Paradox of Psychedelics: From Mind-Bending to Mind-Mending

As research continues to peel back the layers of their complex mechanisms, we move closer to a potential paradigm shift in treating mental health disorders, pushing the boundaries of our understanding of the mind's remarkable ability to heal and evolve.

 
 

References

 

Agin-Liebes, G., Tara C. Malone, Malone, T. C., Matthew M. Yalch, Yalch, M. M., Mennenga, S. E., Ponté, K. L., Guss, J., Bossis, A. P., Grigsby, J., Fischer, S. M., & Ross, S. (2020). Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in patients with life-threatening cancer: Journal of Psychopharmacology, 34(2), 155–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881119897615
 
Barrett, F. S., Carbonaro, T. M., Hurwitz, E., Johnson, M. W., & Griffiths, R. R. (2018). Double-blind comparison of the two hallucinogens psilocybin and dextromethorphan: Effects on cognition. Psychopharmacology, 235(10), 2915–2927. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-018-4981-x
 
Barrett, F. S., Doss, M. K., Sepeda, N. D., Pekar, J. J., & Griffiths, R. R. (2020). Emotions and brain function are altered up to one month after a single high dose of psilocybin. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 2214. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-59282-y
 
Bernasconi, F., Fosco Bernasconi, Schmidt, A., Pokorny, T., Kometer, M., Seifritz, E., & Vollenweider, F. X. (2014). Spatiotemporal Brain Dynamics of Emotional Face Processing Modulations Induced by the Serotonin 1A/2A Receptor Agonist Psilocybin. Cerebral Cortex, 24(12), 3221–3231. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bht178
 
Carhart-Harris, R., Giribaldi, B., Watts, R., Baker-Jones, M., Murphy-Beiner, A., Murphy, R., ... & Nutt, D. J. (2021). Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(15), 1402-1411.
 
Carter, O. L., Burr, D. C., Pettigrew, J. D., Wallis, G. M., Hasler, F., & Vollenweider, F. X. (2005). Using Psilocybin to Investigate the Relationship between Attention, Working Memory, and the Serotonin 1A and 2A Receptors. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17(10), 1497–1508. https://doi.org/10.1162/089892905774597191
 
Sayalı C & F. Barrett. (2023). The costs and benefits of psychedelics on cognition and mood. Neuron. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2022.12.031
 
Close, J. B., Hajien, E. C., Watts, R., Roseman, L., & Carhart-Harris, R. L. (2020). Psychedelics and psychological flexibility – Results of a prospective web-survey using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 16, 37–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.01.005
 
DeRubeis, R. J., Hollon, S. D., Amsterdam, J. D., Shelton, R. C., Young, P. R., Salomon, R. M., John P. O’Reardon, O’Reardon, J. P., Lovett, M. L., Gladis, M. M., Brown, L. L., &
 
Gallop, R. (2005). Cognitive therapy vs medications in the treatment of moderate to severe depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(4), 409–416. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.62.4.409
 
Devon Stoliker, Gary F Egan, Karl J. Friston, & Razi, A. (2022). Neural Mechanisms and Psychology of Psychedelic Ego Dissolution. Pharmacological Reviews, 74(4), 874–915. https://doi.org/10.1124/pharmrev.121.000508
 
Doss, M. K., Považan, M., Rosenberg, M. D., Sepeda, N. D., Davis, A. K., Finan, P. H., Smith, G. S., Pekar, J. J., Barker, P. B., Griffiths, R. R., & Barrett, F. S. (2021). Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1), 574. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01706-y
 
Fotiou, E. (2019). The role of Indigenous knowledges in psychedelic science. Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 4(1), 16–23.

Autore/i dell'articolo

Articolo in pdf

Newsletter

Keep me updated about new In-Mind articles, blog entries and more.

Facebook