#psychedelicresearch — Public Fediverse posts
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DATE: August 7, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Psilocybin therapy sessions for PTSD are mostly silent, study finds
URL: https://www.psypost.org/psilocybin-therapy-sessions-for-ptsd-are-mostly-silent-study-finds/
A recent study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology indicates that during high-dose psilocybin treatment sessions for post-traumatic stress disorder, participants and support staff spend the vast majority of their time in silence. The research suggests that the support provided during these sessions relies primarily on quiet, unobtrusive presence rather than active talk therapy. This offers an updated perspective on how the clinical administration of psychedelic compounds actually functions.
Psilocybin is a psychoactive compound found in certain species of “magic” mushrooms. In recent years, it has gained attention as a potential medical treatment for various mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD. PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event, often leading to severe anxiety, flashbacks, and uncontrollable thoughts. In clinical trials, psilocybin is typically administered in a controlled setting with trained support staff present to ensure safety.
A common misconception is that patients undergo traditional talk therapy while actively under the influence of the drug. This idea partly stems from the structure of other experimental treatments, such as trials involving MDMA, which often feature active, verbal psychotherapy during the drug session. Because high doses of psilocybin induce intense, internally focused altered states of consciousness, carrying on a regular therapeutic conversation is often impractical.
“There was a general misunderstanding around the term ‘psychedelic assisted psychotherapy’. It implies that a psychedelic drug is administered to boost a form of psychotherapy, which most people understand as verbal to and fro between a patient and a therapist,” said Guy M. Goodwin, chief medical officer at Compass Pathways and emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford.
Goodwin added, “In fact, as our paper shows, the vast majority of the time there is silence when a patient has taken a 25mg dose of COMP360 psilocybin. There is no psychotherapy going on. So, it makes more sense to call this a ‘psychedelic treatment’, which clearly places the emphasis on the drug’s effect.”
To explore these interactions, the scientists analyzed data from an open-label clinical trial involving 22 adult participants. All the participants had been diagnosed with PTSD and had a baseline score on a standard diagnostic scale indicating moderate to severe symptoms. Each person received a single 25-milligram dose of a synthetic psilocybin formulation known as COMP360.
The clinical outcomes for these participants provided important context for understanding the treatment’s impact. “This particular study was in patients with PTSD. Most of the patients experienced a clinically significant reduction in symptoms after a single 25mg dose of COMP360 psilocybin,” Goodwin noted. “Most described the treatment as preferable to either the drug or psychotherapy they had previously received.”
The rapid onset of these improvements stood out to the researchers. When asked about unexpected findings, Goodwin highlighted “[t]he immediacy of the therapeutic benefit, which had not been seen before for PTSD.”
The treatment process involved three distinct phases. First, participants attended three preparation sessions with two trained support providers. Next came the administration session, which lasted six to eight hours, during which participants lay in a dimly lit room, wore eyeshades, and listened to a standardized music playlist. Finally, participants attended three follow-up sessions to discuss their experiences.
The researchers recorded audio from all the sessions and transcribed the conversations. They then calculated the speech rate, measured in words per minute, for both the participants and the support providers. When analyzing the data, the authors controlled for the fact that each participant had multiple sessions and that some participants shared the same support providers. This mathematical control helped ensure the models accurately reflected the underlying speech patterns without falsely inflating the confidence of the estimates.
In addition to calculating word counts, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with the participants the day after the administration session. These interviews provided qualitative data about how the participants felt regarding the support they received. The researchers also asked participants to complete a questionnaire measuring the intensity of their altered state of consciousness at the end of the psilocybin session.
The analysis of the audio transcripts showed a stark contrast in speech rates between the different phases of the trial. During the psilocybin administration sessions, an average of 78 percent of the time passed without any talking. In comparison, silence accounted for only 25 to 30 percent of the total time during the preparation and follow-up sessions.
During the preparation phase, the words spoken per minute were generally balanced between the participants and the support staff. In the follow-up sessions, the participants spoke at a much higher rate than the providers. During the administration session itself, the speech rates for both groups dropped to very low levels. The talking that did occur mostly took place at the very beginning and the very end of the six-to-eight-hour window.
The researchers also found a negative correlation between the intensity of the psychedelic experience and the amount of talking. Participants who reported more intense feelings of boundlessness and ego dissolution tended to speak even fewer words per minute. This suggests that more immersive drug effects naturally limit the capacity or desire for verbal communication.
The post-session interviews provided evidence that participants appreciated the quiet approach of the staff. Many individuals reported that the support was unobtrusive but highly impactful. The quiet presence of the staff allowed participants the freedom to focus inwardly and autonomously navigate their own thoughts.
This internal focus is central to how the authors view the treatment’s mechanisms and future applications. Goodwin explained the team’s hope “that psychedelic treatment will be available for depressed patients who have not responded to conventional treatments next year and that it involves an inwardly directed intrapersonal experience, not psychotherapy.”
When participants did need support, it typically took the form of brief reassurance or validation. This included a staff member briefly holding a participant’s hand or offering a short verbal reminder of their physical location. Participants indicated that these small gestures provided an anchor of safety during periods of emotional intensity.
A small sample size is a primary limitation of this study, as it only included 22 individuals. The trial was also open-label, meaning both the researchers and the participants knew they were receiving psilocybin. Additionally, the measure of words per minute is a relatively simple metric for capturing the complexity of human language and clinical interaction.
A lack of conversation during therapy might outwardly resemble an absence of emotional support. However, the interview data suggests the quiet presence of staff members actively provided a strong sense of safety. The findings do not imply that verbal engagement is unimportant in mental health treatment as a whole. Instead, the research indicates that high-dose psilocybin sessions function differently than conventional talk therapy, relying on passive monitoring rather than active dialogue.
Future research could expand on these findings by studying larger groups of patients undergoing psychedelic treatments. Scientists might use natural language processing software to analyze the emotional tone and semantic content of the speech during these sessions.
The authors are already looking ahead to broader applications of their work. “We are in the process of submitting data to FDA in pursuit of an approval for the treatment of difficult to treat depression with COMP360 psilocybin. We are also starting a major late-stage study in PTSD,” Goodwin stated. He concluded, “We are not surprised by the findings of this study and we are very proud of COMP360’s differentiated clinical profile that has the potential to help the many millions of patients in need of new and effective options.”
The study, “Silence is golden: Documenting the speech production of participants and support providers in psilocybin administration sessions for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder,” was authored by Robert F. Dougherty, Nadav Liam Modlin, Niall M. McGowan, Patrick Staples, Ella Williams, Patrick Clarke, Mario Shafiei, Carly Leininger, Merve Alti, Megan Croal, Lindsey Marwood, Namik Kirlić, Gregory A. Ryslik, and Guy M. Goodwin.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/psilocybin-therapy-sessions-for-ptsd-are-mostly-silent-study-finds/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsilocybinTherapy #PTSDTreatment #PsychedelicResearch #COMP360 #SilenceInTherapy #PsychedelicAssistedTherapy #PTSDRecovery #MentalHealthInnovation #ClinicalTrials #OxfordResearch
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DATE: August 7, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Psilocybin therapy sessions for PTSD are mostly silent, study finds
URL: https://www.psypost.org/psilocybin-therapy-sessions-for-ptsd-are-mostly-silent-study-finds/
A recent study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology indicates that during high-dose psilocybin treatment sessions for post-traumatic stress disorder, participants and support staff spend the vast majority of their time in silence. The research suggests that the support provided during these sessions relies primarily on quiet, unobtrusive presence rather than active talk therapy. This offers an updated perspective on how the clinical administration of psychedelic compounds actually functions.
Psilocybin is a psychoactive compound found in certain species of “magic” mushrooms. In recent years, it has gained attention as a potential medical treatment for various mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD. PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event, often leading to severe anxiety, flashbacks, and uncontrollable thoughts. In clinical trials, psilocybin is typically administered in a controlled setting with trained support staff present to ensure safety.
A common misconception is that patients undergo traditional talk therapy while actively under the influence of the drug. This idea partly stems from the structure of other experimental treatments, such as trials involving MDMA, which often feature active, verbal psychotherapy during the drug session. Because high doses of psilocybin induce intense, internally focused altered states of consciousness, carrying on a regular therapeutic conversation is often impractical.
“There was a general misunderstanding around the term ‘psychedelic assisted psychotherapy’. It implies that a psychedelic drug is administered to boost a form of psychotherapy, which most people understand as verbal to and fro between a patient and a therapist,” said Guy M. Goodwin, chief medical officer at Compass Pathways and emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford.
Goodwin added, “In fact, as our paper shows, the vast majority of the time there is silence when a patient has taken a 25mg dose of COMP360 psilocybin. There is no psychotherapy going on. So, it makes more sense to call this a ‘psychedelic treatment’, which clearly places the emphasis on the drug’s effect.”
To explore these interactions, the scientists analyzed data from an open-label clinical trial involving 22 adult participants. All the participants had been diagnosed with PTSD and had a baseline score on a standard diagnostic scale indicating moderate to severe symptoms. Each person received a single 25-milligram dose of a synthetic psilocybin formulation known as COMP360.
