The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry
October 1, 2024
Zohaib Nadeem, Stephen Parker, Hugh McGovern et al.
19 citations
A survey of 502 Australians, 64.5% of whom self-identified as having a mental illness, found that 43% favored legalizing psychedelics for medical use and 52.4% were open to their use, but only 24% viewed their effects positively and 33% considered them safe. Most participants (61%) had never used psychedelics. People with mental illness were more likely to have used psychedelics (44.1%) than those without (29.7%). Experience, perceived knowledge, and actual knowledge predicted attitudes toward legalization, effects, risks, and openness. While many Australians support medical legalization, safety concerns persist. Those with mental illness, prior recreational use, or greater knowledge held more positive attitudes.
July 3, 2023
Hugh McGovern, Hilary Jane Grimmer, Manoj K. Doss et al.
12 citations
preprint
Psychedelics can reorient beliefs, but they may also lead to false insights and false beliefs. A review of laboratory research on false insights and false memories is connected to belief formation under psychedelics through the active inference framework. Psychedelics increase both the quantity and subjective intensity of insights and beliefs, including false ones. Future research should aim to minimize the risk of false and potentially harmful beliefs arising from psychedelics. Understanding this risk is crucial for safely leveraging the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
July 15, 2025
Zohaib Nadeem, Stephen Parker, Hugh McGovern et al.
7 citations
Australian mental health clinicians—general practitioners, psychiatrists, and psychologists—generally hold positive attitudes toward psychedelic-assisted therapy, but concerns about safety and efficacy persist, especially among psychiatrists. Psychiatrists were significantly more likely than psychologists to perceive psychedelic use as unsafe under medical supervision and to question the scientific rigor of current research. Many clinicians relied on informal sources like podcasts and internet media for information, indicating gaps in evidence-based education. Clinicians who had personal experience with psychedelics were more likely to agree that these substances improve outcomes when combined with psychotherapy and show promise for treating psychiatric disorders. Targeted educational initiatives from professional bodies are needed to support informed clinical decision-making.
September 15, 2021
Hugh McGovern, Pantelis Leptourgos, Brendan Hutchinson et al.
4 citations
preprint
Renewed interest in psychedelics has sparked debate about whether and how they alter human beliefs. In clinical and social-cognitive contexts, psychedelic use may lead to profound and sometimes lasting belief changes. Rather than creating entirely new beliefs, psychedelics may instead shift how affect and others' suggestions influence the way beliefs are formed. Baseline beliefs, such as expectations about psychedelics' effects, might color both acute experiences and longer-term changes. To harness psychedelics' potential for clinical use and human flourishing, these possibilities require empirical investigation.
May 26, 2024
Hugh McGovern, Nick Wellman, Brendan Hutchinson et al.
2 citations
preprint
Psychedelics such as psilocybin show promise for treating anxiety, but how they work is unclear. This review proposes a model where anxiety disorders involve the hippocampus biasing the amygdala and salience network toward anxiety-related information, creating a self-perpetuating cycle. Psychedelics temporarily free cortical networks from this hippocampal constraint, and increased plasticity afterward allows the hippocampus to integrate new information into a less biased contextual frame, reducing anxious thoughts. The model highlights that psychedelics can acutely increase anxiety, and future research should determine optimal treatment approaches informed by cognitive neuroscience.
European journal of psychotraumatology
December 1, 2026
Philip Gerrans, Hugh McGovern, Jakob Hohwy et al.
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) involves lasting difficulties with emotions, self-concept, and relationships, beyond typical PTSD symptoms. This review proposes a neurocognitive explanation based on predictive processing and self-modelling, focusing on how the brain's insula integrates bodily signals, emotions, and self-awareness. The authors suggest that C-PTSD arises from maladaptive predictions shaped by prolonged interpersonal trauma, leading to unstable self-regulation. They examine MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as one intervention that may temporarily alter emotional salience, trust, and self-related thinking. The framework generates testable hypotheses about self-modelling in C-PTSD and offers guidance for developing treatments that target affective regulation and self-referential processing.
June 27, 2021
Annie Mccartney, Hugh McGovern, Alexander de Foe
preprint
Psychedelic substances like psilocybin and ketamine show promise for rapid and lasting antidepressant effects, but most research has focused on psychiatric contexts. This review of six major clinical trials applies a biopsychosocial model to examine neglected social and psychological aspects of treatment. Combining psychedelic treatment with psychotherapy produces more enduring and profound antidepressant effects than either psilocybin or ketamine alone. Emphasizing therapeutic support encourages those considering self-medication to seek psychological frameworks, reducing risks of unregulated use.