Journal of humanistic psychology
October 9, 2021
Adele Lafrance, E. Strahan, Brian M. Bird et al.
40 citations
A survey of 159 people who had used classic psychedelics found that such use was linked to greater spirituality, which in turn predicted better emotion regulation, and ultimately lower levels of anxiety, depressed mood, and disordered eating. The results suggest a pathway through which psychedelic use may improve mental health by first enhancing spirituality and then improving the ability to manage emotions. The findings add to evidence that cultivating spirituality and emotion regulation may be healing mechanisms, though the study does not establish causation.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 1, 2023
V. Tsang, Dragos C Razagan, P. Kryskow et al.
10 citations
Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are rising among healthcare providers, and conventional treatments have limited effectiveness. A 12-week pilot program combined a Community of Practice (CoP) group therapy with optional ketamine sessions for 57 healthcare providers. Symptoms were measured before and after the program. All participants showed significant reductions: depression scores dropped by an average of 6.79 points, anxiety by 5.57 points, and PTSD by 14.83 points. Those who also received ketamine had larger reductions, but the difference was not statistically significant, suggesting the group therapy itself drove the improvement.
European Psychiatry
March 1, 2023
V. W. L. Tsang, R. Moyer, P. Kryskow et al.
2 citations
A group therapy program called Roots to Thrive (RTT) produced significant reductions in PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms among 49 healthcare practitioners with treatment-resistant mental health conditions. Participants' average PTSD scores dropped from 39.3 to 20.99, depression scores from 15.5 to 7.7, and anxiety scores from 15.5 to 6.2 over 12 weeks. Adding ketamine-assisted therapy did not lead to statistically greater improvements than the group therapy alone. The findings suggest that the group therapy model itself may be effective, and that the role of ketamine in this context requires further investigation.
European Psychiatry
March 1, 2023
V. W. L. Tsang, B. Tao, S. Dames et al.
1 citation
In a community-based ketamine-assisted therapy program (Roots to Thrive), 128 participants received 351 intramuscular injections (average 103 mg) and 96 sublingual doses (average 277 mg) over 12 weeks, alongside group therapy. Elevated blood pressure occurred transiently in about 12% more sessions than at baseline, with similar rates for both administration routes. Nausea was the most common side effect (12% of sessions), followed by headache (3%), vomiting (2.5%), and dizziness (seven sessions). Past psychedelic use or psychiatric diagnosis did not predict adverse events, but male participants had significantly less nausea. The program had no dropouts, suggesting good safety and tolerability.