Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
June 1, 2024
Emily M Gent, Joshua W Bryan, Maisy A Cleary et al.
20 citations
A double-blind pilot study tested whether a single dose of esketamine, combined with two weeks of daily mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), enhances engagement in meditation and improves alcohol-related outcomes among 28 individuals with alcohol problems. Participants received either sublingual esketamine (115.1 mg) or a vitamin C placebo. Esketamine increased psychological engagement with daily MBI and produced transient decreases in alcohol cravings, along with greater mystical experiences and dissociative states compared to placebo. The findings suggest that esketamine may improve treatment outcomes when paired with mindfulness-based therapies by boosting engagement with meditative practice.
Frontiers in psychology
January 1, 2024
Jamie L Tully, Oliver Bridge, Joseph Rennie et al.
3 citations
During the first year of COVID-19 social restrictions (March 2020–February 2021), use of psychoactive substances for cognitive enhancement rose significantly among UK university students and staff compared to the previous year. Modafinil use increased by 42%, nutraceuticals by 30.2%, and microdose LSD by 22.2%. Polydrug use with modafinil and other prescription stimulants also rose. Personality factors—particularly lower agreeableness, male gender identity, and lower conscientiousness—reliably predicted use, while academic self-efficacy and student/staff status did not. The authors suggest increased pressures from lockdown and reduced access to university resources drove the rise.
Research Square
May 13, 2025
Eirini K. Argyri, Joy Krecké, Oliver Robinson et al.
2 citations
Professionals who support people after psychedelic experiences identify six common extended difficulties: existential struggle and ontological shock, anxiety and panic, self-perception issues, dissociative symptoms, resurfacing of repressed trauma, and disappointment from unmet expectations. Recommended support strategies include trauma-informed individual psychotherapy, grounding and mindfulness techniques, peer and community support, meaning-making and narrative reconstruction, and sometimes short-term psychiatric medication. Psychiatrists emphasize medical stabilization, while psychotherapists and coaches focus on existential meaning-making and emotional processing. The findings suggest that trauma-informed, cross-disciplinary approaches are needed for psychedelic integration as use expands.