Psychological Therapy Quantity and Depressive Symptom Reduction in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
JAMA network open January 2, 2026 Gianluca Andri Florineth, Isabell Klima, Anna Laura Boeker et al. 5 citations
In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 controlled clinical trials involving 733 adults with depressive symptoms, psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) with psilocybin or LSD produced a large overall reduction in depressive symptoms compared to control conditions. More hours of preparation therapy before the psychedelic session were significantly linked to greater symptom reduction. However, the number of post-dosing integration therapy hours, total therapy sessions, and longer follow-up periods were not associated with better outcomes. Most studies had high risk of bias due to ineffective blinding. The findings suggest that preparation therapy may be a key component in optimizing PAT outcomes, but further research is needed.