Explorations in Interdisciplinary Psychedelic Research: Group Two

The Harvard Psychedelics Project, a student organization at Harvard Divinity School, held a conference to bring together faculty, researchers, and students from various departments and schools across Harvard University. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the diverse and interdisciplinary research on psychedelics, and speakers were invited from different units and departments such as the Harvard Business School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard College, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and POPLAR at the Petrie-Flom Center.

The event was inaugurated with talks by several speakers, including Charles Stang, Natalia Schwien, Rachael Petersen, Andrea Lerner, Ned Hall, Justin Williams, Jeffrey Breau, and Paul Gillis-Smith.

Summary of Explorations in Interdisciplinary Psychedelic Research (Part 2)

The video titled “Explorations in Interdisciplinary Psychedelic Research: Group Two” features various speakers discussing their interdisciplinary research on psychedelics. The presenters share their studies’ progress, challenges, and potential benefits for treating mental disorders and other difficult-to-treat conditions. The topics covered in the video include interdisciplinary studies in psychedelic research, medicalizing psychedelics, the use of psychedelics in patients with serious illnesses, epidemiological research on psychedelic use and mental health outcomes, and developing music-based mindfulness interventions. The speakers also discuss the potential harm of academic neural modulation without psychotherapy and highlight the critical role that Harvard has played historically in the field of psychedelics. Other topics included in the video are state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques, human stem cell technology, and combining botany, genomics, pharmacology, and AI/machine learning to advance our understanding of psychedelics.

The “Explorations in Interdisciplinary Psychedelic Research: Group Two” conference covers various aspects of psychedelic research, including the potential for interdisciplinary research and the challenges of integrating psychedelic therapy into the medical system. Set and setting are emphasized as essential factors for successful therapeutic outcomes, while legal and ethical obstacles are discussed in integrating psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy into existing medical frameworks. Insurance coverage, access to therapy, and concerns of scalability are also addressed. The panelists stress the importance of understanding risk factors in the context of psychedelic therapies and the need to use them to disrupt and challenge existing cultural and institutional structures. The conference also highlights cross-cultural sharing of psilocybin use, with a participant from Oaxaca, Mexico sharing their insights on the use of psilocybin mushrooms in indigenous healing practices.

