Journal of Religion and Health
February 28, 2026
Stephen P. Lewis, Jaime Clark-Soles, Oriana Mayorga et al.
2 citations
Professional clinical chaplains, as subject matter experts in spirituality and health, are an asset to psychedelic-assisted therapies and should be utilized in research trials and clinical practice. The article argues that participants in clinical trials consistently report mystical-type experiences during dosing sessions, which may mediate clinical improvements in depression, PTSD, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Given a relative lack of training in spirituality and religion among interprofessional practitioners, chaplains can provide spiritual and emotional support, helping participants navigate non-ordinary states of consciousness with safety and insight. Competencies include spiritual and religious care, spiritual inquiry, empathic presence, ethical engagement, and advocacy. Chaplains will need specialized education and supervised experience beyond standard requirements.
Journal of Science Policy & Governance
July 2, 2026
Matthew Boehm, Oriana Mayorga
Psychedelic compounds like psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and DMT show promise for treating mental health conditions, with the FDA granting Breakthrough Therapy designations for several uses. Despite this, most remain Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act, indicating no accepted medical use and high abuse potential, which imposes strict regulations. Over 150 active clinical trials are assessing their safety and efficacy, and federal research agencies, bipartisan congressional activities, and state-level reforms support their medical applications. A recent Executive Order calls for federal reforms to accelerate research and access, including timely rescheduling after Phase 3 trials. Rescheduling could reduce costs and administrative barriers while maintaining safety. The article outlines potential paths for rescheduling various Schedule I psychedelics given emerging clinical applications.
The American journal on addictions
May 10, 2025
Jessica Van Denend, Jeremy Weleff, Kelly Park et al.
Religion and spirituality (r/s) are often overlooked in harm reduction research, which focuses on reducing the negative consequences of substance use rather than requiring abstinence. This literature review examined 169 papers from 457 identified, finding that 100 discussed alignment between r/s values and harm reduction, 39 described strategic use of r/s resources, 22 addressed substances with religious or spiritual significance (e.g., psychedelics), and 8 discussed r/s support for harm reduction workers. Only 18 papers were coproduced with people with lived/living experience, while 75 were informed by such relationships, and 76 had no noted engagement. The review demonstrates that r/s is relevant beyond abstinence models and suggests opportunities to understand r/s as both a barrier and resource for harm reduction, with proximity to lived experience influencing alignment with harm reduction values.