Addiction (Abingdon, England)
March 30, 2026
Sarah J Catchlove, Katrin Oliver, Michael Savic et al.
In Australia, where psychedelic-assisted therapies were recently legalized for certain mental health conditions, service leaders and clinicians view psilocybin-assisted therapy in three distinct ways: as a treatment of last resort for resistant conditions, as a tool to overcome therapeutic plateaus in ongoing care, and as a catalyst for rapid progress at any treatment stage. Focus groups with nine clinicians and nine health service leaders revealed that both groups see the therapy as a complex intervention dependent on the interplay between medication, therapist skill, client readiness, and care context. Clinicians emphasized careful integration and aftercare, while leaders highlighted operational and ethical tensions within regulatory requirements. The authors suggest that implementation approaches must be reflexive and adaptive.
Drugs Education Prevention and Policy
March 22, 2026
Jordan J. Negrine, Stephen Bright, Monica J. Barratt et al.
In interviews, twenty Australian psychologists expressed that a therapist's own lived or living experience with psychedelics could enhance empathy, confidence, and therapeutic rapport in psychedelic-assisted therapy, especially given lingering stigma. They noted that the intense, altered states of PAT demand deeper therapist familiarity, which lived experience may uniquely improve beyond standard training. Most supported optional, safe, and structured inclusion of such experience in formal training, respecting ethical considerations. The findings indicate growing professional openness to experiential learning as a valuable, though not mandatory, component of preparing psychedelic therapists.
Journal of Traumatic Stress
March 12, 2026
Leslie A. Morland, B O Rothbaum, Lauren M. Sippel et al.
2 citations
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD shows promising results in recent randomized controlled trials, with high response and remission rates, but the FDA declined to approve it in August 2024 due to insufficient evidence. This review examines the current scientific literature on MDMA-AT, covering proposed mechanisms, methodological strengths and limitations, evidence gaps, and clinical, ethical, and regulatory issues. Key limitations include challenges with blinding, lack of active comparator conditions, no head-to-head comparisons of different therapy models, inadequate safety monitoring, and limited sample generalizability. Emerging research integrates MDMA with established trauma-focused therapies like prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy to leverage MDMA's effects on cognitive behavioral mechanisms.
Br J Psychiatry
March 6, 2026
No Summary
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
March 1, 2026
Guillaume Thuery, Frank Crossen, Daniel Mc Loone et al.
1 citation
About 15% of pregnant women experience postpartum depression, and many remain impaired despite available antidepressants. Serotonergic psychedelics may offer a viable therapeutic approach for postpartum depression, though the benefit-risk ratio is unclear. This review summarizes immune, endocrine, and neural pathways underlying postpartum depression and explores how psychedelics interact with these pathways in relation to maternal motivation, bonding, and caregiving. Special considerations for psychedelic therapy in the postpartum period are outlined. Further research, especially longitudinal trials with adaptations for the postpartum context, is needed to determine efficacy and safety.
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.
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.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
March 1, 2026
Veronica Szpak, Samuel Maddams, Amanda Kim et al.
Adults with opioid use disorder who have survived injection-related infections generally support psychedelic-assisted therapy as a treatment for substance use disorders, but they also express concerns. In interviews with 17 participants, common supportive themes included that hospitalization helped them recognize the severity of their disorder, that psychedelic-assisted therapy could foster insight and openness to recovery, and that professional monitoring during sessions was reassuring. Participants also valued addressing underlying mental health issues and the role of spirituality. Concerns centered on the possibility of a "bad trip," adverse effects, relapse risk, and misuse of psychedelics. Further research is needed, especially when standard medications have failed.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
March 1, 2026
BIPOC therapists see both opportunities and barriers to engaging in psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT). Opportunities include increasing diversity in the field, fostering safety and trust for clients of color, and providing culturally attuned care for trauma rooted in systemic oppression. Barriers include financial and geographic inaccessibility of training, exclusionary training environments, stigma around psychedelics, and the extractive nature of current Western therapeutic models. Participants recommended culturally responsive training, mentorship, financial support, and community education. Most participants were African American/Black, which may limit transferability. The work highlights the need for intentional efforts to create equitable, culturally informed care.