The clinical outcomes for these participants provided important context for understanding the treatment’s impact. “This particular study was in patients with PTSD. Most of the patients experienced a clinically significant reduction in symptoms after a single 25mg dose of COMP360 psilocybin,” Goodwin noted. “Most described the treatment as preferable to either the drug or psychotherapy they had previously received.”
The rapid onset of these improvements stood out to the researchers. When asked about unexpected findings, Goodwin highlighted “[t]he immediacy of the therapeutic benefit, which had not been seen before for PTSD.”
The treatment process involved three distinct phases. First, participants attended three preparation sessions with two trained support providers. Next came the administration session, which lasted six to eight hours, during which participants lay in a dimly lit room, wore eyeshades, and listened to a standardized music playlist. Finally, participants attended three follow-up sessions to discuss their experiences.
The researchers recorded audio from all the sessions and transcribed the conversations. They then calculated the speech rate, measured in words per minute, for both the participants and the support providers. When analyzing the data, the authors controlled for the fact that each participant had multiple sessions and that some participants shared the same support providers. This mathematical control helped ensure the models accurately reflected the underlying speech patterns without falsely inflating the confidence of the estimates.
In addition to calculating word counts, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with the participants the day after the administration session. These interviews provided qualitative data about how the participants felt regarding the support they received. The researchers also asked participants to complete a questionnaire measuring the intensity of their altered state of consciousness at the end of the psilocybin session.
The analysis of the audio transcripts showed a stark contrast in speech rates between the different phases of the trial. During the psilocybin administration sessions, an average of 78 percent of the time passed without any talking. In comparison, silence accounted for only 25 to 30 percent of the total time during the preparation and follow-up sessions.
During the preparation phase, the words spoken per minute were generally balanced between the participants and the support staff. In the follow-up sessions, the participants spoke at a much higher rate than the providers. During the administration session itself, the speech rates for both groups dropped to very low levels. The talking that did occur mostly took place at the very beginning and the very end of the six-to-eight-hour window.
The researchers also found a negative correlation between the intensity of the psychedelic experience and the amount of talking. Participants who reported more intense feelings of boundlessness and ego dissolution tended to speak even fewer words per minute. This suggests that more immersive drug effects naturally limit the capacity or desire for verbal communication.
The post-session interviews provided evidence that participants appreciated the quiet approach of the staff. Many individuals reported that the support was unobtrusive but highly impactful. The quiet presence of the staff allowed participants the freedom to focus inwardly and autonomously navigate their own thoughts.
This internal focus is central to how the authors view the treatment’s mechanisms and future applications. Goodwin explained the team’s hope “that psychedelic treatment will be available for depressed patients who have not responded to conventional treatments next year and that it involves an inwardly directed intrapersonal experience, not psychotherapy.”
When participants did need support, it typically took the form of brief reassurance or validation. This included a staff member briefly holding a participant’s hand or offering a short verbal reminder of their physical location. Participants indicated that these small gestures provided an anchor of safety during periods of emotional intensity.
A small sample size is a primary limitation of this study, as it only included 22 individuals. The trial was also open-label, meaning both the researchers and the participants knew they were receiving psilocybin. Additionally, the measure of words per minute is a relatively simple metric for capturing the complexity of human language and clinical interaction.
A lack of conversation during therapy might outwardly resemble an absence of emotional support. However, the interview data suggests the quiet presence of staff members actively provided a strong sense of safety. The findings do not imply that verbal engagement is unimportant in mental health treatment as a whole. Instead, the research indicates that high-dose psilocybin sessions function differently than conventional talk therapy, relying on passive monitoring rather than active dialogue.
Future research could expand on these findings by studying larger groups of patients undergoing psychedelic treatments. Scientists might use natural language processing software to analyze the emotional tone and semantic content of the speech during these sessions.
The authors are already looking ahead to broader applications of their work. “We are in the process of submitting data to FDA in pursuit of an approval for the treatment of difficult to treat depression with COMP360 psilocybin. We are also starting a major late-stage study in PTSD,” Goodwin stated. He concluded, “We are not surprised by the findings of this study and we are very proud of COMP360’s differentiated clinical profile that has the potential to help the many millions of patients in need of new and effective options.”
The study, “Silence is golden: Documenting the speech production of participants and support providers in psilocybin administration sessions for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder,” was authored by Robert F. Dougherty, Nadav Liam Modlin, Niall M. McGowan, Patrick Staples, Ella Williams, Patrick Clarke, Mario Shafiei, Carly Leininger, Merve Alti, Megan Croal, Lindsey Marwood, Namik Kirlić, Gregory A. Ryslik, and Guy M. Goodwin.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/psilocybin-therapy-sessions-for-ptsd-are-mostly-silent-study-finds/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsilocybinTherapy #PTSDTreatment #PsychedelicResearch #COMP360 #SilenceInTherapy #PsychedelicAssistedTherapy #PTSDRecovery #MentalHealthInnovation #ClinicalTrials #OxfordResearch
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DATE: August 6, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brief DMT trips linked to lasting improvements in quality of life for depressed patients
New research provides evidence that inhaling the psychedelic compound DMT, combined with psychological support, tends to reduce anxiety and improve life satisfaction in both healthy adults and individuals with depression. The findings suggest that the short-acting drug may foster long-term improvements in overall well-being and quality of life for people who do not respond to standard depression treatments. The study was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Psychedelic-assisted interventions are gaining attention for their potential to treat severe mental health conditions. Much of this research focuses on treatment-resistant depression. This condition is diagnosed when a patient does not experience relief after trying at least two different antidepressant medications.
Historically, mental health treatments have focused heavily on reducing negative symptoms. Contemporary frameworks suggest that full recovery also requires improvements in broader areas of well-being, such as life satisfaction, physical health, and social relationships. Existing literature indicates that classic psychedelics like psilocybin and ayahuasca can enhance these existential and social domains.
Dráulio Barros de Araújo, a professor of neuroscience at the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Natal and director of the Center for Advanced Medical Psychedelics noted that the research team wanted to explore these wider outcomes. “Most clinical studies of psychedelics, including our previous work with ayahuasca and DMT, have focused primarily on changes in psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression,” Araújo said. “But recovery from depression is about much more than reducing a score on a depression scale.”
“Patients want to feel less anxious, function better in their daily lives, reconnect socially, and regain a sense of satisfaction, hope, and well-being,” Araújo said. “We therefore wanted to examine whether the effects we had previously observed with inhaled DMT extended to these broader dimensions of recovery.”
DMT, or N,N-dimethyltryptamine, offers a unique profile among psychedelics. When inhaled, it produces an intense but very brief altered state of consciousness lasting only five to twenty minutes. In contrast, substances like psilocybin or ayahuasca can cause effects lasting up to eight hours.
The short duration of inhaled DMT could make psychedelic therapies more accessible and less costly to administer in clinical settings. The authors designed their research to see if this brief experience could foster lasting changes in life satisfaction and quality of life.
The new paper is a secondary analysis of two separate but related open-label clinical trials. An open-label trial means that both the researchers and the participants knew what substance was being administered. Both groups received purified DMT vaporized in a clinical room designed for comfort and safety. Before receiving the drug, all participants underwent preparation sessions with a psychologist to build trust and discuss expectations.
The first trial involved 25 healthy volunteers with an average age of 30.3 years. These participants had previous experience with psychedelics. On the dosing day, they received two doses of DMT spaced a few hours apart. The researchers tested five different dosing schemes, starting with a lower dose followed by a higher dose to test safety and tolerance.
During the DMT experience, participants listened to specially composed music and later engaged in psychological integration sessions. To measure outcomes, the researchers had participants complete standardized questionnaires. They tracked state anxiety, which refers to how anxious a person feels in the present moment, on a four-point scale. They also measured life satisfaction on a seven-point scale and quality of life on a five-point scale.
The healthy volunteers reported reduced state anxiety immediately after the first dose. This reduction persisted for one day following the session. The statistical change for the initial anxiety drop was large, shifting nearly one full standard deviation below their baseline anxiety levels.
These healthy participants also reported increased life satisfaction that lasted up to 14 days post-administration. However, the healthy group did not show changes in quality of life. The researchers noted this might be due to a ceiling effect, meaning their baseline quality of life scores were already too high to show further mathematical improvement on the surveys.
The second trial focused on 14 patients with treatment-resistant depression. This group had an average age of 35.2 years and minimal prior experience with psychedelics. These patients received a fixed dosing schedule of 15 milligrams of DMT for the first session and 60 milligrams for the second session on the same day. Patients continued taking their regular psychiatric medications during the study to prevent clinical destabilization.
Like the healthy volunteers, the patients experienced drops in state anxiety that lasted up to one day after the DMT sessions. Early improvements in anxiety among these patients were also positively correlated with rapid decreases in self-reported depressive symptoms. The researchers looked closely at the magnitude of these initial changes across the participant group.
“Some of the observed effects were substantial,” Araújo told PsyPost. “In patients, the reduction in state anxiety immediately after the DMT session had a very large effect size, and improvements in life satisfaction, inner peace, and particularly hope and optimism were also large at the time points where significant differences were detected.”
“But effect sizes from a small, uncontrolled study should be interpreted cautiously,” Araújo said. “What I find particularly interesting is not only their magnitude, but the fact that the changes appeared across several dimensions of patients’ lives rather than being restricted to depressive symptoms.”
