Skip to content

Eve Ekman

Osher Center for Integrative Health, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, USA.

3 papers in the library · 320 citations · publishing 2020-2025

Papers

Psilocybin-assisted group therapy for demoralized older long-term AIDS survivor men: An open-label safety and feasibility pilot study

EClinicalMedicine September 24, 2020 B. Anderson, Alicia Danforth, Prof Robert Daroff et al. 271 citations

Psilocybin-assisted group therapy is feasible, relatively safe, and potentially effective for reducing demoralization in older long-term AIDS survivor (OLTAS) gay men, a population with high levels of demoralization and traumatic loss. In an open-label study, participants with moderate-to-severe demoralization received 8-10 group therapy visits and one psilocybin administration (0.3-0.36 mg/kg). The primary clinical outcome showed a reduction in demoralization from baseline to end-of-treatment and to 3-month follow-up, with a moderate effect size (partial eta-squared = 0.47, 90% CI 0.21-0.60). Groups may offer an efficient model for delivering psychotherapy alongside psilocybin to patients with complex needs.

DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100538 Psilocybin Anxiety Adverse effect Depression economics +4

Participant Reports of Mindfulness, Posttraumatic Growth, and Social Connectedness in Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 12, 2021 Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Eve Ekman, B. Anderson et al. 47 citations

In a qualitative study of nine gay cisgender men diagnosed with HIV before 1996 and experiencing significant trauma symptoms, psilocybin-assisted group therapy helped participants shift from habitual, evaluative thinking to mindful, experiential awareness. During psilocybin sessions, individuals processed and released previously avoided feelings such as grief and shame, and accessed positive emotions including joy, gratitude, love, care, and compassion. The treatment also supported meaning-making and posttraumatic growth across psychological, relational, and spiritual dimensions, as participants integrated past traumas into their life narratives. These findings suggest that combining group therapy with psilocybin may enhance trauma processing by reinforcing social cohesion, safety, trust, and belonging.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678211022949 Psilocybin Mindfulness Interpretative phenomenological analysis Psychotherapist +6

"It's a Really Big Privilege to be Able to Take Care of Ourselves": A Mixed Methods Study of Integrating Mindfulness for Mental Health into a Job Training Program for Low-Income Emerging Adults.

Global advances in integrative medicine and health January 1, 2025 Dorothy T Chiu, Forest Fein, Ariana Thompson-Lastad et al. 2 citations

Integrating a mindfulness elective into a year-long job training program for diverse, low-income emerging adults improved mindfulness, life satisfaction, and self-compassion while reducing stress. Over two years, 195 participants (mean age 22.3, 94.4% from racially and ethnically minoritized groups) took the elective. In Year 1, mindfulness participants showed greater mindfulness (+8.4) and life satisfaction (+10.3) and lower stress (-8.2); controls showed no changes. In Year 2, both 12-week and 6-week groups improved in mindfulness, life satisfaction, self-compassion, connectedness, and mind-body connection, with larger gains in the longer course. Focus groups confirmed that the elective supported self-care, health, and professional development, suggesting such integration can promote mental health equity.

DOI: 10.1177/27536130251347913 Full text Mindfulness Health equity Job performance Mind-body interventions +16