This December, research looked into many different aspects of the psychedelic experience. A review paper put forth the argument on why psychedelics and nature (relatedness) should go hand in hand. Music during psychedelic-assisted therapy is at least as important and we saw the first investigation of different genres at the very end of this year.
This November proved to be another fruitful month for psychedelic research. Psychedelics are being tested as a treatment for more and more mental ills. As this is done, it becomes ever more evident that psychedelics work on resolving an underlying issue. And that the classification (DSM/ICD) are but mere groups of symptoms that in some ways help us make sense of how mental health disorders manifest.
October was possibly the most active month this year for psychedelic research. Although none of the research might have made the big splash that a big double-blind trail does, these are all building blocks that further the psychedelic field.
Psychedelics are being studied for use with many mental health disorders. This ranges from end-of-life anxiety and depression, to eating disorders, to demoralization in AIDS survivors. What underlies this work is the increased neuronal growth (flexibility in the brain) that psychedelics elicit. This needs to be done in conjunction with therapy though, and that is what most articles this month are about.
Research slowed down a bit during this August, but still enough interesting things were found. The effect of 20 µg LSD on increasing pain tolerance was widely reported. This dosage is not psychedelic and not much above the ‘normal’ microdose range. More research on the pain-relieving (analgesic) effects of LSD in specific patient populations is the next logical step.
Each month I’m surprised by the large number of studies done with ketamine, especially when compared to the small number of psilocybin and MDMA studies. This month also features some of those, one comparing ketamine unfavorably to ECT. Psychedelics for anxiety disorder and psilocybin specifically for OCD are also reviewed. A small study with MDMA in Brazil is reported, and exploratory research with 5-MeO-DMT and ibogaine see extraordinary results for trauma with veterans.
Psychedelic trials are getting larger and the data is still looking good. The long-term follow-up of Phase II MDMA for PTSD continues to show benefits at the one-year mark. A meta-analysis of nine placebo-controlled trials also showed strong improvements. And for the first time ketamine was studied on a population of treatment-resistant bipolar depression.
The lack of papers in last months edition is overshadowed by the number of (high quality) papers this month. Next to many reviews (see the last section) there is research on alcoholism and psychedelics in animals, research into our brainwaves (with DMT and LSD), and the experience of ego dissolution. The latter didn’t predict less narcissistic behavior, but feelings of awe and connection did (survey).
April has been a slow month (probably related to COVID-19). There are many ongoing trials with ketamine and researchers should note them and not only look at finished studies to determine their research direction. Microdosing psychedelics remains interesting, yet not studied in a very controlled way.
New evidence piles up for the use of psychedelics in the fight against depression. Classical psychedelics seem to be longer-lasting in their effect than ketamine. And people can be fooled into thinking they are tripping, by carefully manipulating the setting.