Beyond short-term anxiety relief, the patients reported enduring benefits over a longer period. They demonstrated increased life satisfaction at the 12-month mark compared to their baseline scores. The patients also reported sustained increases in physical, psychological, social, and environmental quality of life from 14 days up to 12 months.
When answering questions focused on spirituality and personal beliefs, the patients showed long-term enhancements in specific psychological areas. They reported improvements in feelings of inner peace at the 14-day mark. They also reported elevated levels of hope and optimism at both 14 days and 12 months after the sessions.
Araújo highlighted how unusual it is for a short-acting drug to be linked to such prolonged benefits. “The long-term findings were probably the most striking,” Araújo said. “DMT produces an extremely short psychedelic experience, generally lasting only several minutes, so observing improvements in some measures of quality of life as far as 12 months later is remarkable, especially when considering that patients were submitted to a single intervention with DMT.”
“We were also interested in seeing improvements in hope, optimism, and inner peace, because these dimensions are rarely considered primary outcomes in conventional antidepressant studies,” Araújo said. These distinct outcomes suggest a broader scope for evaluating mental health interventions.
“The main message is that the effects associated with DMT may extend beyond the reduction of depressive symptoms,” Araújo said. “In patients with treatment-resistant depression, we observed rapid reductions in anxiety and improvements in quality of life that were still detectable months later.”
“Life satisfaction was also significantly higher at the 12-month follow-up,” Araújo said. “Interestingly, some of the improvements involved very concrete aspects of quality of life, including physical and psychological health, social relationships, the environment, and hope and inner peace.”
The open-label design of both trials means that expectancy effects could have influenced the outcomes. Because participants knew they were receiving a powerful psychedelic, their anticipation of getting better might have artificially inflated their self-reported improvements. The lack of a placebo group prevents researchers from ruling out this possibility.
“At the same time, these findings should be considered preliminary,” Araújo said. “This was a small, open-label study without a placebo group, so we cannot conclude that DMT alone caused the long-term changes we observed.”
The intervention combined the pharmacological effects of DMT with extensive psychological support, music, and expressive exercises. It is not possible to separate the impact of the drug from the impact of the therapeutic environment. The small sample sizes and specific demographics of the participants also limit how well these findings apply to the broader public.
The long-term improvements seen in the patient group are also subject to external influences. The patients continued their usual clinical treatments, including other psychiatric medications, over the 12-month follow-up period. Natural changes in the course of their illness, new therapies, or major life events during that year could explain the sustained gains in quality of life.
“I would strongly caution against interpreting this study as evidence that a single dose of DMT produces benefits lasting for a year,” Araújo said. “Participants received DMT in a carefully controlled clinical environment together with psychological preparation, support during the experience, and integration afterward.”
“They also continued their usual clinical care, and many things can happen over a 12-month period,” Araújo said. “Because there was no placebo group, we cannot separate the pharmacological effects of DMT from psychological support, expectations, subsequent treatments, life events, or the natural course of depression.”
The researchers emphasized that these treatments require specialized protocols and safety measures. “Another important point is that these findings should not be interpreted as supporting unsupervised use of DMT,” Araújo said. “The intervention was conducted under medical and psychological supervision in accordance with clinical research protocols.”
Future placebo-controlled, double-blind studies with larger groups are needed to better understand the true therapeutic profile of inhaled DMT. The authors plan to expand their investigations to see if these initial patterns hold up under stricter experimental conditions.
“Our main priority now is to test inhaled DMT in larger and more rigorous controlled clinical trials,” Araújo said. “We are currently moving this research into a multicenter clinical study in patients with treatment-resistant depression.” A multicenter study involves conducting the trial at multiple clinics or hospitals to gather a larger and more diverse group of patients.
“Beyond determining whether the antidepressant effect can be replicated under controlled conditions, we are increasingly interested in understanding recovery more broadly, including quality of life, functioning, anxiety, suicidality, and other dimensions that matter to patients,” Araújo said. If successful, inhaled psychedelics could offer practical advantages for widespread clinical use.
“DMT is particularly interesting from a public health perspective because its psychedelic effects are very brief compared with substances such as psilocybin or ayahuasca,” Araújo said. “If its clinical efficacy is confirmed in larger controlled studies, this short duration could make psychedelic treatment considerably easier to integrate into health care systems.”
The focus on overall well-being represents a shifting paradigm in how medical professionals evaluate mental health treatments. “I think the broader point is that psychiatry should perhaps ask a larger question when evaluating new treatments: not only ‘Are the symptoms better?’ but also ‘Is the person living better?'” Araújo said.
“Depression affects relationships, work, physical functioning, hope, and the way people experience their own lives,” Araújo said. “For us, understanding whether psychedelic interventions can influence these dimensions is an important part of determining their actual clinical value.”
The study, “Beyond symptom reduction: DMT improves anxiety, life satisfaction, and quality of life in healthy volunteers and patients with depression,” was authored by Raynara Bolcont, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Handersson Barros, Sophie Laborde, Daniel Amorim, Marcelo Falchi-Carvalho, Nicole Galvão-Coelho, Isabel Wießner, and Draulio B. Araujo.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #DMTtherapy #PsychedelicResearch #DepressionTreatment #LifeSatisfaction #QualityOfLife #AnxietyRelief #TreatmentResistantDepression #PsychedelicAssistedTherapy #MentalHealthInnovation #ClinicalTrials
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DATE: August 6, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brief DMT trips linked to lasting improvements in quality of life for depressed patients
New research provides evidence that inhaling the psychedelic compound DMT, combined with psychological support, tends to reduce anxiety and improve life satisfaction in both healthy adults and individuals with depression. The findings suggest that the short-acting drug may foster long-term improvements in overall well-being and quality of life for people who do not respond to standard depression treatments. The study was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Psychedelic-assisted interventions are gaining attention for their potential to treat severe mental health conditions. Much of this research focuses on treatment-resistant depression. This condition is diagnosed when a patient does not experience relief after trying at least two different antidepressant medications.
Historically, mental health treatments have focused heavily on reducing negative symptoms. Contemporary frameworks suggest that full recovery also requires improvements in broader areas of well-being, such as life satisfaction, physical health, and social relationships. Existing literature indicates that classic psychedelics like psilocybin and ayahuasca can enhance these existential and social domains.
Dráulio Barros de Araújo, a professor of neuroscience at the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Natal and director of the Center for Advanced Medical Psychedelics noted that the research team wanted to explore these wider outcomes. “Most clinical studies of psychedelics, including our previous work with ayahuasca and DMT, have focused primarily on changes in psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression,” Araújo said. “But recovery from depression is about much more than reducing a score on a depression scale.”
“Patients want to feel less anxious, function better in their daily lives, reconnect socially, and regain a sense of satisfaction, hope, and well-being,” Araújo said. “We therefore wanted to examine whether the effects we had previously observed with inhaled DMT extended to these broader dimensions of recovery.”
DMT, or N,N-dimethyltryptamine, offers a unique profile among psychedelics. When inhaled, it produces an intense but very brief altered state of consciousness lasting only five to twenty minutes. In contrast, substances like psilocybin or ayahuasca can cause effects lasting up to eight hours.
The short duration of inhaled DMT could make psychedelic therapies more accessible and less costly to administer in clinical settings. The authors designed their research to see if this brief experience could foster lasting changes in life satisfaction and quality of life.
The new paper is a secondary analysis of two separate but related open-label clinical trials. An open-label trial means that both the researchers and the participants knew what substance was being administered. Both groups received purified DMT vaporized in a clinical room designed for comfort and safety. Before receiving the drug, all participants underwent preparation sessions with a psychologist to build trust and discuss expectations.
The first trial involved 25 healthy volunteers with an average age of 30.3 years. These participants had previous experience with psychedelics. On the dosing day, they received two doses of DMT spaced a few hours apart. The researchers tested five different dosing schemes, starting with a lower dose followed by a higher dose to test safety and tolerance.
During the DMT experience, participants listened to specially composed music and later engaged in psychological integration sessions. To measure outcomes, the researchers had participants complete standardized questionnaires. They tracked state anxiety, which refers to how anxious a person feels in the present moment, on a four-point scale. They also measured life satisfaction on a seven-point scale and quality of life on a five-point scale.
The healthy volunteers reported reduced state anxiety immediately after the first dose. This reduction persisted for one day following the session. The statistical change for the initial anxiety drop was large, shifting nearly one full standard deviation below their baseline anxiety levels.
These healthy participants also reported increased life satisfaction that lasted up to 14 days post-administration. However, the healthy group did not show changes in quality of life. The researchers noted this might be due to a ceiling effect, meaning their baseline quality of life scores were already too high to show further mathematical improvement on the surveys.
The second trial focused on 14 patients with treatment-resistant depression. This group had an average age of 35.2 years and minimal prior experience with psychedelics. These patients received a fixed dosing schedule of 15 milligrams of DMT for the first session and 60 milligrams for the second session on the same day. Patients continued taking their regular psychiatric medications during the study to prevent clinical destabilization.
Like the healthy volunteers, the patients experienced drops in state anxiety that lasted up to one day after the DMT sessions. Early improvements in anxiety among these patients were also positively correlated with rapid decreases in self-reported depressive symptoms. The researchers looked closely at the magnitude of these initial changes across the participant group.
