Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
January 30, 2026
Veronica Magar, Marlena Robbins, Óscar Martín López Fernández Lobo Blanco et al.
1 citation
Indigenous Peoples have long stewarded natural psychoactive medicines through ceremony and kinship, yet their contributions are often marginalized in psychedelic science. This commentary argues for reciprocal collaboration grounded in Indigenous sovereignty, cultural rights, and governance. Drawing on traditions involving ayahuasca, psilocybin, peyote, and iboga, it illustrates how Indigenous methodologies offer critical insights for safety and efficacy. The authors call for embedding free, prior, and informed consent, equitable benefit-sharing, and Indigenous leadership in research and policy, moving beyond tokenism toward systemic change. They conclude by urging formal, transparent convening processes modeled on WHO global consultations to bring Indigenous leaders, researchers, and policymakers together.
International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science
January 28, 2026
Łukasz Deska, Cezary Kosmecki, Dawid Głaz et al.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy shows rapid, robust, and sustained antidepressant effects for major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression, often after one or two sessions. Its safety profile is generally favorable, with transient and mild adverse events. The therapy primarily acts on serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, modulating brain networks and enhancing neuroplasticity. However, high costs, limited accessibility due to the intensive therapeutic model, and regulatory hurdles present significant challenges. Compared with conventional antidepressants and ketamine, psilocybin offers a promising alternative, especially when standard treatments fail, by providing durable symptom reduction through unique neurobiological pathways.
Synthese
January 26, 2026
Celia R. Blaise
A recurring finding in psychedelic-assisted therapy is that the subjective intensity and quality of the psychedelic experience contribute more to therapeutic outcomes than the administered dose. Many explanations appeal to what these experiences reveal or enable, such as acquiring mental representations, expanding awareness, or revising beliefs about the self and the world. This paper argues that even if psychedelics work by loosening beliefs or expanding awareness, this alone does not explain why resulting changes should be beneficial rather than neutral or harmful. Existing theories risk describing processes that could worsen distress as easily as alleviate it. The author argues that without a positive shift in affective valence, there is no clear reason why psychedelic experiences should lead to therapeutic outcomes.
Cureus
January 25, 2026
Hana Abbasian
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is emerging as a promising mental health treatment that may foster emotional processing, self-understanding, and personal growth through transformative experiences. This article examines ethical considerations through narrative ethics, which focuses on patients' lived experiences and cultural contexts, and virtue ethics, which highlights clinicians' moral character and relational presence. Integrating these frameworks supports holistic, patient-centered care addressing psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of recovery. Ethical practice requires building trust and inclusivity to ensure these interventions promote resilience, empowerment, and well-being across diverse communities. The discussion offers guidance for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers navigating ethical complexities in integrating psychedelics into mental health care.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 22, 2026
Alka Christnacht, Therry Rose Eparwa, Emily Whinkin et al.
Ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP) may help treat postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) when introduced within the first two years after childbirth. Existing medications often fail to work quickly enough, are hard to access, or provide only short-term relief. This retrospective case series describes three individuals who received KAP as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. The report highlights how psychedelic insights gained during sessions may contribute to symptom improvement, suggesting KAP could offer a more effective and sustained therapeutic option for postpartum mental health.
Journal of clinical psychopharmacology
January 12, 2026
Natia Horato, Felipe Dalvi-Garcia, Pablo E P Dutra et al.
1 citation
A systematic review of 15 studies (10 randomized double-blind controlled trials and 5 open-label trials) examined the efficacy of psychedelics for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), a severe subtype of major depressive disorder. The review suggests that both typical and atypical psychedelics can provide rapid and substantial improvement in depressive symptoms, representing an alternative and complementary therapeutic approach to traditional treatments for TRD.
Psychedelics
January 8, 2026
Rachel Yehuda, Amy Lehrner, Miryam Sperka et al.
2 citations
The original manual for MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for PTSD, developed by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), introduced concepts like “inner healing intelligence” from transpersonal traditions, which lacked clear grounding in trauma science and were difficult to standardize. In response, a new model called Integrative MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy (IMAP) is proposed. IMAP is a principle-guided, patient-driven approach rooted in humanistic and trauma-focused psychotherapy. It offers flexible, relationally attuned support for nonlinear therapeutic processes, drawing on contemporary PTSD theories and evidence-based trauma interventions while retaining experiential approaches. The model invites empirical study to determine essential therapeutic elements in psychedelic contexts.