• 00:00:00 In this section, Dr. Franklin King, the director of training and education at Mass General Center for Neuroscience of psychedelics and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, discusses the importance of interdisciplinary studies in psychedelic research. He points out that psychedelics have relevance to almost any area of academic study and sees it as an opportunity to cut through conventional paradigms in medicine. Dr. King believes that despite the wonderful medical advances available, there are still vast groups of people and patients who are not being touched, and in many ways, medicine is going in the wrong direction. This is why people are more willing to consider giving these agents, which until recently were demonized, to our most vulnerable patients.
• 00:05:00 In this section of the video, the presenter discusses the challenges of medicalizing psychedelics as they are different from the conventional medical paradigm, which includes diagnosis, prescription, and treatment based on available data. Psychedelics, on the other hand, work differently and have the potential to transcend the existing medical paradigm. The presenter talks about the Center for Neuroscience of Psychedelics and its interdisciplinary focus, uniting researchers and clinicians, with the goal of enhancing neuroscientific understanding of mental disorders and advancing progress in treating treatment-resistant conditions like depression and PTSD. The flagship study is being conducted by Dr. Sharmin Ghaznavi, which is a psilocybin-assisted therapy study enrolling people with treatment-resistant depression with a neuroimaging study. The presenter also discusses a new pilot study using MDMA-assisted therapy with an interdisciplinary approach incorporating cardiac and imaging research.
• 00:10:00 In this section, Dr. Greg King describes his interest in psychedelic research in the interface of medical and psychiatric disorders, specifically in the study of fibromyalgia patients. The study involves two rounds of MDMA-assisted therapy while conducting neuroimaging of the participant and one of the two study therapists simultaneously. Dr. King also emphasizes the importance of educating clinicians and other medical professionals about psychedelic therapy and its potential benefits, and discusses his involvement in the Mass General Psychiatry Academy and MAPS organization’s efforts to train and educate clinicians and residents in this field.
• 00:15:00 In this section, Dr. Philippe Lucas shares his journey of exploring psychedelics and his interest in the therapeutic value. He talks about how his interest in psychedelics started during his medical school, where he read the book “The Doors of Perception” by Aldous Huxley. However, he never heard about psychedelics used in a therapeutic way during his medical studies. Dr. Lucas then pursued psychology in his work but found that it was not satisfactory enough to address the existential experience. This led him to pursue research in psychedelic therapy that could help people improve their suffering when they have no control over the disease progression. He completed a two-year research fellowship to conduct research on this topic, and his interest in psychedelic therapy continues to grow.
• 00:20:00 In this section, the speaker discusses her work on interdisciplinary research into the potential role of psychedelic therapies in patients with serious illnesses, including cancer. The team she works with brings together a range of stakeholders, including clinicians and researchers, to address practical questions around how to implement and measure the effects of these therapies, as well as issues of access and equitability. The speaker describes a clinical trial in which psilocybin therapy was used to address demoralization in patients receiving hospice care. She shares a story of a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer who was able to feel alive again and reconnect with what was meaningful to him through the therapy, suggesting the potential of psychedelic therapies to address existential distress in seriously ill patients.
• 00:25:00 In this section, two presenters discuss their interdisciplinary psychedelic research. The first presenter shares a case study of a woman with pulmonary disease who received psychedelic therapy and no longer qualified for demoralization on the scale used, experiencing peace and a sense of wholeness despite the disease. The presenter also shares that they have upcoming studies on psilocybin for opioid refractory pain, MDMA-assisted therapy for patients and family caregivers, and implementing group and peer support. The second presenter discusses his research in two domains: psychedelics, and contemplative tools such as meditation and music, particularly for supporting flourishing and well-being in diverse populations, with a particular focus on black American wellness.
• 00:30:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the findings from her epidemiological research on psychedelic use and mental health outcomes. Using large data sets like the National Survey and Joe Houston Health, she identified a consistent pattern whereby psychedelics are associated with lower odds of serious mental health outcomes and addiction variables such as depression, psychological distress, and cocaine use disorder that is consistent with what clinicians already know about these substances. In the second part, she delves into how race and ethnicity moderate these associations and found fewer and weaker associations between psychedelic use and lowered odds of deleterious outcomes in communities of color. She raises questions about the external validity of clinical research and the potential for psychedelic research to cause harm within communities of color. Finally, in the third part, she talks about her music and meditation research that is still in progress.
• 00:35:00 In this section, Dr. Jones discusses her work on developing a music-based mindfulness intervention to decrease race-based anxiety in the black community and increase self-compassion. The intervention involves utilizing guided meditations and contemplative poetry from well-renowned black collaborators. The preliminary inquiry on 13 participants showed promising results on the reduction of race-based anxiety and the increase of mindfulness and self-compassion. The participants also showed a high level of acceptability and feasibility in exploring the intervention as a form of healing for themselves. Dr. Jones hopes to further develop and test the intervention with greater resources and eventually combine it with psychedelic therapies for communities of color.
• 00:40:00 In this section, the speaker talks about their experiences with ketamine and how it has become an effective treatment for suicide ideation. As a psychiatrist working in an inpatient psychiatric unit, they see many patients suffering from active psychosis, mania, and suicidal thoughts. Ketamine has been seen as a new treatment that helps suicide ideation, but it is limited in inpatient psychiatric units since most units don’t have IVs to administer the drug. As a result, the speaker had to make exceptions for two patients that were not getting better with any other treatment. They were able to send the patients to an academic clinic to receive ketamine integration psychotherapy, which showed promising results in helping the patients. However, despite the success of ketamine, it is not considered a psychedelic but rather a neuromodulation treatment, making it difficult for psychiatrists to use it on patients.