“Some of the observed effects were substantial,” Araújo told PsyPost. “In patients, the reduction in state anxiety immediately after the DMT session had a very large effect size, and improvements in life satisfaction, inner peace, and particularly hope and optimism were also large at the time points where significant differences were detected.”
“But effect sizes from a small, uncontrolled study should be interpreted cautiously,” Araújo said. “What I find particularly interesting is not only their magnitude, but the fact that the changes appeared across several dimensions of patients’ lives rather than being restricted to depressive symptoms.”
Beyond short-term anxiety relief, the patients reported enduring benefits over a longer period. They demonstrated increased life satisfaction at the 12-month mark compared to their baseline scores. The patients also reported sustained increases in physical, psychological, social, and environmental quality of life from 14 days up to 12 months.
When answering questions focused on spirituality and personal beliefs, the patients showed long-term enhancements in specific psychological areas. They reported improvements in feelings of inner peace at the 14-day mark. They also reported elevated levels of hope and optimism at both 14 days and 12 months after the sessions.
Araújo highlighted how unusual it is for a short-acting drug to be linked to such prolonged benefits. “The long-term findings were probably the most striking,” Araújo said. “DMT produces an extremely short psychedelic experience, generally lasting only several minutes, so observing improvements in some measures of quality of life as far as 12 months later is remarkable, especially when considering that patients were submitted to a single intervention with DMT.”
“We were also interested in seeing improvements in hope, optimism, and inner peace, because these dimensions are rarely considered primary outcomes in conventional antidepressant studies,” Araújo said. These distinct outcomes suggest a broader scope for evaluating mental health interventions.
“The main message is that the effects associated with DMT may extend beyond the reduction of depressive symptoms,” Araújo said. “In patients with treatment-resistant depression, we observed rapid reductions in anxiety and improvements in quality of life that were still detectable months later.”
“Life satisfaction was also significantly higher at the 12-month follow-up,” Araújo said. “Interestingly, some of the improvements involved very concrete aspects of quality of life, including physical and psychological health, social relationships, the environment, and hope and inner peace.”
The open-label design of both trials means that expectancy effects could have influenced the outcomes. Because participants knew they were receiving a powerful psychedelic, their anticipation of getting better might have artificially inflated their self-reported improvements. The lack of a placebo group prevents researchers from ruling out this possibility.
“At the same time, these findings should be considered preliminary,” Araújo said. “This was a small, open-label study without a placebo group, so we cannot conclude that DMT alone caused the long-term changes we observed.”
The intervention combined the pharmacological effects of DMT with extensive psychological support, music, and expressive exercises. It is not possible to separate the impact of the drug from the impact of the therapeutic environment. The small sample sizes and specific demographics of the participants also limit how well these findings apply to the broader public.
The long-term improvements seen in the patient group are also subject to external influences. The patients continued their usual clinical treatments, including other psychiatric medications, over the 12-month follow-up period. Natural changes in the course of their illness, new therapies, or major life events during that year could explain the sustained gains in quality of life.
“I would strongly caution against interpreting this study as evidence that a single dose of DMT produces benefits lasting for a year,” Araújo said. “Participants received DMT in a carefully controlled clinical environment together with psychological preparation, support during the experience, and integration afterward.”
“They also continued their usual clinical care, and many things can happen over a 12-month period,” Araújo said. “Because there was no placebo group, we cannot separate the pharmacological effects of DMT from psychological support, expectations, subsequent treatments, life events, or the natural course of depression.”
The researchers emphasized that these treatments require specialized protocols and safety measures. “Another important point is that these findings should not be interpreted as supporting unsupervised use of DMT,” Araújo said. “The intervention was conducted under medical and psychological supervision in accordance with clinical research protocols.”
Future placebo-controlled, double-blind studies with larger groups are needed to better understand the true therapeutic profile of inhaled DMT. The authors plan to expand their investigations to see if these initial patterns hold up under stricter experimental conditions.
“Our main priority now is to test inhaled DMT in larger and more rigorous controlled clinical trials,” Araújo said. “We are currently moving this research into a multicenter clinical study in patients with treatment-resistant depression.” A multicenter study involves conducting the trial at multiple clinics or hospitals to gather a larger and more diverse group of patients.
“Beyond determining whether the antidepressant effect can be replicated under controlled conditions, we are increasingly interested in understanding recovery more broadly, including quality of life, functioning, anxiety, suicidality, and other dimensions that matter to patients,” Araújo said. If successful, inhaled psychedelics could offer practical advantages for widespread clinical use.
“DMT is particularly interesting from a public health perspective because its psychedelic effects are very brief compared with substances such as psilocybin or ayahuasca,” Araújo said. “If its clinical efficacy is confirmed in larger controlled studies, this short duration could make psychedelic treatment considerably easier to integrate into health care systems.”
The focus on overall well-being represents a shifting paradigm in how medical professionals evaluate mental health treatments. “I think the broader point is that psychiatry should perhaps ask a larger question when evaluating new treatments: not only ‘Are the symptoms better?’ but also ‘Is the person living better?'” Araújo said.
“Depression affects relationships, work, physical functioning, hope, and the way people experience their own lives,” Araújo said. “For us, understanding whether psychedelic interventions can influence these dimensions is an important part of determining their actual clinical value.”
The study, “Beyond symptom reduction: DMT improves anxiety, life satisfaction, and quality of life in healthy volunteers and patients with depression,” was authored by Raynara Bolcont, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Handersson Barros, Sophie Laborde, Daniel Amorim, Marcelo Falchi-Carvalho, Nicole Galvão-Coelho, Isabel Wießner, and Draulio B. Araujo.
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-
DATE: August 1, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Ayahuasca might protect the brain from stress-induced damage, primate study finds
A study of common marmosets (a species of small New World monkey native to Brazil) found that giving ayahuasca before and during a period of isolation (meant to induce chronic social stress) might have prevented cortical atrophy caused by stress. While ayahuasca’s ability to preserve individual cell size (neuronal volume) was statistically significant, its effects on overall cortical volume and neuronal density could not be statistically confirmed as there were only two marmosets per experimental group. The paper was published in Translational Psychiatry.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant brew traditionally used for spiritual and healing purposes by indigenous communities in the Amazon region. It is commonly prepared by combining the vine Banisteriopsis caapi with leaves of Psychotria viridis or another plant containing the psychedelic compound dimethyltryptamine, or DMT.
DMT primarily produces its effects by acting on serotonin receptors in the brain, especially the 5-HT2A receptor. When swallowed alone, DMT is normally broken down rapidly in the digestive system by monoamine oxidase enzymes. Harmala alkaloids in the vine inhibit monoamine oxidase, allowing DMT to remain active and produce effects lasting several hours. These effects typically include vivid visual experiences, altered perceptions of time and self, intense emotions, and feelings interpreted as spiritual insight.
Although preliminary research has examined possible applications of ayahuasca for treating depression, addiction, and related conditions, the evidence remains limited and ayahuasca is not an established substitute for standard medical or psychological treatment. Its legal status varies between countries, and its effects and risks depend on the brew’s composition, the user’s health, other substances taken, and the setting in which it is consumed.
Study author Luiz Roberto Fernandes Pereira and his colleagues note that various brain regions undergo changes in individuals suffering from depression. Among these regions, the somatosensory cortex stands out, as studies indicate that there is a 30% loss of dendritic spines (parts of neurons) in somatosensory neurons during depressive states, impairing signal processing in this brain region substantially. These authors wanted to explore whether ayahuasca, given its known effects on perception, might mitigate the adverse effects of depression on this region of the brain.
They conducted a study on 6 common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), a small New World monkey native to northeastern Brazil. Study authors note that this particular species of primates is very convenient for scientific inquiry because their brains do not have gyri and convolutions, facilitating the examination of the areas of the brain of interest. They are also common, reproduce easily, and sexually mature by 1.5-2 years of age.
The marmosets were divided into three groups of 2 – the isolation group, the family group, and the ayahuasca group. They were between 7 and 9 months old at the start of the study and classified as juveniles. All 6 marmosets were housed with their families for the first 4 weeks of the study. After that, the family group remained with their families for the next 9 weeks.
The isolation and ayahuasca groups were separated from their families and kept in cages, completely isolated from other animals. The cages were enriched with natural tree branches, wooden swings, and a nest box to provide rest and comfort. The point of keeping them in isolation was to cause chronic stress and induce a psychophysiological condition akin to depression in humans.
The ayahuasca group received three doses of ayahuasca tea (1.67 mL/300g) by oral gavage (i.e., poured directly into their stomachs through a tube passed via the mouth and esophagus). They received the first ayahuasca dose three days before the start of the isolation. The two additional doses were given 25 and 50 days later. At the end of the experiment, the marmosets were euthanized using sodium thiopental and their tissues were examined by study authors.
Results showed that the marmosets in the isolation group suffered a significant reduction in neuronal volume (the volume of individual brain cells) compared to the family group, while the ayahuasca group had neuronal volume similar to the family group. This indicates that ayahuasca might have mitigated the adverse effects of isolation on neuronal volume.
