A single 20-minute online mindfulness session did not reduce chronic pain intensity or unpleasantness more than sham mindfulness or a general sham condition in 169 adults with chronic or recurrent pain. All three active conditions reduced pain unpleasantness compared to an audiobook control, and this effect was most strongly linked to participants' expectations (placebo). No evidence was found that mindfulness engages its theorized specific processes. The findings suggest that short-term pain relief from a single mindfulness session may be driven by placebo effects rather than mindfulness-specific mechanisms.
Mental health professionals' attitudes toward a trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy did not differ overall from their attitudes toward a neutrally labeled pharmacotherapy trial. Psychiatrists were less willing to recommend participation in the MDMA-AP trial than in the control trial. Psychologists and researchers showed no differences. More experienced professionals had greater concern and stronger objections to the MDMA-AP trial than less experienced ones. The findings suggest that certain mental health professionals, particularly experienced psychiatrists, may be hesitant about MDMA-AP, which could pose barriers to its research and implementation.