Addiction
July 24, 2025
Amandine Luquiens, Dahbia Belahda, Carine Graux et al.
22 citations
A pilot randomized controlled trial tested psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in 30 adults with severe alcohol use disorder and depression who had recently completed detoxification. Participants received either 25 mg or 1 mg of psilocybin in two sessions three weeks apart, alongside standard care. At 12 weeks, the 25 mg group had a significantly higher abstinence rate (55% vs 11%), greater reductions in drinking days and craving frequency, and a lower relapse rate (35% vs 50%), though the latter difference was not statistically significant. Blinding was imperfect, and one serious adverse event (myocardial infarction) occurred in the 25 mg group, deemed unrelated. The treatment appears feasible, acceptable, and safe in this population.
The International journal on drug policy
July 8, 2026
Laetitia Vanderijst, Jean-Luc Faillie, Thibault Mura et al.
Imperfect blinding is a common issue in randomized trials, not just in psychedelic research, yet it is rarely assessed outside this field. In mental health, uncertainties from imperfect blinding combine with those from patient-reported outcomes, which are often viewed skeptically despite clinician-rated scales having their own limitations. Maintaining reasonable doubt about treatment allocation, not perfect blinding, supports placebo-controlled designs. Expectancy bias in psychedelic trials may lead to a 'lessebo' effect—a negative placebo effect from expecting to receive a placebo—driven by disappointment rather than pre-treatment expectation alone. The authors argue for shifting focus from preserving imperfect blinding to mitigating disappointment through structured psychoeducation, therapeutic alliance, and realistic preparation, which would improve ethical rigor and clinical usefulness.
Journal of Affective Disorders
January 19, 2026
Maria Garcia Garcia, Dahbia Belahda, Carine Graux et al.
In psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, participants who responded to treatment described their experience as an inner dialogue and used adaptive coping strategies, while non-responders focused on sensory and affective details and relied on suppressive coping. The presence of inner dialogue may represent a unique therapeutic mechanism, underscoring the value of preparation and integration in such therapy.