JAMA network open
January 2, 2026
Gianluca Andri Florineth, Isabell Klima, Anna Laura Boeker et al.
5 citations
In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 controlled clinical trials involving 733 adults with depressive symptoms, psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) with psilocybin or LSD produced a large overall reduction in depressive symptoms compared to control conditions. More hours of preparation therapy before the psychedelic session were significantly linked to greater symptom reduction. However, the number of post-dosing integration therapy hours, total therapy sessions, and longer follow-up periods were not associated with better outcomes. Most studies had high risk of bias due to ineffective blinding. The findings suggest that preparation therapy may be a key component in optimizing PAT outcomes, but further research is needed.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2026
Philip Kamilar-Britt, Alyssa B. Oliva, Mitch Earleywine
Familiarity with treatment options predicts how credible nicotine users find both standard cessation methods and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. In a survey of 534 daily nicotine users, those more familiar with a treatment rated it as more credible. Credibility, in turn, predicted interest in trying that treatment. Younger age, lower education, and prior psychedelic use were associated with greater interest in psilocybin-assisted therapy. Tailoring educational materials to increase familiarity may improve treatment engagement and outcomes.
Psychedelic Harm Reduction
January 1, 2026
Michael Koslowski, Peter Gasser
6 citations
Psychedelic substances show therapeutic promise but can cause distressing episodes known as challenging experiences or bad trips. Three case reports illustrate the problem and inform strategies for management. A stepwise approach is outlined, including helpful interventions, supportive care, and rescue medication, to ensure well-being and prevent complications or long-term harm.
Psychedelic Harm Reduction
January 1, 2026
Ido Hartogsohn
13 citations
The concept of set and setting is central to psychedelic studies, referring to how mindset and environment shape psychedelic experiences and their outcomes. This paper proposes a framework for understanding set and setting in relation to harm reduction. It describes four modalities—therapeutic, clinical trial, ritualistic, and recreational—and examines how set and setting differ across them, the implications of these differences, and how harm reduction strategies can be tailored to each. Integrating set and setting principles into public health policies and education could enhance the effectiveness of harm reduction programs for psychedelics.
Case Reports in Psychiatry
January 1, 2026
Ridhi J. Vyas, Ryan Hood, Jeremy Hsiang et al.
A 31-year-old woman with chronic PTSD and a history of childhood compulsions developed new-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) after undergoing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) in a clinical trial. Her PTSD had been resistant to multiple medications, and she reported significant improvements in flashbacks and suicidal ideation after the first session. Following a delayed second session, she experienced intrusive guilt, scrupulosity, and compulsive urges to confess, leading to a DSM-5 diagnosis of OCD. OCD symptoms persisted for over a year, with a Y-BOCS score of 17 indicating moderate severity, and improved with escitalopram. This case suggests that MDMA-AP may trigger obsessive-compulsive pathology in individuals with complex trauma and prior obsessive-compulsive tendencies, possibly through serotonergic effects on frontostriatal circuits, and highlights the need for screening and long-term monitoring in such protocols.
PloS one
January 1, 2026
Diego Castellano-Ramírez, Elisa Hernández-Álvarez, Lucas F Borkel et al.
A survey of 325 medical and nursing students at a Spanish university found cautiously optimistic views toward psychedelic-assisted therapy, though concerns persist. Women reported lower perceived knowledge about psychedelics, while older students showed greater openness to their therapeutic potential. Medical students had higher perceived knowledge and stronger agreement with therapeutic applications than nursing students, who more strongly linked psychedelic use to psychiatric risk. Students who had personally used psychedelics were more supportive of legalization and therapeutic use. Formal education on psychedelics was associated with more favorable attitudes and increased knowledge, suggesting that training may reduce stigma and support evidence-based policy.
Substance use & addiction journal
January 1, 2026
Olivia Marcus, Brian Rush
Growing evidence from population surveys, observational studies, and clinical trials suggests that psychedelics may help treat substance use disorders and improve well-being, though methodological concerns limit the validity and generalizability of findings. Symptom reduction appears linked to pharmacological, spiritual, and interpersonal processes. The review calls for more transparent clinical research, larger studies tracking long-term outcomes, and greater investment in observational, naturalistic, and population-level research to address safety, real-world effectiveness, accessibility, and ethical issues, including respect for Indigenous and traditional communities.
