Misc. news stories

A powerful psychedelic that is used in healing ceremonies by Indigenous groups in the Amazon is being trialled as a pioneering approach to reduce problematic alcohol consumption.

A recent study examining the effects of ketamine infusion on depression found that the infusion induces psychological experiences of awe. These experiences may mediate the effects of ketamine on the improvement of depression symptoms. The paper was published in Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science.

The process for synthesizing Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), more commonly known as “acid,” has long been shrouded by complex chemistry jargon, not to mention laws discouraging anybody from posting the process online lest they incur serious legal consequences. As such, learning how to make LSD has long been a process known only to a select few. Until now, anyway.

Psychedelics are being tested as add-ons to psychotherapy, but in trials, there’s little detail about how the therapy is actually conducted, Dr. Albino Oliveira-Maia says.

A new study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs has uncovered significant associations between naturalistic ayahuasca use and improved mental health.

In a new study, researchers found that participants consumed the psychedelic substance in a therapeutic context reported reduced depression and improvements in their sleep quality. The findings were published in Current Psychiatry Reports.

DMT might be the vehicle behind dreams, spiritual awakenings, and even wild visions during near-death experiences.

A new quantum theory explaining how light and matter interact has also provided the first-ever depiction of the shape of a single light particle, a photon. The research is published in the Physical Review Letters.

The VA is stepping up with its first psychedelic research study in decades, aiming to determine if MDMA-assisted therapy can offer real relief for veterans struggling with PTSD.

Voters in Massachusetts rejected Question 4, a ballot initiative that would have decriminalized plant-based psychedelics for residents and green-lit a state-regulated psychedelic-assisted therapy system.

A recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders suggests that a single dose of psilocybin may offer hope for U.S. military veterans facing severe, treatment-resistant depression.

A recent study published in AJOB Neuroscience found that a majority of Americans support psilocybin, a psychedelic compound from certain mushrooms, for supervised medical treatment and well-being enhancement. This strong bipartisan approval highlights public openness to legalized and controlled use of the drug for both medical and personal enhancement purposes, though with caution for future policy.

According to a new study published in the journal Fungal Ecology, fungi may have their own unique measure of intelligence, making them capable of basic shape recognition and decision-making throughout the networks they build.

A new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology reveals a surprising link between mystical experiences induced by the psychedelic compound DMT and specific patterns of heart activity.

New, non-hallucinogenic versions of psychedelics are blurring the boundaries of the drug trip.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have cracked the code of plant-to-fungi communication in a new study published in the journal Molecular Cell.