• 00:45:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the potential harm of academic neural modulation without psychotherapy for patients undergoing psychedelic treatments. The speaker recounts their personal experience of taking ketamine at a higher dose and feeling a sense of universal love and gratitude toward their loved ones and the people in the room. The speaker emphasizes the importance of love as a potential answer to existential questions raised by psychedelic experiences. The next speaker discusses the exciting possibilities of studying psychedelics in the context of brain plasticity, which can help us better understand the molecular and cellular changes that underlie the effects of psychedelics on the nervous system. The speaker also mentions William James, who the speaker considers one of the first psychedelic researchers at Harvard, and his experiences with mescaline and nitrous oxide.
• 00:50:00 In this section, the speaker talks about the critical role that Harvard has played historically in the field of psychedelics, specifically highlighting the work of Professor Richard Evans Schultes. Schultes is considered a founding figure of modern ethnobotany and spent his entire career at Harvard where he educated and inspired a generation of ethnobotanists interested in psychedelic research. It was through a class assignment that he became interested in psychedelics from reading a book by a German psychiatrist named Heinrich Kluver. Schultes went on to make fundamental contributions to the understanding of the phytochemicals that form the basis of the psychedelic Renaissance, studying many plants including sacred cacti peyote, source of mescaline, and the mushroom teonanácatl, that gives rise to psilocybin and other alkaloids. He set the stage for the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, ultimately inspiring the speaker to pursue a career studying the power of using chemistry to study the nervous system.
• 00:55:00 In this section of the video, the speakers discuss the interdisciplinary approach to psychedelic research, including the combination of clinical care with state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques to better understand how these agents modulate neuroplasticity. Another exciting opportunity for studying the effects of psychedelics is the use of human stem cell technology, which allows access to the human nervous system and the ability to study ex-vivo psychedelic tests. In addition, the speakers mention their interest in assembling a collection of plants, beginning to fractionate them to identify active compounds and test those back onto organoids. They also discuss the exciting implications of combining botany, genomics, and pharmacology, and AI/machine learning’s rapid knowledge digestion and connection.
• 01:00:00 In this section, the speakers discuss the revitalization of an existing greenhouse located near the site of the first studies on ether, an agent that causes a loss of consciousness. The speakers hope to expand opportunities for students interested in interdisciplinary psychedelic research and also discuss a fellowship opportunity for those interested in this field. The age at which participants can safely participate in psychedelic research is discussed, with studies focusing primarily on adults but some studies planning to include a younger population. There is evidence to suggest that for the vast majority of people, using psychedelics is not a risk factor for addiction or a gateway drug to other substances.
• 01:05:00 In this section, a participant asks about the primary factors for success in the pioneering studies on the use of psychedelics for depression at MGH, wondering if simply giving someone psychedelics and sitting them down with someone taking notes is enough. Dr. King responds by stressing the importance of set and setting, highlighting the appreciation of context and how it can seriously affect outcomes. The MGH study’s specific rooms are designed to replicate a living room, which is important in the context of the study’s environment. Fellow researchers Dr. Yvonne Lutze and Dr. Hernando Santor talk about the significance of building relationships with participants, being agnostic of the method but respectful of the patients.
• 01:10:00 In this section, the speakers discuss the challenges and opportunities of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy from both legal and ethical perspectives. The lack of a pre-existing framework for combining drug and psychotherapy is a major obstacle for the FDA and IRB to review and regulate such a therapy, leading to a need to reinvent the framework for the combined entity. The scalability of psychedelic-assisted therapy and who will have access to it are also major concerns, given that the therapy requires a significant amount of upfront time and resources but may ultimately only be accessible to those with good insurance or a lot of money. Additionally, the speakers raise questions about who is best suited to deliver psychedelic-assisted therapy, and whether those trained in more prescriptive therapies or non-traditional forms of therapy like chaplains and pastoral care counselors might be better suited to the work.
• 01:15:00 In this section, the speakers discuss the challenges of integrating psychedelic therapy into the medical system, particularly in terms of insurance coverage. With psychedelic therapy sessions lasting multiple hours and costing potentially thousands of dollars, insurance companies have been reluctant to cover the treatment. The speakers further question why it has taken so long for psychedelic research to gain acceptance, and how the societal resistance to the deeper insights gained through psychedelic experiences represents a greater threat to the system than the illegality of the drugs themselves.
• 01:20:00 In this section, researchers at the “Explorations in Interdisciplinary Psychedelic Research: Group Two” conference discuss the sacrifices they must make to conduct studies on psychedelic therapies within established systems. The conversation revolves around the need to integrate the emotional and contemplative aspects of psychedelic experiences while simultaneously navigating the structures of the institutions that they are working within. Panelists discuss the need to consider the potential complications of psychedelic therapies and how understanding drug interactions and potential risks can help create safe access for people with serious medical conditions. They express the need to use psychedelic therapies as a means of disrupting and challenging the cultural and institutional systems in place, rather than reifying them.
• 01:25:00 In this section, a participant from Oaxaca, Mexico shares their insights on the use of psilocybin mushrooms in their indigenous community, which has safeguarded and provided healing using such substances for over 500 years. They mention the striking lack of information on how indigenous doctors, who they refer to as doctors deliberately, use psilocybin mushrooms for healing. There is an opportunity to bring in their expertise and knowledge about guidelines and rules before taking psilocybin, such as the role of poetry, song, and language; the importance of avoiding certain activities like sexual activity before and after sessions; the role of touch; the post-session debriefs; the use of water, tobacco, candles, and cleansings; and the fact that healing has been provided at no cost. The participant also notes that while some countries are moving towards learning about the use of these medicines in a community, such as in Massachusetts, other communities like theirs are moving in an opposite direction, preferring Western medicine over psilocybin for healing. The importance of cross-cultural sharing of psilocybin use is emphasized in this section.