Journal of Music Therapy
January 1, 2020
Clare O’callaghan, Daniel John Hubik, Justin Dwyer et al.
50 citations
Music is considered integral to meaningful emotional and imagery experiences during psychedelic therapy, according to a rapid review of 10 studies involving 180 participants aged 18–69. Music in this context can convey love, carry listeners to other realms, be something to “hold,” inspire, and elicit a deep sense of embodied transformation. Its therapeutic influence is especially evident in dichotomous elicitations: music can simultaneously anchor and propel. Participant openness to music and participant-centered music selection are associated with optimal immediate and longer-term outcomes. Many studies reported scarce details about the music used and incidental findings of music experienced.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
November 4, 2021
M.l. Williams, Diana Korevaar, Renee Harvey et al.
23 citations
After a 40-year research hiatus due to sociopolitical issues, psychedelic-assisted therapies are being reinvestigated for mental illness. Clinicians and researchers in Australia identified five categories of challenge to moving these therapies from clinical trials to community practice: inherent risks, poor clinical practice, inadequate infrastructure, problematic perceptions, and divisive relationships. They propose strategies including public-sector support for research and training to establish best practices, funding for equitable access, and a multidisciplinary advisory body to guide policy. While framed in Australia, the challenges and strategies may apply elsewhere.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
November 22, 2019
Sally Meikle, Paul Liknaitzky, Susan L. Rossell et al.
19 citations
Psilocybin, a psychedelic drug, is gaining attention as a potential treatment for depression due to its mechanism of action, benefits in early trials, and relatively low side effect burden. This viewpoint outlines key unresolved issues for its clinical use: identifying which patients are most likely to benefit or experience adverse effects, understanding longer-term outcomes, and clarifying the role of psychotherapeutic support alongside the drug. There are also opportunities to better understand the neurobiology underlying its effects.
General Hospital Psychiatry
August 12, 2025
Margaret Ross, Ravi Iyer, M.l. Williams et al.
13 citations
Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy appears safe and may provide lasting relief from depression and anxiety for people facing a life-threatening illness.
Addiction
September 20, 2025
Elizabeth Knock, Krista J. Siefried, Gillinder Bedi et al.
4 citations
A single 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with psychotherapy was safely delivered in an outpatient setting to 15 people seeking treatment for methamphetamine use disorder. No serious adverse events occurred; mild side effects included headache, nausea, and noise sensitivity. Methamphetamine use dropped from a median of 12 days in the prior month at screening to 0 days at 28 days and 2 days at 90 days after dosing. Craving decreased while quality of life, depression, anxiety, and stress scores improved at follow-ups. A larger randomized trial is needed to confirm efficacy.
General Hospital Psychiatry
December 10, 2025
Justin Dwyer, Robert B. Johnston, Clare O'Callaghan et al.
3 citations
Terminally ill people with extreme death anxiety can feel displaced from their own lives, afraid and alone in an all-encompassing present. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) can enable them to fully inhabit their life in a more abundant and joyful present, even in the face of death. The psilocybin component is necessary but not sufficient for this outcome. These findings expand the conceptualization of death anxiety and the personal transformation that constitutes successful PAP.
BMJ Open
April 1, 2025
Vanessa L. Beesley, Tom Kennedy, Fiona Maccallum et al.
2 citations
Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) affects up to 30% of bereaved carers in oncology settings, and current treatments fail up to half of participants. The PARTING trial is the first to test psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cancer-related PGD. In this open-label pilot, about 15 participants receive a 25 mg dose of psilocybin with supportive guidance, plus preparation and integration sessions delivered by a psychologist and a nurse or Indigenous Therapist. Feasibility, safety, and acceptability are assessed through recruitment rates, adverse events, physiological measures, and qualitative interviews. Quantitative measures include grief severity, depression, anxiety, and quality of life over a 12-month follow-up.
Front Psychiatry
August 15, 2025
Yvonne A. Bonomo, Amanda F. Norman, Lisa Collins et al.
1 citation
Three Acacia-based formulations of DMT and harmala alkaloids were safe and well tolerated in 9 healthy volunteers who had previously used ayahuasca. No serious adverse events occurred, and physical exams, vital signs, and lab tests showed no clinically significant changes. Participants rated the subjective experience of all formulations as generally similar to ayahuasca, and one formulation (ACL-010) was rated as similar or more beneficial. Four-week follow-up measures of psychological wellbeing and perceptual effects showed little difference between formulations. The small sample and open-label design limit generalizability, but the results suggest Acacia-derived DMT formulations are a feasible alternative for future clinical trials.
The Ballarat naturalist.
May 1, 2023
Margaret Ross, Justin Dwyer
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