiety, with a significant overall effect size (Cohen's d = 0.70). Stronger effects were observed in clinically controlled settings than in the general population, and mystical experiences were positively linked to these reductions. The qualitative review identified themes of ego dissolution, emotional catharsis, and living in the present moment. The findings suggest psychedelic-assisted interventions may be effective for reducing death anxiety, especially in end-of-life care, though limitations include a small number of studies, potential publication bias, and high heterogeneity in outcome measurement.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
March 9, 2026
Noah N. Barr, Briony Larance, Matthew J. Schweickle et al.
A survey of 106 adults who had a meaningful psychedelic experience found that increases in feelings of connectedness—to oneself, others, and the world—were linked to reduced fear of death and death avoidance. Participants reported these changes when comparing the three months before and after the experience. Greater connectedness in all three domains was associated with less fear of death, but only connectedness to self and others was tied to lower death avoidance. The intensity of the mystical experience was also related to greater connectedness and less fear of death, but not to death avoidance. The authors call for further research to clarify causality and whether these changes reflect adaptive acceptance or denial.
Discover Mental Health
March 7, 2026
Nicholas Fabiano, Brendon Stubbs, David W. Lawrence et al.
More than half of people with major depressive disorder do not respond to standard treatments, prompting interest in alternatives such as exercise and psychedelics. This commentary examines how these two approaches might work together. Biologically, psychedelics briefly boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling, while exercise provides sustained BDNF elevation; psychedelics enhance neuroplasticity mainly in the cortex, whereas exercise promotes hippocampal neurogenesis; both increase serotonin release. Psychologically, psychedelics may help people adopt exercise habits, and exercise may improve emotional resilience, potentially deepening the psychedelic experience. The authors suggest that these complementary mechanisms warrant future research on their combined efficacy, tolerability, safety, and neurobiology.
Medicine
March 6, 2026
Hongfei Xiong, Yingxue Xu, Jiayi Liu et al.
Single-dose esketamine, given orally or intranasally, effectively reduces preoperative anxiety in children. The 95% effective dose (ED95) for oral administration is 8.2125 mg/kg (95% CI: 7.4250-8.4597 mg/kg), and for intranasal administration is 2.1770 mg/kg (95% CI: 2.0952-2.1958 mg/kg). The findings indicate both safety and efficacy for this use.
Psychopharmacology
March 4, 2026
Ava M. Mac, Srinivasu Kallakuri, Alixandria T. Mascarin et al.
Repeated low doses of MDMA (2.5 mg/kg) caused mild anxiety-like behavior in rats one day after exposure, but this effect was confounded by reduced movement and did not persist at 15 days. Higher doses (5 mg/kg) did not produce anxiety-like behavior. Sucrose preference, a measure of anhedonia, increased over time and was unaffected by MDMA or sex. Brain analysis showed reduced serotonin levels in the nucleus accumbens one day after both MDMA doses, but not in the prefrontal cortex or dorsal hippocampus. These transient effects suggest that low-dose MDMA used clinically may be tolerated without limiting therapeutic benefit.
Journal of palliative medicine
March 1, 2026
Robert K Horowitz, William E Rosa, Ali John Zarrabi et al.
Psychospiritual distress causes profound suffering in people with serious illness, yet treatment options are few. A palliative care-embedded ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) program called Pal-KAP was developed and delivered at an academic medical center. Between May 2023 and September 2025, 59 patients were referred for screening; 43 met eligibility criteria, and 30 elected to participate. Patients (age 19-76, mean 53) completed a median of 1.5 medicine sessions (range 1-5). Most had cancer (80%) or neurological disease (13.3%). Ketamine dose averaged 0.93 mg/kg intramuscularly, with minor adverse effects and no serious adverse events. This experience suggests that KAP can be delivered safely and ethically in palliative care.
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
March 1, 2026
Ana Deutsch, Luis E. Contreras, Sarah Kratina et al.
Mystical-type experiences induced by psychedelic therapy are commonly linked to reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms, according to a scoping review of 13 clinical trials involving 410 participants. Among studies with life-threatening disease populations, 80% reported a positive relationship between mystical-type experiences and mood improvement, compared to 63% of studies with depressive populations. The review suggests this relationship may depend on factors like timing of symptom assessments and therapeutic context. Future research should examine variables affecting mystical-type experiences and other aspects of set and setting to optimize positive outcomes.