Among individuals with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder, therapeutic alliance predicted changes in posttraumatic stress disorder severity following MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Therapeutic alliance may play a key role in facilitating therapeutic improvement within MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Further research remains necessary to confirm these preliminary findings and the role of therapeutic alliance in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Despite focusing on different populations and settings, this is the first research study to quantitively investigate the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning. Results imply a potential positive effect on post-acute sexual functioning and highlight the need for more research on this.

This article calls for scientific efforts to the development, examination, and evaluation of psychedelic integration models/methods ... and also briefly summarizes the current literature on psychedelic integration, provides a list of exemplary avenues that research on psychedelic integration might take, as well as anticipates and discusses the limitations and challenges of PI-focused research.

In this article we outline key knowledge gaps that may be imperative for a successful implementation of psychedelic drugs as medicines as identified by members of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology at the New Frontiers Meeting in Nice (2023)

Individuals presumed to be on serotonergic antidepressants during psychedelic use display reduced subjective effects but similar antidepressant effects compared to those not undergoing SRI treatment. Further controlled research is needed to comprehend the interplay between serotonergic antidepressants and psychedelics, illuminating potential therapeutic benefits and limitations in clinical contexts.

In a bid to increase accessibility, a new study by the Australian National University (ANU) School of Medicine and Psychology will look into the viability of the application of psychedelics in a group setting. The study will focus on the psychological, cognitive and physical effects, including adverse events, of taking psilocybin and MDMA in a group setting.

The social acceptability of psilocybin-assisted therapy for existential distress at the end of life is rather high in Canada. These findings may contribute to efforts to mobilise resources and improve access to this emerging therapy in palliative and end of life care settings.

Ketamine and its chemical derivative, esketamine, have the ability to alleviate severe depression almost instantly, particularly in cases resistant to other treatments. This represents a significant breakthrough in psychiatry. However, a complex mix of economic, regulatory, and research barriers have resulted in these potentially life-saving treatments remaining out of reach for many patients with severe depression.

MDMA-assisted therapy had significant positive effects on transdiagnostic mental processes of self-experience which are often associated with poor treatment outcome. This provides a possible window into understanding the psychological capacities facilitated by psychedelic agents that may result in significant improvements in PTSD symptomatology.

Overall, our results suggest that psychedelic therapy may be less vulnerable to expectancy biases than previously suspected.

A European consortium of 19 partners has been awarded €6,5 million by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme to study psilocybin to treat psychological distress in people with progressive incurable illnesses requiring palliative care.

The study’s findings highlight the prevalence, safety and potency of death experiences that occur during ayahuasca ceremonies, marking them as possible mechanisms for psychedelics’ long-term salutatory effects in non-clinical populations.

These insights hold significant potential for designing therapeutic interventions and educational resources aimed at enhancing coping strategies for those experiencing extended difficulties after psychedelic use.

MDMA-AT, compared with psychotherapy alone, significantly altered the domains of alexithymia, self-compassion, and altered self-capacities. These findings suggest that MDMA-AT can substantially improve transdiagnostic mental processes associated with poor treatment response.

In the present study, we report a prospective observational study of the Magnesium–Ibogaine: the Stanford Traumatic Injury to the CNS protocol (MISTIC), provided together with complementary treatment modalities, in 30 male SOVs with predominantly mild TBI.

If MDMA receives FDA approval this autumn (which seems very likely), then the UK Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will recognise MDMA within either a 60-day or 110-day timeline. Since the UK has already given MDMA an approval-speeding Innovation Passport, it seems likely that MDMA licensing will follow the 60-day timeline, leading to UK licensing by the end of the year or not long after. Lots of fingers crossed!

In psychedelic-assisted therapy, the therapeutic container is built upon alliance, trust, safety, and support. The history of the therapeutic alliance is reviewed and applied to the work of psychedelic psychotherapy.