“Although differences in neuronal density and cortical volume could not be statistically confirmed [because an overall sample size of two animals per group is too small to statistically evaluate whole-brain macrostructures], trends indicated potential preservation of cortical structure in the AG [the ayahuasca group]. These preliminary findings underscore ayahuasca’s potential to mitigate stress-induced cortical atrophy and highlight its influence on neural plasticity,” the study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of potential therapeutic effects of ayahuasca. However, it should be noted that the study was conducted on marmosets, not on humans. While humans and marmosets share many physiological similarities, they are still very different species. Findings on humans might differ.
The paper, “Preliminary analysis of ayahuasca-induced anatomical alterations in the somatosensory cortex of juvenile non-human primates (Callithrix jacchus) subjected to chronic stress,” was authored by Luiz Roberto Fernandes Pereira, Wigínio Gabriel Lira-Bandeira, Andréa Silva Medeiros-Bandeira, Lílian Andrade Carlos de Mendonça, Fernando Vagner Lobo Ladd, Maria Lara Porpino de Meiroz Grilo, Jeferson Souza Cavalcante, Nicole Leite Galvão-Coelho, and Expedito Silva Nascimento Jr.
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-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AyahuascaNeuroscience #StressInducedCorticalAtrophy #MarmosetStudy #NeuralPlasticity #SomatosensoryCortex #PsychedelicResearch #DepressionTreatmentResearch #TranslationalPsychiatry #AyahuascaTherapy #BrainHealthResearch
-
DATE: August 1, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Ayahuasca might protect the brain from stress-induced damage, primate study finds
A study of common marmosets (a species of small New World monkey native to Brazil) found that giving ayahuasca before and during a period of isolation (meant to induce chronic social stress) might have prevented cortical atrophy caused by stress. While ayahuasca’s ability to preserve individual cell size (neuronal volume) was statistically significant, its effects on overall cortical volume and neuronal density could not be statistically confirmed as there were only two marmosets per experimental group. The paper was published in Translational Psychiatry.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant brew traditionally used for spiritual and healing purposes by indigenous communities in the Amazon region. It is commonly prepared by combining the vine Banisteriopsis caapi with leaves of Psychotria viridis or another plant containing the psychedelic compound dimethyltryptamine, or DMT.
DMT primarily produces its effects by acting on serotonin receptors in the brain, especially the 5-HT2A receptor. When swallowed alone, DMT is normally broken down rapidly in the digestive system by monoamine oxidase enzymes. Harmala alkaloids in the vine inhibit monoamine oxidase, allowing DMT to remain active and produce effects lasting several hours. These effects typically include vivid visual experiences, altered perceptions of time and self, intense emotions, and feelings interpreted as spiritual insight.
Although preliminary research has examined possible applications of ayahuasca for treating depression, addiction, and related conditions, the evidence remains limited and ayahuasca is not an established substitute for standard medical or psychological treatment. Its legal status varies between countries, and its effects and risks depend on the brew’s composition, the user’s health, other substances taken, and the setting in which it is consumed.
Study author Luiz Roberto Fernandes Pereira and his colleagues note that various brain regions undergo changes in individuals suffering from depression. Among these regions, the somatosensory cortex stands out, as studies indicate that there is a 30% loss of dendritic spines (parts of neurons) in somatosensory neurons during depressive states, impairing signal processing in this brain region substantially. These authors wanted to explore whether ayahuasca, given its known effects on perception, might mitigate the adverse effects of depression on this region of the brain.
They conducted a study on 6 common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), a small New World monkey native to northeastern Brazil. Study authors note that this particular species of primates is very convenient for scientific inquiry because their brains do not have gyri and convolutions, facilitating the examination of the areas of the brain of interest. They are also common, reproduce easily, and sexually mature by 1.5-2 years of age.
The marmosets were divided into three groups of 2 – the isolation group, the family group, and the ayahuasca group. They were between 7 and 9 months old at the start of the study and classified as juveniles. All 6 marmosets were housed with their families for the first 4 weeks of the study. After that, the family group remained with their families for the next 9 weeks.
The isolation and ayahuasca groups were separated from their families and kept in cages, completely isolated from other animals. The cages were enriched with natural tree branches, wooden swings, and a nest box to provide rest and comfort. The point of keeping them in isolation was to cause chronic stress and induce a psychophysiological condition akin to depression in humans.
The ayahuasca group received three doses of ayahuasca tea (1.67 mL/300g) by oral gavage (i.e., poured directly into their stomachs through a tube passed via the mouth and esophagus). They received the first ayahuasca dose three days before the start of the isolation. The two additional doses were given 25 and 50 days later. At the end of the experiment, the marmosets were euthanized using sodium thiopental and their tissues were examined by study authors.
Results showed that the marmosets in the isolation group suffered a significant reduction in neuronal volume (the volume of individual brain cells) compared to the family group, while the ayahuasca group had neuronal volume similar to the family group. This indicates that ayahuasca might have mitigated the adverse effects of isolation on neuronal volume.
“Although differences in neuronal density and cortical volume could not be statistically confirmed [because an overall sample size of two animals per group is too small to statistically evaluate whole-brain macrostructures], trends indicated potential preservation of cortical structure in the AG [the ayahuasca group]. These preliminary findings underscore ayahuasca’s potential to mitigate stress-induced cortical atrophy and highlight its influence on neural plasticity,” the study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of potential therapeutic effects of ayahuasca. However, it should be noted that the study was conducted on marmosets, not on humans. While humans and marmosets share many physiological similarities, they are still very different species. Findings on humans might differ.
The paper, “Preliminary analysis of ayahuasca-induced anatomical alterations in the somatosensory cortex of juvenile non-human primates (Callithrix jacchus) subjected to chronic stress,” was authored by Luiz Roberto Fernandes Pereira, Wigínio Gabriel Lira-Bandeira, Andréa Silva Medeiros-Bandeira, Lílian Andrade Carlos de Mendonça, Fernando Vagner Lobo Ladd, Maria Lara Porpino de Meiroz Grilo, Jeferson Souza Cavalcante, Nicole Leite Galvão-Coelho, and Expedito Silva Nascimento Jr.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AyahuascaNeuroscience #StressInducedCorticalAtrophy #MarmosetStudy #NeuralPlasticity #SomatosensoryCortex #PsychedelicResearch #DepressionTreatmentResearch #TranslationalPsychiatry #AyahuascaTherapy #BrainHealthResearch
-
DATE: July 30, 2026 at 10:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Psilocybin-assisted therapy shows promise for veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD
A new study provides evidence that psilocybin combined with psychotherapy can safely reduce symptoms for military veterans suffering from severe, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. The findings suggest this approach tends to offer meaningful relief for individuals who have not responded to standard therapies. The research was recently published in the journal Communications Medicine.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Symptoms often include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the trauma. Patients also frequently experience avoidance behaviors and negative changes in mood. Among military veterans, this condition tends to be more severe, chronic, and difficult to treat than in the general public.
Many veterans do not respond to standard psychological therapies or traditional medications like antidepressants. This lack of effective options often leaves them with long-term disability and a heightened risk of suicide. Seeking better solutions, a research team explored the potential of psilocybin, which is the primary psychoactive compound found in certain species of mushrooms. When taken in a controlled clinical setting with psychological support, this substance induces profound alterations in perception and mood that might help individuals process traumatic memories.
The research team was led by Stacey B. Armstrong and Alan K. Davis from the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education at The Ohio State University. They designed a clinical trial to evaluate whether this combined approach is safe and effective for veterans specifically. By pairing the drug with intensive psychological support, the scientists aimed to disrupt the underlying emotional maintenance processes that keep patients locked in cycles of trauma.
This new project builds on a growing foundation of previous research indicating the benefits of psychedelic treatments. For example, a previous survey study led by Davis found that psychedelics tend to increase a trait known as psychological flexibility. This concept refers to a person’s ability to stay connected to the present moment and manage difficult emotions without avoiding them. In that survey of over two thousand individuals, increases in psychological flexibility were linked to decreases in depression and anxiety.
Another previous study, authored by Armstrong, looked at 45 United States Special Operations Forces veterans who received treatments in Mexico. These veterans were given ibogaine, a compound derived from an African shrub, alongside a psychedelic substance known as 5-MeO-DMT. That research provided evidence for significant reductions in both alcohol misuse and trauma symptoms. The veterans also demonstrated notable improvements in cognitive functioning that persisted for at least six months.
Additionally, Davis recently co-authored a long-term follow-up study on patients who received psilocybin therapy for major depressive disorder. Five years after the initial clinical trial, 67 percent of the participants were still in remission from their depression. The researchers noted that the treatment seemed to fundamentally shift how patients related to their depressive symptoms. Even when patients faced new emotional hurdles, they reported that their depression felt more situational and manageable.
To test the psilocybin approach in a new group, the scientists recruited 12 military veterans for an 11-week pilot study. Each participant suffered from severe PTSD that had not responded to standard medical and psychological treatments. The group included nine men and three women, with an average age of about 38 years. Eight of the participants were married and living with a spouse.
The treatment protocol involved roughly 16 hours of psychotherapy spread across multiple visits. Participants first completed eight hours of preparation therapy to build trust with the clinicians and learn grounding techniques. The preparation phase was designed to help the veterans set intentions and mentally prepare for the intense effects of the drug.
Following the preparation phase, the veterans completed two separate dosing sessions spaced two to three weeks apart. During the first session, they received a 15-milligram dose of synthetic psilocybin. In the second session, they received a higher 25-milligram dose.