The International journal on drug policy
January 1, 2026
Guy Simon, Nir Tadmor, Demian Halperin
2 citations
Psychedelics can produce lasting changes in attitudes and behavior, with outcomes shaped by both the drug and the context of use ('set and setting'). As these substances move from traditional settings into clinical environments, a tension arises between authenticity and standardization. Drawing on Walter Benjamin's concept of 'aura,' this article examines what may be lost or gained when psychedelic experiences are reproduced in institutional settings. It explores how set and setting contribute to authenticity, analyzes the implications of medicalization, and considers the roles of ritual and commodification. The authors propose ways to integrate traditional context with clinical approaches to preserve psychedelics' transformative potential.
Issues in Mental Health Nursing
January 1, 2026
Jennifer Tustison, Charlene Niemi, Kristen R. Choi
1 citation
The integration of psychedelic substances into mental health treatments may represent a major shift in psychiatric care. This article examines the ethical considerations surrounding this paradigm change.
Drug design, development and therapy
January 1, 2026
Fan Bu, Lan Qin, Zhengchi Lou et al.
Depressive disorders remain a leading cause of disability, and many patients do not achieve lasting remission with current treatments, especially those with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) or bipolar depression. This narrative review examines next-generation pharmacotherapy from a drug-centered and mechanism-informed perspective. It covers NMDA receptor modulators, dextromethorphan-bupropion, multimodal antidepressants, neuroactive steroids like brexanolone and zuranolone, psychedelic-assisted therapy, kappa-opioid receptor antagonists, and bipolar-specific mood stabilizers. The review also discusses optimizing existing drugs through repurposing, augmentation, combination therapy, and precision approaches like pharmacogenomics. Progress depends on both developing new compounds and improving treatment selection, sequencing, and monitoring across unipolar depression, bipolar depression, and TRD.
Annals of medicine and surgery (2012)
January 1, 2026
Sana Rasheed, Rida Arif, Ahmed Asad Raza et al.
1 citation
Psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound, shows promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder, especially when traditional therapies fail. Evidence from clinical studies between 2014 and 2024 indicates that psilocybin acts on serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, enhancing neuroplasticity and brain connectivity to produce rapid and sustained symptom relief. However, its classification as a Schedule I substance in many countries and societal stigma have restricted research and use. Overcoming regulatory barriers, conducting larger and more diverse studies, and establishing long-term safety and efficacy data are critical for integrating psilocybin into mainstream mental health care.
Palliative & Supportive Care
January 1, 2026
Stephen Lewis
1 citation
Three patient-centered outcome measures for spiritual wellbeing—FACIT-Sp-12, EORTC QLQ-SWB-32, and NIH-HEALS—are suitable for use in psychedelic-assisted therapy with palliative care populations, based on a review of 286 articles. The NIH-HEALS is recommended for wider use because of its orientation toward identifying spiritual change in serious illness, strong reliability and validity, and accessibility across spiritual traditions.
Medicinska istrazivanja
January 1, 2026
Stefan Jerotić, Olga Čolović, Nađa Marić
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) shows promise for treating major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, but the specific role of psychotherapy within PAP remains unclear. This narrative review describes the development of PAP in Western psychiatry, outlines the standard therapeutic framework of preparation, dosing, and integration, and synthesizes findings from recent randomized controlled trials with psilocybin and MDMA. Although these trials report significant clinical benefit, they vary widely in therapeutic orientation, manualization, and therapist involvement.
Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology
January 1, 2026
Kristian Beichmann, Polina Catzeflis, Helena D Aicher et al.
In Switzerland, physicians provide psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) with psilocybin, LSD, or MDMA under case-by-case exemptions from the Federal Office of Public Health. An anonymous survey of 41 physicians found that PAT is used mainly for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain. Most physicians work in private practices (82%) and use body-oriented (61%), psychodynamic (59%), and eclectic (54%) approaches. Psilocybin is the most used substance (85%), followed by MDMA (71%) and LSD (65.9%). Substance choice is linked to diagnosis: psilocybin for depression (54%) and substance use disorder (46%), MDMA for PTSD (86%) and anxiety (54%). Music is played in 90% of sessions. Group therapy is common; 42% provide both individual and group settings. Challenges include legal constraints, high patient expectations, and financial barriers.