Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry
September 28, 2016
N. Strauss, S. Bright, Martin L Williams
10 citations
A renaissance in psychedelic drug research is underway in North America and Europe, overturning a 30-year political embargo. Randomized controlled trials using active placebos have shown that psilocybin can occasion spiritual experiences leading to long-term positive personality changes. Multiple trials indicate that one or two doses of psychedelic medicines like psilocybin or LSD, within a psychotherapeutic program, reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms in advanced-stage cancer patients, sustained for 6 months. Psychedelics also show promise as adjuncts for substance use disorders; an open-label trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for tobacco addiction found much higher abstinence rates at 6-month follow-up.
Scientific data
May 21, 2026
Leonardo Novelli, Devon Stoliker, Tamrin Barta et al.
PsiConnect is a large-scale neuroimaging study that investigates how psilocybin affects brain activity and subjective experience depending on context. Sixty-two participants received a 19 mg dose of psilocybin and underwent functional, structural, and diffusion-weighted MRI, as well as EEG, before and after administration. Scans included resting-state and three naturalistic conditions: guided meditation, music listening, and movie watching. Half of the participants completed an 8-week meditation training program, allowing examination of interactions between meditation, psilocybin, and brain function. Multi-echo fMRI improved signal quality. Behavioral and self-report measures captured acute and long-term effects, with follow-ups up to one year. Data is openly shared to support future research.
General hospital psychiatry
January 1, 2026
Martin L Williams, Karen Hitchcock, Angus H Miller et al.
Classic psychedelics, which primarily activate serotonin receptors but also affect other receptor and transporter systems, can cause physiological responses that pose risks to some individuals. These risks must be balanced against the potential neuropsychological benefits of psychedelic therapies. This analysis critically evaluated medical exclusion criteria used in clinical studies of psychedelic-assisted therapy listed on international registries, examining their rationale and medical basis. The evolution of these criteria over twenty-five years of research was considered, along with their applicability in hospital-based psychiatry as psychedelic therapies move from clinical trials into clinical practice.