Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 13, 2015
Michael P. Bogenschutz, Alyssa A. Forcehimes, Jessica A. Pommy et al.
1,164 citations
In a small proof-of-concept study, ten volunteers with alcohol dependence received one or two supervised doses of psilocybin alongside therapy. Abstinence did not increase during the first four weeks of treatment but increased significantly after psilocybin administration, with gains largely maintained up to 36 weeks. The intensity of effects during the first psilocybin session strongly predicted reduced drinking and craving and increased abstinence self-efficacy in the following weeks. No serious adverse events occurred. These preliminary findings support larger controlled trials to test efficacy and mechanisms.
JAMA Psychiatry
August 24, 2022
Michael P. Bogenschutz, Stephen Ross, Snehal Bhatt et al.
668 citations
Two doses of psilocybin, given alongside psychotherapy, substantially reduced heavy drinking in people with alcohol use disorder compared to an active placebo (diphenhydramine) plus psychotherapy. Over 32 weeks, heavy drinking days averaged 9.7% in the psilocybin group versus 23.6% in the placebo group—a mean difference of 13.9 percentage points. Daily alcohol consumption was also lower with psilocybin. No serious adverse events occurred in the psilocybin group. The findings support further research into psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
April 3, 2018
Tara C. Malone, Sarah E. Mennenga, Jeffrey Guss et al.
128 citations
Cancer patients who receive psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy often have personalized experiences that extend beyond their diagnosis, centering on self-compassion, love, acceptance of death, and past trauma. In a double-blind trial, 29 patients with cancer-related anxiety and depression received either psilocybin or niacin with psychotherapy. Psilocybin produced rapid and lasting reductions in anxiety and depression. Detailed accounts of four participants show that while the content of each psilocybin session was unique, common themes emerged. The findings highlight how the subjective effects of psilocybin can address individual spiritual and psychological needs.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
February 20, 2018
Michael P. Bogenschutz, Samantha K. Podrebarac, Jessie H. Duane et al.
125 citations
After a 40-year pause, clinical research on classic hallucinogens for addiction has resumed. An ongoing double-blind placebo-controlled trial tests psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder, building on a small open-label feasibility study. Descriptive case studies of three participants illustrate treatment trajectories. Pivotal moments during psilocybin sessions are individualized, vivid, and memorable, often extending beyond the clinical problem. Participants experienced lasting shifts in self-perception, consciousness, and relationship with alcohol. Experiences of catharsis, forgiveness, self-compassion, and love were as salient as mystical content. Feelings of increased mindfulness, spaciousness, and control over choices and behavior were reported. The treatment elicits highly variable experiences that appear to meet individual needs.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
February 21, 2018
Elizabeth M. Nielson, Darrick G. May, Alyssa A. Forcehimes et al.
111 citations
In an open-label pilot study of psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence, researchers analyzed 17 debriefing sessions conducted the day after psilocybin medication sessions. Participants described key phenomena related to changes in their drinking behavior and the acute subjective effects of psilocybin. The findings illuminate change processes in patients' own words during clinical sessions, shedding light on potential therapeutic mechanisms and how participants express the effects of psilocybin. This study is unique in analyzing actual clinical sessions rather than interviews conducted separately from treatment.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
October 16, 2016
Michael P. Bogenschutz, Alyssa A. Forcehimes
96 citations
Research into the clinical value of classic hallucinogens and other psychedelics has increased markedly in the past two decades. Effective experimental and clinical use requires psychotherapeutic models tailored to the disorder and integrated with the drug's pharmacological effects. This paper provides an overview of the history of psychedelic-assisted treatment, reviews known therapeutic mechanisms, and considers the purposes of psychotherapy in research and clinical contexts. The authors describe a therapy model they developed for a trial of psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcoholism and discuss advantages and disadvantages of alternative models, emphasizing the need for research to determine the most effective approaches for established indications.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
April 24, 2018
Paulo César Ribeiro Barbosa, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Michael P. Bogenschutz et al.
95 citations
Members of the Brazilian União do Vegetal (UDV) who drink ayahuasca in ceremonies show lower rates of current alcohol and tobacco use disorders compared to the general Brazilian population, even though their lifetime use of these substances is higher. Among 1,947 UDV members aged 18 and older, those who attended more ceremonies in the previous year and had longer membership reported greater reductions in alcohol and tobacco problems. The findings suggest that regular ceremonial ayahuasca use, within a religious context, is associated with reduced substance misuse, particularly for adults over 24 years old.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
June 1, 2013
Michael P. Bogenschutz
47 citations
Renewed interest in classic hallucinogens such as psilocybin and LSD for treating addictions is supported by a review of older and recent research. The article provides direct and indirect evidence for therapeutic effects, outlines unique design issues for clinical trials with these drugs, and discusses the current status and design considerations for future randomized trials.
Spirituality in Clinical Practice
September 1, 2021
Samantha K. Podrebarac, Kelley C. O’donnell, Sarah E. Mennenga et al.
38 citations
No Summary
Scientific Reports
February 7, 2024
Broc A. Pagni, Petros Petridis, Samantha K. Podrebarac et al.