Two facilitators stayed in the room for the entire eight-hour drug experience to monitor vital signs and provide emotional support. The participants were encouraged to wear eyeshades and listen to music. This setup allowed them to focus inward on their thoughts and emotions during the acute effects of the medication.
The days after each dosing session included integration therapy, where the clinicians helped the veterans process what they experienced. This step is intended to help the patients apply any psychological insights they gained to their daily lives.
The researchers found the treatment to be safe and well-tolerated by the veterans. No serious adverse events occurred at any point during the trial. The participants’ heart rates and blood pressures remained within safe limits during the dosing sessions. The most common minor side effects were mild headaches, brief anxiety, and dizziness, all of which resolved on their own.
In terms of clinical outcomes, the scientists observed large and statistically significant reductions in trauma symptoms. At a one-month follow-up assessment, 75 percent of the participants no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. On a standardized clinical rating scale, the average symptom severity score dropped by 27.5 points.
The research team also monitored the participants for suicidal thoughts and behaviors throughout the trial. They found no increase in suicidal ideation during the study. By the one-month follow-up, 75 percent of the veterans reported no suicidal thoughts at all, and the remaining reports were classified as passive.
The scientists also noted that the veterans showed some symptom improvement during the preparation therapy phase, even before taking the drug. This provides evidence that the psychological support itself plays a supportive role in the healing process. The researchers also tested whether the participants’ expectations for the treatment influenced their outcomes.
They found that a person’s belief in how well the therapy would work did not predict their actual symptom reduction. This suggests that the positive changes were likely driven by the treatment itself rather than by placebo expectations.
These initial findings offer a promising look at a new therapy, but there are several limitations to keep in mind. The pilot study relied on a very small sample size of only 12 participants and did not include a control group. Because everyone knew they were receiving the active drug, the expectations and the intense support provided might have influenced the outcomes. The observed symptom reductions cannot be strictly proven to be caused by the psilocybin alone.
The highly screened nature of the participants also means the results might not apply to all veterans. Individuals with a history of serious suicide attempts or specific psychotic disorders were excluded from the trial for safety reasons. The follow-up period was also limited to just one month, leaving questions about the long-term durability of these specific results.
Future research needs to include larger groups of participants who are randomly assigned to receive either the active treatment or a placebo. This type of blinded study would help clarify exactly how much of the improvement is due to the chemical effects of the drug versus the therapy itself. Scientists also hope to investigate how biological changes in the brain correspond to the psychological relief reported by the patients.
Additional trials might explore whether combining this intervention with other established psychological treatments could yield even better outcomes. Understanding how this substance interacts with different symptom profiles will help clinicians tailor the approach to individual needs. Expanding the diversity of the participants will also be necessary to ensure the therapy is safe and effective for a wider population.
The study, “Safety, feasibility, and preliminary clinical outcomes of psilocybin-assisted therapy for veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD: an open-label pilot clinical trial,” was authored by Stacey B. Armstrong, Adam W. Levin, Nathan D. Sepeda, Hillary Shaub, Taweh Hunter, Angela Douglas, Rafaelle Lancelotta, and Alan K. Davis.
-------------------------------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsilocybinTherapy #PTSDRecovery #VeteransHealth #MentalHealthInnovation #PsychedelicResearch #TraumaHealing # PTSDTreatment #OpenLabelTrial #PsychologicalFlexibility #SafetyFeasibility
-
DATE: July 30, 2026 at 10:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Psilocybin-assisted therapy shows promise for veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD
A new study provides evidence that psilocybin combined with psychotherapy can safely reduce symptoms for military veterans suffering from severe, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. The findings suggest this approach tends to offer meaningful relief for individuals who have not responded to standard therapies. The research was recently published in the journal Communications Medicine.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Symptoms often include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the trauma. Patients also frequently experience avoidance behaviors and negative changes in mood. Among military veterans, this condition tends to be more severe, chronic, and difficult to treat than in the general public.
Many veterans do not respond to standard psychological therapies or traditional medications like antidepressants. This lack of effective options often leaves them with long-term disability and a heightened risk of suicide. Seeking better solutions, a research team explored the potential of psilocybin, which is the primary psychoactive compound found in certain species of mushrooms. When taken in a controlled clinical setting with psychological support, this substance induces profound alterations in perception and mood that might help individuals process traumatic memories.
The research team was led by Stacey B. Armstrong and Alan K. Davis from the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education at The Ohio State University. They designed a clinical trial to evaluate whether this combined approach is safe and effective for veterans specifically. By pairing the drug with intensive psychological support, the scientists aimed to disrupt the underlying emotional maintenance processes that keep patients locked in cycles of trauma.
This new project builds on a growing foundation of previous research indicating the benefits of psychedelic treatments. For example, a previous survey study led by Davis found that psychedelics tend to increase a trait known as psychological flexibility. This concept refers to a person’s ability to stay connected to the present moment and manage difficult emotions without avoiding them. In that survey of over two thousand individuals, increases in psychological flexibility were linked to decreases in depression and anxiety.
Another previous study, authored by Armstrong, looked at 45 United States Special Operations Forces veterans who received treatments in Mexico. These veterans were given ibogaine, a compound derived from an African shrub, alongside a psychedelic substance known as 5-MeO-DMT. That research provided evidence for significant reductions in both alcohol misuse and trauma symptoms. The veterans also demonstrated notable improvements in cognitive functioning that persisted for at least six months.
Additionally, Davis recently co-authored a long-term follow-up study on patients who received psilocybin therapy for major depressive disorder. Five years after the initial clinical trial, 67 percent of the participants were still in remission from their depression. The researchers noted that the treatment seemed to fundamentally shift how patients related to their depressive symptoms. Even when patients faced new emotional hurdles, they reported that their depression felt more situational and manageable.
To test the psilocybin approach in a new group, the scientists recruited 12 military veterans for an 11-week pilot study. Each participant suffered from severe PTSD that had not responded to standard medical and psychological treatments. The group included nine men and three women, with an average age of about 38 years. Eight of the participants were married and living with a spouse.
The treatment protocol involved roughly 16 hours of psychotherapy spread across multiple visits. Participants first completed eight hours of preparation therapy to build trust with the clinicians and learn grounding techniques. The preparation phase was designed to help the veterans set intentions and mentally prepare for the intense effects of the drug.
Following the preparation phase, the veterans completed two separate dosing sessions spaced two to three weeks apart. During the first session, they received a 15-milligram dose of synthetic psilocybin. In the second session, they received a higher 25-milligram dose.
Two facilitators stayed in the room for the entire eight-hour drug experience to monitor vital signs and provide emotional support. The participants were encouraged to wear eyeshades and listen to music. This setup allowed them to focus inward on their thoughts and emotions during the acute effects of the medication.
The days after each dosing session included integration therapy, where the clinicians helped the veterans process what they experienced. This step is intended to help the patients apply any psychological insights they gained to their daily lives.
The researchers found the treatment to be safe and well-tolerated by the veterans. No serious adverse events occurred at any point during the trial. The participants’ heart rates and blood pressures remained within safe limits during the dosing sessions. The most common minor side effects were mild headaches, brief anxiety, and dizziness, all of which resolved on their own.
In terms of clinical outcomes, the scientists observed large and statistically significant reductions in trauma symptoms. At a one-month follow-up assessment, 75 percent of the participants no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. On a standardized clinical rating scale, the average symptom severity score dropped by 27.5 points.
The research team also monitored the participants for suicidal thoughts and behaviors throughout the trial. They found no increase in suicidal ideation during the study. By the one-month follow-up, 75 percent of the veterans reported no suicidal thoughts at all, and the remaining reports were classified as passive.
The scientists also noted that the veterans showed some symptom improvement during the preparation therapy phase, even before taking the drug. This provides evidence that the psychological support itself plays a supportive role in the healing process. The researchers also tested whether the participants’ expectations for the treatment influenced their outcomes.
They found that a person’s belief in how well the therapy would work did not predict their actual symptom reduction. This suggests that the positive changes were likely driven by the treatment itself rather than by placebo expectations.
These initial findings offer a promising look at a new therapy, but there are several limitations to keep in mind. The pilot study relied on a very small sample size of only 12 participants and did not include a control group. Because everyone knew they were receiving the active drug, the expectations and the intense support provided might have influenced the outcomes. The observed symptom reductions cannot be strictly proven to be caused by the psilocybin alone.
The highly screened nature of the participants also means the results might not apply to all veterans. Individuals with a history of serious suicide attempts or specific psychotic disorders were excluded from the trial for safety reasons. The follow-up period was also limited to just one month, leaving questions about the long-term durability of these specific results.
Future research needs to include larger groups of participants who are randomly assigned to receive either the active treatment or a placebo. This type of blinded study would help clarify exactly how much of the improvement is due to the chemical effects of the drug versus the therapy itself. Scientists also hope to investigate how biological changes in the brain correspond to the psychological relief reported by the patients.
Additional trials might explore whether combining this intervention with other established psychological treatments could yield even better outcomes. Understanding how this substance interacts with different symptom profiles will help clinicians tailor the approach to individual needs. Expanding the diversity of the participants will also be necessary to ensure the therapy is safe and effective for a wider population.
