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Michael Savic

2 papers in the library · 16 citations · publishing 2020-2026

Papers

Ibogaine therapy for addiction: Consumer views from online fora.

The International journal on drug policy September 1, 2020 Michaela Barber, John Gardner, Michael Savic et al. 16 citations

Online forums like Reddit and Drugs Forum serve as key resources for people considering ibogaine therapy for addiction, where personal experiences and evidence-based information are both valued. Forum participants discuss treatment arrangements, risks, and harm reduction extensively. While many prefer clinic-based treatment due to safety concerns, financial and time constraints sometimes lead to lay-administration of ibogaine. Microdosing is frequently discussed. Therapeutic effects are primarily framed in terms of pharmacological mechanisms, but positive psychological changes from the psychedelic experience are also reported. The forums foster a sense of community where individuals are held accountable for treatment success, and neuroscientific explanations of addiction hold particular explanatory power for participants.

Unlocking 'stuckness' and catalysing change: A qualitative study of clinician and service leader perspectives on psychedelic-assisted therapy for substance use and mental health problems.

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.