30 citations
In a small pilot study, patients with alcohol use disorder underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after receiving either psilocybin or diphenhydramine. Psilocybin increased activity in the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex and left caudate, while decreasing activity in the insular, motor, temporal, parietal, and occipital cortices, and cerebellum. For negative emotional cues, psilocybin increased supramarginal gyrus activity; for positive cues, it increased right hippocampus activity and decreased left hippocampus activity. These brain changes suggest enhanced goal-directed action, improved emotional regulation, and diminished craving, but larger studies are needed to confirm the neural mechanisms of psilocybin-assisted therapy.
American Journal of Psychiatry
January 1, 2025
Noam Goldway, Snehal Bhatt, Stephen Ross et al.
23 citations
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) produced lasting changes in personality, indicating a normalization of abnormal personality trait expression in people with alcohol use disorder. The findings suggest that PAT may reduce impulsiveness, or that impulsive individuals may inherently respond better to the therapy. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanism.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
August 24, 2016
Michael P. Bogenschutz
18 citations
A pilot study testing a treatment model that uses 2–3 doses of psilocybin for smoking cessation provides long-term outcome data. The results suggest the intervention may help maintain abstinence over an extended period, though the small sample size and lack of a control group limit the strength of the conclusions.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
September 1, 2019
Kelley C. O’donnell, Sarah E. Mennenga, Michael P. Bogenschutz
15 citations
Designing rigorous clinical trials of psilocybin for major depressive disorder requires careful attention to participant selection, placebo control, blinding, dosing, non-pharmacological support, outcome measures, and safety. Transparent methods and analysis maximize the chance of obtaining meaningful, reproducible results and help gain broader scientific acceptance for psychedelic research.
Nature Mental Health
October 7, 2024
Petros Petridis, Jack Grinband, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes et al.
10 citations
No Summary
Psychedelic Medicine
January 20, 2025
Marianna Graziosi, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Mary P Cosimano et al.
9 citations
Psilocybin and other serotonergic psychedelics are used in research settings with safety measures including controlled environments, staff presence, screening, and psychoeducation. An analysis of study materials from psilocybin trials over the past two decades found that psychoeducation documents varied but commonly emphasized biological and physical safety, psychological safety and well-being, aspects of setting, and the potential for expectancies. The materials prioritized biological and psychological safety across all sites. The authors also identified elements unrelated to safety that may contribute to participant expectancies and suggest these extrapharmacological factors be studied systematically to maximize safety while minimizing extraneous expectancies.
Psychedelic Medicine
November 25, 2024
Noah D. Gold, Broc A. Pagni, Petros Petridis et al.
3 citations
Psilocybin-assisted therapy may shift personal values in people with alcohol use disorder, specifically increasing Conservation—a value domain encompassing security and tradition. In a phase II trial, 93 participants received psychotherapy plus either psilocybin or an active placebo. Those given psilocybin showed significant increases in Conservation, security, and tradition values after treatment, while the placebo group did not. Certain features of the acute psychedelic experience, such as feelings of ineffability and reduced vigilance, correlated with these value changes. However, the shifts in values were not linked to changes in drinking behavior, suggesting that value modification alone does not drive reductions in alcohol use.
June 10, 2025
Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Petros Petridis, Richard J. Zeifman et al.
1 citation
preprint
In a trial where adults with alcohol use disorder received either psilocybin or an active placebo alongside psychotherapy, psilocybin-assisted therapy robustly increased compassionate self-responding and decreased uncompassionate self-responding, with the largest effects on reducing self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification. Across all participants, small but significant correlations linked improvements in self-compassion to reduced drinking. However, in the psilocybin group alone, no significant association emerged between self-compassion gains and drinking reductions, while the control group showed moderate associations. These between-group differences were not statistically significant. Self-compassion appears clinically relevant for alcohol use disorder treatment but may not mediate outcomes when psilocybin is part of therapy.
Addiction
August 12, 2024
Michael P. Bogenschutz
1 citation
The author agrees with Andrews et al. that biased media and market forces have distorted public views of psychedelics, blurring medical and non-medical use. If psychedelics follow cannabis's path, increased harms from poor regulation and impeded clinical research may result. Three psychedelic NMDA receptor antagonists (racemic ketamine, esketamine, dextromethorphan) are already approved, but off-label ketamine prescribing often lacks empirical support. The author urges comprehensive risk evaluation and mitigation strategies for psilocybin and MDMA if approved, emphasizing careful screening, preparation, and monitoring. Methodological challenges like unblinding and expectancy effects must be addressed; correlations between drug experiences and clinical improvement need causal clarification.
Journal of Clinical and Translational Science
April 1, 2024
Broc A. Pagni, Petros Petridis, Samantha K. Podrebarac et al.
1 citation
In a small pilot study, psilocybin, compared to diphenhydramine, altered brain activity in people with alcohol use disorder when they viewed alcohol and emotional images. Psilocybin increased activity in the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex and left caudate, and decreased activity in the insular, motor, temporal, parietal, and occipital cortices and cerebellum. For negative cues, psilocybin increased supramarginal gyrus activity; for positive cues, it increased right hippocampus activity and decreased left hippocampus activity. These changes suggest enhanced goal-directed action, improved emotional regulation, and diminished craving, warranting larger studies.