The study, “Safety, feasibility, and preliminary clinical outcomes of psilocybin-assisted therapy for veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD: an open-label pilot clinical trial,” was authored by Stacey B. Armstrong, Adam W. Levin, Nathan D. Sepeda, Hillary Shaub, Taweh Hunter, Angela Douglas, Rafaelle Lancelotta, and Alan K. Davis.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsilocybinTherapy #PTSDRecovery #VeteransHealth #MentalHealthInnovation #PsychedelicResearch #TraumaHealing # PTSDTreatment #OpenLabelTrial #PsychologicalFlexibility #SafetyFeasibility
-
DATE: July 22, 2026 at 12:12AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Magic mushrooms may reshape the brain long after the trip ends
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719040005.htm
A single dose of psilocybin produced measurable changes in brain activity and possible changes in brain structure that lasted for up to a month. Participants who experienced the greatest increase in flexible, varied brain activity also reported more personal insight and later improvements in well-being. The findings suggest that the psychedelic experience itself may help people break free from entrenched patterns of thinking.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719040005.htm
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #MagicMushrooms #Psilocybin #BrainScience #Neuroplasticity #MentalWellbeing #PsychedelicResearch #BrainHealth #CognitiveFlexibility #PersonalGrowth #WellBeingInsights
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DATE: July 22, 2026 at 12:12AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Magic mushrooms may reshape the brain long after the trip ends
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719040005.htm
A single dose of psilocybin produced measurable changes in brain activity and possible changes in brain structure that lasted for up to a month. Participants who experienced the greatest increase in flexible, varied brain activity also reported more personal insight and later improvements in well-being. The findings suggest that the psychedelic experience itself may help people break free from entrenched patterns of thinking.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719040005.htm
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #MagicMushrooms #Psilocybin #BrainScience #Neuroplasticity #MentalWellbeing #PsychedelicResearch #BrainHealth #CognitiveFlexibility #PersonalGrowth #WellBeingInsights
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DATE: July 18, 2026 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain scans reveal how LSD desynchronizes local neural activity to alter consciousness
A new analysis of brain imaging data reveals that lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD, reduces the synchronization of local brain activity to produce its mind-altering effects. Published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, the research suggests the hallucinogenic drug interacts with a wider array of brain receptors than previously assumed. These insights help map the biological mechanisms underlying altered states of consciousness and could inform future therapeutic uses of psychedelics.
Over the past decade, medical researchers have renewed their focus on classic psychedelic drugs as potential treatments for psychiatric conditions. Compounds like LSD and psilocybin produce profound changes in perception, mood, and thought. Researchers largely attribute these effects to how the chemical binds to a specific type of serotonin receptor in the brain. But the drug structurally mimics several other chemical messengers, including dopamine and different subtypes of serotonin.
Paolo La-Torraca-Vittori, a researcher at the University of Pavia, and Livio Tarchi of the University of Florence led the current investigation. They aimed to fill a gap in current neuroimaging literature. Most brain scans of people on psychedelics look at large-scale, long-distance communication between widespread brain networks. Few studies have examined what happens to the tiny, localized clusters of brain cells when someone is under the influence of LSD.
The research team focused on two specific metrics that measure the resting state of the brain. The first metric captures the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations. This assesses the power of slow, spontaneous brain waves in a very localized area. When a person is resting, their brain usually produces stable, low-frequency rhythms. A drop in this amplitude means the brain activity is becoming noisier, faster, and more desynchronized.
The second metric evaluates regional homogeneity. This assesses how well a tiny patch of brain tissue synchronizes its electrical activity with its immediate neighboring cells. High regional homogeneity indicates that a small cluster of neurons is firing together in unison. A drop in regional homogeneity suggests that local neurons are operating independently of one another.
To explain why this matters, scientists point to the entropic brain hypothesis. Entropy is a physics concept related to disorder and randomness. In neuroscience, higher entropy means a richer, less predictable pattern of brain states. The entropic brain hypothesis proposes that psychedelics push the brain into a state of higher entropy, increasing disorder in a way that allows for more flexible and dynamic thought processes.
The investigators utilized an open-access database containing the brain scans of 15 healthy adults. Because it involved fewer than 50 participants, this was a small study. During the original data collection, each participant underwent two brain scanning sessions held at least two weeks apart. On one day, they received an intravenous saline placebo. On the other day, they received a moderate, hallucinogenic dose of LSD.
The scanning took place roughly an hour after the drug was administered, capturing the peak of the psychedelic experience. The participants rested inside the scanner with their eyes closed. The scanning device tracked changes in blood flow to map neural activity. La-Torraca-Vittori, Tarchi, and their colleagues computed the two localized metrics for both the placebo and the LSD states. The researchers then overlaid these results onto established brain maps showing the typical distribution of various chemical receptors.
The analysis revealed widespread reductions in both the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity when participants were under the influence of LSD. These drops were particularly pronounced in the visual and somatosensory cortices, the brain areas that process sight and incoming touch. The researchers noted that this local fragmentation forces the brain to abandon its normal hierarchical processing setup.
Normally, the human brain operates in a strict functional hierarchy. Sensory regions process basic inputs and then send that data up the chain to associative regions, which interpret the information. Under LSD, this structured hierarchy flattens. Instead of local clusters processing sensory information in specialized silos, the brain integrates information broadly across the entire cortex, blending visual and physical sensations.
The two metrics also highlighted distinct changes in other brain regions. The low-frequency fluctuation metric dropped heavily in areas associated with the default mode network. This network is a group of brain areas active during passive rest, daydreaming, and self-reflection. Disruptions in this network are strongly associated with the breakdown of the conscious self commonly reported by users of psychedelics.
At the same time, regional homogeneity decreased notably in deep subcortical regions like the thalamus and amygdala. These structures act as central hubs for sensory relay and emotional processing. When local synchronization drops in these relay centers, it likely changes how sensory information gets routed to the rest of the brain.
When linking these functional changes to brain chemistry, the team found robust correlations that expanded beyond the primary target of LSD. As expected, some localization related to the primary 5-HT2A serotonin receptor. Yet the drops in both brain metrics consistently mirrored the distribution patterns of dopamine D2 receptors and an alternative serotonin receptor known as 5-HT1A.
A receptor is a protein structure on the surface of a cell that receives chemical signals. When a chemical locks into a receptor, it triggers a biological response inside the cell. Brain areas with fewer of these specific dopamine and serotonin receptors experienced the greatest decreases in local synchronization and low-frequency rhythms under LSD.
This alignment dictates that LSD initiates a cascade of neurochemical events spanning multiple messenger systems. The authors suggest that regions enriched with certain dopamine and serotonin receptors might actually be shielded from the desynchronizing effects of the drug. Alternatively, the drug might indirectly activate these adjacent pathways, leading to the varied sensory and emotional shifts that characterize the experience.
While the data offers new perspectives on the physical mechanics of psychedelics, the researchers acknowledged several limitations. The analysis relied on a small sample size, requiring replication in broader populations to ensure the ultimate reliability of the findings. The team also used standardized maps of receptor density from a general population rather than maps of the actual participants’ brains, which limits the precision of the chemical correlations.
In addition, the resting scans analyzed in this project took place after a music-listening session. The researchers caution that the lingering emotional or neurological effects of listening to music could have shaped the resting state data independently of the chemical infusion. A slight difference in head motion between the placebo and LSD groups remained even after data filtering, leaving open the possibility of minor scanning artifacts.
Future investigations will likely compare these localized measures with other brain monitoring technologies. By mapping both the physical location and the precise timing of these neural changes, scientists hope to fully decode how altered brain chemistry reshapes the human mind. The exploration of localized dynamics offers a key stepping stone toward developing safe, targeted psychedelic therapies in the future.
The study, “Knocking at the Doors of Perception: Relating LSD Effects on Low-Frequency Fluctuations and Regional Homogeneity to Receptor Densities in fMRI,” was authored by Paolo La-Torraca-Vittori, Livio Tarchi, Elisa Arrigo, Stefano Lanterna, Eleonora Tosi, Arne Doose, Fulvia Palesi, Doris Pischedda, Valdo Ricca, Paolo Fusar-Poli, and Stefano Damiani.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LSD BrainImaging #PsychedelicResearch #Neuroscience #BrainConnectivity #LowFrequencyFluctuations #RegionalHomogeneity #5HT2A #DopamineD2 #ConsciousnessAlteration #PsychedelicTherapy
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DATE: July 18, 2026 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain scans reveal how LSD desynchronizes local neural activity to alter consciousness
A new analysis of brain imaging data reveals that lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD, reduces the synchronization of local brain activity to produce its mind-altering effects. Published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, the research suggests the hallucinogenic drug interacts with a wider array of brain receptors than previously assumed. These insights help map the biological mechanisms underlying altered states of consciousness and could inform future therapeutic uses of psychedelics.
Over the past decade, medical researchers have renewed their focus on classic psychedelic drugs as potential treatments for psychiatric conditions. Compounds like LSD and psilocybin produce profound changes in perception, mood, and thought. Researchers largely attribute these effects to how the chemical binds to a specific type of serotonin receptor in the brain. But the drug structurally mimics several other chemical messengers, including dopamine and different subtypes of serotonin.
