JAMA psychiatry
July 1, 2023
Roman Palitsky, Deanna M Kaplan, Caroline Peacock et al.
86 citations
Spiritual, existential, religious, and theological components are important in psychedelic-assisted therapy, but they have not been systematically integrated into clinical practice. Research shows that spiritually integrated psychotherapies are effective and produce additional benefits on spiritually relevant outcomes, which are particularly relevant to psychedelic therapy. Established standards in spiritually integrated psychotherapy can be applied to psychedelic-assisted therapy. Integrating these topics is needed for culturally competent, evidence-based treatment aligned with high clinical standards, and neglecting them may undermine treatment success and increase risks for patients.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
July 31, 2024
Roman Palitsky, Deanna M. Kaplan, John Perna et al.
32 citations
A multidisciplinary working group identified 54 potential adverse events that warrant systematic assessment in psychedelic-assisted therapies, finding that existing measurement tools substantially fail to cover these constructs. The group developed recommendations for when and how to assess these adverse events across preparation, dosing, integration, and follow-up phases, and demonstrated a preliminary assessment protocol. The framework addresses the need to capture post-acute dosing adverse events, accounting for both the pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy components of psychedelic-assisted therapy, as well as documented impacts on worldviews and spirituality.
PLoS ONE
January 2, 2024
Caroline Peacock, Erin Brauer, Ali John Zarrabi et al.
27 citations
Spiritual health practitioners bring unique expertise to psychedelic-assisted therapy based on their training and professional experience. Interviews with 15 such practitioners revealed seven themes in two domains: unique contributions (competency with spiritual material, awareness of power dynamics, familiarity with non-ordinary states, holding space, counterbalancing biomedical perspectives) and general contributions (using general therapeutic skills and supporting interdisciplinary collaboration). Their skills complement other clinical team members, and psychedelic-assisted therapy teams may benefit from including them. Further work is needed to define roles, qualifications, and training for these clinicians.
Psychotherapy
January 13, 2025
Roman Palitsky, Jessica L Maples-Keller, Caroline Peacock et al.
13 citations
In an open-label trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for cancer-related demoralization and chronic pain, patients, facilitators, and caregivers identified key components and improvements for the treatment protocol. Using the Enhanced Critical Incident Technique, interviews revealed critical incidents, wish list items, and contributing factors related to therapy aspects like intention-setting and overall protocol transitions. The findings emphasize tailoring treatment to individual medical history, supporting common therapeutic factors, and ensuring collaborative care. Nine topic areas for protocol improvement emerged from the data.
March 5, 2024
Roman Palitsky, Deanna M. Kaplan, John Perna et al.
4 citations
preprint
A multidisciplinary working group identified 53 potential adverse events (AEs) specific to psychedelic-assisted therapies (PATs) that current assessment tools miss. Existing measures cover only a fraction of these constructs. The group recommends new assessment methods—including patient, clinician, and informant reports—and specifies when to measure AEs across preparation, dosing, integration, and follow-up phases. The framework addresses gaps in capturing post-acute dosing effects, including changes in worldview and spirituality, which distinguish PAT from other treatments.
Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.)
June 1, 2026
Roman Palitsky, Laura E Captari, Jessica L Maples-Keller et al.
3 citations
The relational spirituality model (RSM) provides a framework for developing spiritual and religious competence in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies. Psychedelic-assisted therapies can provoke personally meaningful spiritual or existential experiences linked to improved outcomes. The RSM's inclusive spiritual, existential, religious, and theological approach offers a pluralistic way to engage diverse traditions in therapy. The article describes the RSM and introduces pragmatic training methods—deliberate practice, experiential components, SERT groups, and assessment training—that can be integrated into existing mental health or psychedelic therapy training programs. It also discusses how the RSM can inform interdisciplinary collaborations across disciplines and healing communities.
Psychedelics
April 29, 2025
Ishan Pasricha, Caroline Peacock, Roman Palitsky et al.
3 citations
Spiritual health practitioners (healthcare chaplains) increasingly facilitate psychedelic-assisted therapy. A qualitative study of 15 such practitioners (60% female, average age 46.57) found two main themes: initial motivations and ongoing sources of meaning. Personal psychedelic experiences were a key initial motivator. Ongoing fulfillment came from witnessing healing in others and positive personal impacts of facilitating care. Personal experiences provide valuable firsthand knowledge of psychedelic phenomenology but may introduce bias. Training guidelines from the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, emphasizing self-literacy and reflection, may help address these risks. The authors introduce a reflective learning exercise based on these findings.