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Single dose of psilocybin relieves anxiety and depression in patients with advanced cancer
BY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DECEMBER 1, 2016 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter When combined with psychological counseling, a single dose of a mind-altering compound contained in psychedelic mushrooms significantly lessens mental anguish in distressed cancer patients for months at a time, according to results of a clinical trial led by researchers at NYU Langone…
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Psilocybin increases the success of smoking-addiction treatment, research suggests
BY PSYPOST OCTOBER 3, 2016 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter SHARE The use of the psychedelic drug psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is more effective than current smoking cessation treatments, according to a recent study published online this July in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. The study provides preliminary evidence that psilocybin-use,…
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Magic mushroom compound psilocybin can reduce symptoms of treatment-resistant depression
BY THE LANCET MAY 17, 2016 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Psilocybin – a hallucinogenic compound derived from magic mushrooms – may offer a possible new avenue for antidepressant research, according to a new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry today. The small feasibility trial, which involved 12 people with treatment-resistant depression, found that psilocybin was safe and well-tolerated…
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New psychedelic research sheds light on why psilocybin-containing mushrooms have been consumed for centuries
BY ERIC W. DOLAN JULY 15, 2020 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter A new study from the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine provides insight into the psychoactive effects that distinguish psilocybin from other hallucinogenic substances. The findings suggest that feelings of spiritual and/or psychological insight play an important role in the…
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Combining therapy with the psychedelic drug psilocybin results in large reductions in anxiety and depression
BY BETH ELLWOOD JUNE 18, 2020 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic compound found in so-called “magic mushrooms”. A recent meta-analysis published in Psychiatry Research provides tentative support for psilocybin in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Researchers have made important advancements when it comes to the treatment of depression and anxiety, including both pharmacological and…
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A single high dose of psilocybin alters brain function up to one month later
BY ERIC W. DOLAN APRIL 7, 2020 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter New research provides evidence that the active ingredient in so-called magic mushrooms can affect brain processes related to emotional functioning long after the substance has left one’s body. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, shed new light on the long-term effects of psilocybin. Rather than examining…
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Single dose of psilocybin associated with increased mindfulness three months later
BY ERIC W. DOLAN MARCH 14, 2020 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter New research provides evidence that a single psilocybin dose can result in long-term increases in mindfulness, even in the absence of explicit mindfulness training. The study, published in European Neuropsychopharmacology, suggests that these changes in mindfulness are related to changes in the serotonin 2A receptor, one…
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Neuroscience study uncovers psilocybin-induced changes in brain connectivity
BY ERIC W. DOLAN JANUARY 20, 2020 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter SHARE New research published in Biological Psychology sheds light on the neurophysiological underpinnings of the psychedelic experience. The study provides new details about how psilocybin — the active component in “magic” mushrooms — changes the communication patterns between regions of the brain. “Psychedelics are currently being investigated…
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Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness meditation linked to brain connectivity changes and persisting positive effects
BY ERIC W. DOLAN AUGUST 17, 2019 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter SHARE New research indicates that psilocybin-assisted mindfulness meditation is associated with changes in functional brain connectivity — and these changes are related to an altered state of consciousness known as ego dissolution. The findings appear in the journal NeuroImage. A team of scientists from…
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A single dose of psilocybin enhances creative thinking and empathy up to seven days after use, study finds
BY ERIC W. DOLAN MARCH 7, 2019 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter SHARE New research provides more evidence that psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can improve creative thinking, empathy, and subjective well-being. The findings appear in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. “In the last decade, there has been a renewed scientific interest in the utility of…
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Psilocybin combined with psychological support might correct pessimism biases in depression
BY ERIC W. DOLAN JANUARY 20, 2019 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter SHARE The psychedelic drug psilocybin could help alleviate depression by causing people to have a less pessimistic outlook on life, according to preliminary research published in Frontiers in Psychology. Previous research has found that depression is associated with unrealistic negative predictions of future life events. Scientists from the…
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Psilocybin makes cancer patients see their loved ones in a new light
BY ERIC W. DOLAN SEPTEMBER 5, 2017 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter SHARE New research sheds light on why the psychedelic drug psilocybin helps to lessen the mental anguish experienced by people with advanced cancer. “The findings of the study support the conclusion that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy is well accepted by participants and constitutes a promising intervention for…
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People who microdose psychedelic drugs report that the benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks
SHARE People who take microdoses of psychedelic drugs consistently report that it results in improved mood and creativity, while having few side effects, according to new research published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. Study author Rotem Petranker, director of the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science, and his colleagues noticed a growing public interest in taking sub-threshold doses of…
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We Could Be Taking Psychedelics to Help Treat Mental Illness in Just Five Years
BY KASHMIRA GANDER ON 4/7/20 AT 12:53 PM EDT HEALTHPSYCHEDELIC DRUGSPSYCHIATRYLSDMAGIC MUSHROOMS Psychedelic drugs could be commonly used to treat mental health patients in as little as half a decade, according to a leading expert in the field. David Nutt, professor and neuropharmacologist at Imperial College London and former U.K. government drug adviser, told Newsweek he believes we are “less than five…
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Psychedelics: a game-changer in mental health?
