Disengaged: A systematic review of community engagement in psychedelic-assisted therapy research.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews February 1, 2026 Mallet R Reid, Jonathan Song, Kevin F Boehnke et al.
People of color have been significantly underincluded in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) research, despite facing challenges commonly addressed in PAT and often more severe symptoms. A systematic review of the past 10 years of psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD clinical trials in the United States (N = 27) found that only 3 out of 27 studies (11.11%) incorporated community-engaged research (CEnR) practices. In the rare instances CEnR was integrated, researchers used community consultation, which involves relatively little engagement with community members. The authors recommend incorporating five CEnR principles to improve representation in PAT trials: mapping and engaging local stakeholders, leveraging existing university-hospital infrastructures, co-designing research and outreach initiatives, securing dedicated CEnR resources, and establishing mechanisms for ongoing evaluation.