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.
BMC Psychiatry
February 28, 2025
John Perna, Justin Trop, Roman Palitsky et al.
15 citations
A case report describes tensions between legal and underground psychedelic use within therapy training programs, psychiatry, and neo-shamanism. It details how psychiatric interventions like electroconvulsive therapy and energy medicine were used to address prolonged adverse effects from psychedelics. The report urges clinicians to recognize conflicts between psychiatric views of these adverse effects and frameworks in psychedelic communities, which can affect patients' symptoms, decisions, and emotional struggles.
npj Aging
July 8, 2025
Kosuke Kato, Yoon-Joo Shin, Cristian Coarfa et al.
11 citations
Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound from hallucinogenic mushrooms, is known for therapeutic potential in psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions, but its molecular mechanisms are unclear. This study provides the first experimental evidence that psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, extends cellular lifespan, and psilocybin treatment promotes increased longevity in aged mice. These findings suggest psilocybin may be a potent geroprotective agent, opening new avenues for aging research.
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.
Journal of pain and symptom management
March 1, 2026
William B Alexander, Eric D Hansen, Brian T Anderson et al.
1 citation
Loss of meaning is a hallmark of demoralization syndrome, a prevalent condition in palliative care linked to diminished quality of life, increased symptom burden, and higher suicide risk. Existential psychological interventions improve psychosocial outcomes, but evidence for their effect on demoralization is limited. Psychedelic therapies, which enhance meaning-making and integrate existential approaches, show promise for existential distress and demoralization in early clinical trials. Novel combined pharmacological and psychological interventions like psychedelic therapy warrant further investigation.
Journal of palliative medicine
March 1, 2026
Robert K Horowitz, William E Rosa, Ali John Zarrabi et al.
Psychospiritual distress causes profound suffering in people with serious illness, yet treatment options are few. A palliative care-embedded ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) program called Pal-KAP was developed and delivered at an academic medical center. Between May 2023 and September 2025, 59 patients were referred for screening; 43 met eligibility criteria, and 30 elected to participate. Patients (age 19-76, mean 53) completed a median of 1.5 medicine sessions (range 1-5). Most had cancer (80%) or neurological disease (13.3%). Ketamine dose averaged 0.93 mg/kg intramuscularly, with minor adverse effects and no serious adverse events. This experience suggests that KAP can be delivered safely and ethically in palliative care.
January 1, 2025
Tammie E. Quest, Ali John Zarrabi
In a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial, 51 cancer patients with depression and anxiety received a low dose (placebo) and a high dose of psilocybin combined with psychotherapy, with sessions spaced 5 weeks apart and follow-up at 6 months. The high-dose group showed large reductions in clinician- and self-rated depression and anxiety, along with improved quality of life, life meaning, optimism, and decreased death anxiety at 5 weeks. Around 80% of participants maintained significant improvements in depression and anxiety at 6-month follow-up. A mystical-type experience on the drug session day mediated the effect of psilocybin dose on therapeutic outcomes.
Psychedelics.
December 17, 2024
Zachary Bosshardt, Jessica L. Maples‐keller, Deanna M. Kaplan et al.
Attendees at a conference on psychedelics and spiritual care generally agreed that microdosing may have benefits and expressed modest concern about potential harm from therapeutic psychedelic use. Among 178 survey respondents, 40.2% agreed or strongly agreed that psychedelics could be harmful therapeutically, while 30.7% were unsure. A subset of 32 psychedelic care facilitators reported using psychedelics to treat a wide range of diagnoses with diverse psychotherapy approaches and endorsed a need for cultural adaptations in psychedelic treatments.