Frontiers in Psychology
May 26, 2023
Edward Jacobs
61 citations
In psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP), the acute mystical experiences and lasting shifts in values, outlooks, and priorities that patients commonly report make the treatment's effects epistemically inaccessible at the time of deciding to undergo it. Drawing on L. A. Paul's concept of "Transformative Experience," the argument holds that prospective patients cannot meet the understanding requirement that is a core component of informed consent. While enhanced consent procedures may satisfy the function of avoiding unauthorized trespass against patients, the function of supporting values-aligned decision-making remains unattainable. The paper considers the ethical implications for preparing patients.
American Journal of Bioethics
May 2, 2024
Edward Jacobs, B. Earp, Paul S. Appelbaum et al.
29 citations
A workshop on psychedelic ethics, the first Hopkins-Oxford Psychedelic Ethics (HOPE) meeting, was held in August 2023 at the University of Oxford to address ethical issues surrounding psychedelics. The organizers (BDE, DBY, EJ) aimed to foster interdisciplinary discussion on topics such as informed consent, therapeutic use, and societal implications. The report outlines the workshop's structure, key themes, and proposed guidelines for ethical research and practice in the field.
Neuroethics
November 6, 2023
Edward Jacobs, Ashleigh Murphy-Beiner, Ian Rouiller et al.
23 citations
In psychedelic clinical trials, the case for providing patients with continued access to the investigational drug after the trial ends is especially strong due to the drugs' broader legal status, the unique therapist-participant relationship, and the extended therapeutic process. Because the therapy's effectiveness relies heavily on non-drug factors and the cultural setting, the authors argue for expanding post-trial care beyond just drug access. They outline potential provisions and contend that viewing post-trial care as an integral part of research—and a proper use of funding—will help build the infrastructure needed for a future psychedelic medicine system after legalization.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
June 1, 2020
Edward Jacobs
12 citations
Psilocybin may be useful for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), not just mood disorders and addiction. This review outlines how psilocybin acts on brain function in ways that could reduce OCD symptoms. Current evidence is limited, but multiple signals point in directions consistent with treatment potential. The psychological and physiological safety of clinically administered psilocybin supports expanded research, including animal models and randomized controlled trials, to properly investigate this potential.
BMJ Open
March 1, 2024
Charlie Song-Smith, Edward Jacobs, James Rucker et al.
9 citations
Most UK medical students (83%) are aware of psychedelic research and only 3% are not interested in learning more, yet only 17% feel well-educated on the topic. Students' harm assessments of psychedelics closely match experts', but teaching on psychedelics is rare in their curriculum. Time in medical school does not correlate with more knowledge about psychedelics. On average, students strongly support changing the legal status of psychedelics to enable further clinical research. Greater knowledge, lower perceived harm, more years in medical school, and lower perceived effectiveness of non-pharmacological mental health treatments are associated with stronger support for legal change.
The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
September 2, 2025
Khaleel Rajwani, Edward Jacobs, Lori Bruce et al.
6 citations
No Summary
Philosophical Psychology
September 8, 2025
Mina Caraccio, Katherine Cheung, Sebastian Porsdam Mann et al.
3 citations
As interest in psychedelics like psilocybin, ketamine, and MDMA revives and their legal status changes in many places, ethical guidelines are urgently needed for both medical and non-medical use. This paper argues that focusing only on medical applications neglects potentially valuable uses in other contexts and raises ethical issues including hype, exceptionalism, informed consent, therapeutic touch, data collection, and balancing access with safety. The authors call for renewed attention to the treatment-versus-enhancement distinction from bioethics and stress that guidelines should be flexible and context-sensitive. They recommend incorporating diverse stakeholder perspectives and cross-sector collaboration in future research and policy for psychedelic bioethics.
The American Journal of Bioethics
January 2, 2025
Bryony Insua‐summerhays, Edward Jacobs
3 citations
Touch in psychotherapy remains controversial, but its role is gaining new attention with the return of psychedelic-assisted therapy, where altered states of consciousness may make touch particularly relevant. The text discusses the historical debate and current considerations around therapeutic touch, suggesting that its integration into psychedelic-assisted therapy warrants careful examination given the unique vulnerabilities and therapeutic opportunities presented by altered states.
Wellcome Open Research
July 8, 2025
Khaleel Rajwani, Melanie Almonte, F. Feroz et al.
2 citations
A protocol describes a planned scoping review to determine whether any controlled clinical research involving psychedelic drug administration to adolescents under 18 has been conducted since 2000. The review will follow established methodological guidelines, searching multiple databases and trial registers for interventional studies from 2000 to the present. Two independent raters will assess articles, with a third resolving disagreements. The protocol notes that while historical studies from 1959 to 1974 exist, they do not meet modern standards, and no recent controlled clinical research with adolescents is known.
Accountability in research
May 1, 2026
Katherine Cheung, Rebecca Ehrenkranz, Brian D Earp et al.
Several proposals across fields suggest including independent actors in research to manage bias, such as independent auditors for adverse events in psychedelic science or independent researchers in trial teams. However, the concept of independence is often undefined. While introducing independent actors seems beneficial for reducing bias and improving rigor, it may also have significant drawbacks. The authors argue that the implicit sense of independence is freedom from influences that could reduce the trustworthiness or accuracy of findings. They explore whether such actors can be identified without trade-offs with other scientific goals, like expertise. Two models from law and science are offered to guide incorporation of independent actors.
Acta Psychedelica
April 16, 2026
B. Insua-Summerhays, Edward Jacobs
Adolescent depression requires a distinct approach to psychedelic-assisted therapy due to age-related differences in psychology, biology, and social dependence. Unlike adults, adolescents have less autonomy and are more influenced by their family and social environment, which creates a unique risk-benefit profile when using pro-plasticity psychedelics. The authors advocate for a systems-psychological treatment model that includes expanded screening, psychosocial formulation, family psychoeducation, and tailored integration and post-trial support. This interdisciplinary framework addresses the socio-ecological context in which adolescent psychopathology emerges, aiming to make psychedelic-assisted therapy safe, effective, and ethically sound for this population.