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.
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.