Paolo La-Torraca-Vittori, a researcher at the University of Pavia, and Livio Tarchi of the University of Florence led the current investigation. They aimed to fill a gap in current neuroimaging literature. Most brain scans of people on psychedelics look at large-scale, long-distance communication between widespread brain networks. Few studies have examined what happens to the tiny, localized clusters of brain cells when someone is under the influence of LSD.
The research team focused on two specific metrics that measure the resting state of the brain. The first metric captures the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations. This assesses the power of slow, spontaneous brain waves in a very localized area. When a person is resting, their brain usually produces stable, low-frequency rhythms. A drop in this amplitude means the brain activity is becoming noisier, faster, and more desynchronized.
The second metric evaluates regional homogeneity. This assesses how well a tiny patch of brain tissue synchronizes its electrical activity with its immediate neighboring cells. High regional homogeneity indicates that a small cluster of neurons is firing together in unison. A drop in regional homogeneity suggests that local neurons are operating independently of one another.
To explain why this matters, scientists point to the entropic brain hypothesis. Entropy is a physics concept related to disorder and randomness. In neuroscience, higher entropy means a richer, less predictable pattern of brain states. The entropic brain hypothesis proposes that psychedelics push the brain into a state of higher entropy, increasing disorder in a way that allows for more flexible and dynamic thought processes.
The investigators utilized an open-access database containing the brain scans of 15 healthy adults. Because it involved fewer than 50 participants, this was a small study. During the original data collection, each participant underwent two brain scanning sessions held at least two weeks apart. On one day, they received an intravenous saline placebo. On the other day, they received a moderate, hallucinogenic dose of LSD.
The scanning took place roughly an hour after the drug was administered, capturing the peak of the psychedelic experience. The participants rested inside the scanner with their eyes closed. The scanning device tracked changes in blood flow to map neural activity. La-Torraca-Vittori, Tarchi, and their colleagues computed the two localized metrics for both the placebo and the LSD states. The researchers then overlaid these results onto established brain maps showing the typical distribution of various chemical receptors.
The analysis revealed widespread reductions in both the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity when participants were under the influence of LSD. These drops were particularly pronounced in the visual and somatosensory cortices, the brain areas that process sight and incoming touch. The researchers noted that this local fragmentation forces the brain to abandon its normal hierarchical processing setup.
Normally, the human brain operates in a strict functional hierarchy. Sensory regions process basic inputs and then send that data up the chain to associative regions, which interpret the information. Under LSD, this structured hierarchy flattens. Instead of local clusters processing sensory information in specialized silos, the brain integrates information broadly across the entire cortex, blending visual and physical sensations.
The two metrics also highlighted distinct changes in other brain regions. The low-frequency fluctuation metric dropped heavily in areas associated with the default mode network. This network is a group of brain areas active during passive rest, daydreaming, and self-reflection. Disruptions in this network are strongly associated with the breakdown of the conscious self commonly reported by users of psychedelics.
At the same time, regional homogeneity decreased notably in deep subcortical regions like the thalamus and amygdala. These structures act as central hubs for sensory relay and emotional processing. When local synchronization drops in these relay centers, it likely changes how sensory information gets routed to the rest of the brain.
When linking these functional changes to brain chemistry, the team found robust correlations that expanded beyond the primary target of LSD. As expected, some localization related to the primary 5-HT2A serotonin receptor. Yet the drops in both brain metrics consistently mirrored the distribution patterns of dopamine D2 receptors and an alternative serotonin receptor known as 5-HT1A.
A receptor is a protein structure on the surface of a cell that receives chemical signals. When a chemical locks into a receptor, it triggers a biological response inside the cell. Brain areas with fewer of these specific dopamine and serotonin receptors experienced the greatest decreases in local synchronization and low-frequency rhythms under LSD.
This alignment dictates that LSD initiates a cascade of neurochemical events spanning multiple messenger systems. The authors suggest that regions enriched with certain dopamine and serotonin receptors might actually be shielded from the desynchronizing effects of the drug. Alternatively, the drug might indirectly activate these adjacent pathways, leading to the varied sensory and emotional shifts that characterize the experience.
While the data offers new perspectives on the physical mechanics of psychedelics, the researchers acknowledged several limitations. The analysis relied on a small sample size, requiring replication in broader populations to ensure the ultimate reliability of the findings. The team also used standardized maps of receptor density from a general population rather than maps of the actual participants’ brains, which limits the precision of the chemical correlations.
In addition, the resting scans analyzed in this project took place after a music-listening session. The researchers caution that the lingering emotional or neurological effects of listening to music could have shaped the resting state data independently of the chemical infusion. A slight difference in head motion between the placebo and LSD groups remained even after data filtering, leaving open the possibility of minor scanning artifacts.
Future investigations will likely compare these localized measures with other brain monitoring technologies. By mapping both the physical location and the precise timing of these neural changes, scientists hope to fully decode how altered brain chemistry reshapes the human mind. The exploration of localized dynamics offers a key stepping stone toward developing safe, targeted psychedelic therapies in the future.
The study, “Knocking at the Doors of Perception: Relating LSD Effects on Low-Frequency Fluctuations and Regional Homogeneity to Receptor Densities in fMRI,” was authored by Paolo La-Torraca-Vittori, Livio Tarchi, Elisa Arrigo, Stefano Lanterna, Eleonora Tosi, Arne Doose, Fulvia Palesi, Doris Pischedda, Valdo Ricca, Paolo Fusar-Poli, and Stefano Damiani.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LSD BrainImaging #PsychedelicResearch #Neuroscience #BrainConnectivity #LowFrequencyFluctuations #RegionalHomogeneity #5HT2A #DopamineD2 #ConsciousnessAlteration #PsychedelicTherapy
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Andrew Huberman has repeatedly emphasized that psychedelics interact with neuroplasticity and learning states.
We are aligned with this direction.
→ Heightened plasticity increases the importance of post-experience infrastructure, monitoring, and continuity systems.
#Psychedelics #Neuroscience #MentalHealth #PsychedelicResearch #Neuroplasticity #PublicHealth
-
Andrew Huberman has repeatedly emphasized that psychedelics interact with neuroplasticity and learning states.
We are aligned with this direction.
→ Heightened plasticity increases the importance of post-experience infrastructure, monitoring, and continuity systems.
#Psychedelics #Neuroscience #MentalHealth #PsychedelicResearch #Neuroplasticity #PublicHealth
-
#Psychedelic therapy assumed the hallucination was part of the mechanism.
UC Davis researchers created compounds that fully activate the same brain receptor as psychedelics - with zero hallucinogenic effects in animal tests.
Therapeutic benefit and the trip may operate through different pathways.A rare new molecular scaffold with implications for #depression, PTSD, and addiction treatment.
#Neuroscience #MentalHealth #PsychedelicResearch #Science
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
-
#Psychedelic therapy assumed the hallucination was part of the mechanism.
UC Davis researchers created compounds that fully activate the same brain receptor as psychedelics - with zero hallucinogenic effects in animal tests.
Therapeutic benefit and the trip may operate through different pathways.A rare new molecular scaffold with implications for #depression, PTSD, and addiction treatment.
#Neuroscience #MentalHealth #PsychedelicResearch #Science
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
-
Psychedelic Research Edges Toward Nuance, Moving Beyond Broad Strokes
New research shows low sensory changes from psychedelics like psilocybin may improve therapy for depression and PTSD. Learn how.
#PsychedelicResearch, #PsilocybinTherapy, #MentalHealth, #PTSD, #Depression
https://newsletter.tf/psychedelics-low-sensory-changes-therapy-outcomes/
-
Psychedelic Research Edges Toward Nuance, Moving Beyond Broad Strokes
New research shows low sensory changes from psychedelics like psilocybin may improve therapy for depression and PTSD. Learn how.
#PsychedelicResearch, #PsilocybinTherapy, #MentalHealth, #PTSD, #Depression
https://newsletter.tf/psychedelics-low-sensory-changes-therapy-outcomes/
-
Scientists now believe small sensory changes from psychedelics are key to therapy, not just side effects. This is a big shift from older ideas.
#PsychedelicResearch, #PsilocybinTherapy, #MentalHealth, #PTSD, #Depression
https://newsletter.tf/psychedelics-low-sensory-changes-therapy-outcomes/ -
Scientists now believe small sensory changes from psychedelics are key to therapy, not just side effects. This is a big shift from older ideas.
#PsychedelicResearch, #PsilocybinTherapy, #MentalHealth, #PTSD, #Depression
https://newsletter.tf/psychedelics-low-sensory-changes-therapy-outcomes/ -
TEXT MESSAGE SHAKES UP DRUG POLICY LANDSCAPE
President Trump signed an order to speed up research on psychedelic drugs after a text from Joe Rogan. Find out how this affects medical trials.
#PsychedelicResearch, #JoeRogan, #DonaldTrump, #DrugPolicy, #Ibogaine
https://newsletter.tf/rogan-text-trump-psychedelic-drug-research-order/
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President Trump signed an executive order to speed up research on psychedelic drugs. This is a major policy change following a text message from Joe Rogan.
#PsychedelicResearch, #JoeRogan, #DonaldTrump, #DrugPolicy, #Ibogaine
https://newsletter.tf/rogan-text-trump-psychedelic-drug-research-order/