Allie Nawrat 20 August 2020 (Last Updated August 21st, 2020 15:39) Psychedelics have been used throughout history for medical purposes. After going out of favour in the 1960s and 1970s, they have begun to return to the mainstream as rigorous clinical trials have demonstrated their potential as treatment for unmet needs in mental health. Allie…
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The rich history and promising future of psychedelic therapy
Hosted by Jonathan Bastian Oct. 24, 2020 HEALTH & WELLNESS Psilocybin mushroomsPhoto by Shutterstock Psychedelics have been used for thousands of years but in a provocative new book “The Immortality Key” author Brian Muraresku explores their impact on early Western civilization. Were the ancient Greeks, Romans and early Chrisitians influenced in their religious practices by psychedelics? Psilocybin, known…
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Psychedelic treatment with psilocybin relieves major depression, a study shows
Photo credit: CC0 Public Domain In a small study in adults with severe depression, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that two doses of the psychedelic substance psilocybin given with supportive psychotherapy resulted in rapid and severe reductions in depressive symptoms, with most participants showing improvement and half of the study participants achieved remission…
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‘Magic’ mushrooms could treat long-term depression 4 times better than anti-depressants, study finds
Julia Naftulin Nov 5, 2020, 7:27 PM Snapchat FILE – in this Aug. 3, 2007, file photo magic mushrooms are seen in a grow room at the Procare farm in Hazerswoude, central Netherlands. PETER DEJONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS The first-ever randomized controlled trial of long-term depression patients who took psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in “magic” mushrooms, found the…
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Take a trip: it’s for your mental health
Take a trip: it’s for your mental health BY: AUTUMN HYATT ON: NOVEMBER 5, 2020 IN: HEALTH, HEALTH AND RECREATION Autumn Hyatt agreer@uccs.edu Disclaimer: Sources contributing to this story are editors at the Scribe. The views and opinions expressed by Flannery and Webb are their own and not reflective of the position of the Scribe as an organization. “The next morning, it was the first time I did not…
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International study finds 79% of individuals who microdose with psychedelics report improvements in their mental health
A study published in Psychopharmacology suggests that people may turn to microdosing with psychedelics in an attempt to improve their mental health. According to most self-reports, these attempts may be effective. Interest in psychedelic drugs as a potential treatment option for mental health disorders has been steadily increasing. One reason for the upsurge in interest might be…
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The benefits of of psilocybin in treating mental health disorders
Hosted by Jonathan Bastian Oct. 24, 2020 HEALTH & WELLNESS Controlled psychedelic treatment.Photo: Polaris Insight Center, courtesy of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). The counterculture years of the 1960’s and 70’s did little for the reputation of psychedelic drug use. Potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic compounds for researchers and healthcare were quickly dashed by strict social and…
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Psychedelic treatment for depression is on sale for the first time
By Olivia Goldhill Science reporter October 16, 2020 Five years ago, psychedelics helped break Ian Roullier free from depression. His mental health had been spiraling for years, despite various antidepressants, counseling, and personal efforts to meditate, walk, and journal his way back to health. In 2014, he heard researchers at Imperial College London were planning to…
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What if a Pill Can Change Your Politics or Religious Beliefs?
A new mental health treatment using the psychedelic compound psilocybin raises questions about medicine and values By Eddie Jacobs on October 11, 2020 “Magic” mushrooms, a source of psilocybin. Credit: Joe Amon Getty Images How would you feel about a new therapy for your chronic pain, which—although far more effective than any available alternative—might also change your religious beliefs? Or…
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The case for funding psychedelics to treat mental health
The case for funding psychedelics to treat mental health Scientists are developing psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, into a treatment for depression. By Sigal Samuel Oct 9, 2020, 1:30pm EDT Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, is being investigated as a potential treatment for depression. Getty Images/iStockphoto This story is part of a group of…
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Study suggests psilocybin can positively change emotions and brain function long-term
Emma Stone October 26, 2020 Over time, it’s easy to become entrenched in how we view and move through the world. Firing up the same well-worn neural pathways becomes effortless, leading most of us to live more confined existences than we’d like to admit. For some, these ingrained habits may be a preference for a…
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Clinical Study Shows Hallucinogenic Magic Mushroom Compound Psilocybin Relieves Depression
A small study of adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers has found that two doses of a psychedelic compound found in “magic mushrooms,” can produce large reductions in depressive symptoms, when administered with supportive psychotherapy. The randomized, waiting list-controlled clinical trial involved 24 participants diagnosed with MDD, who weren’t…
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‘Magic mushroom’ ingredient could work as mental health treatment
By Katie Hunt, CNN Updated 1712 GMT (0112 HKT) November 7, 2020 (CNN)While magic mushrooms are known for their hallucinogenic effects, they may also have a role to play in the treatment of some mental health treatment.Or they might, if they weren’t illegal in most states.Oregon has become the first US state to make psilocybin, the…