Category Archives: Psychedelics

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I would say were at the hypothesis testing phase. The clinical trials are going to get done, and we will ultimately have large, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials, probably for cluster headache, migraine headache, and other headache disorderstemporal neuralgia, that sort of thingand well know within a few years.

The keynote address for the 2022 American Headache Society (AHS) Annual Scientific Meeting, June 9-11, in Denver, Colorado, included a thorough review of the history and potential of psychedelic drugs as possible therapies for medical conditions. Specifically, Bryan Roth, MD, PhD, who delivered the address, touched on the available evidence in migraine and cluster headache.

Although these drugs have shown some potential to improve headache disordersamong other conditionsthere have been challenges in assessing these therapies. Namely in that the ability to properly blind clinical trial participants in placebo-controlled trials because of the psychedelic effects of these compounds. Additionally, much of the evidence that is available in favor these drugs as therapies is anecdotal, which presents challenges for researchers in determining their actual effectiveness.

Roth, who is the Michael Hooker Distinguished Professor and director of the NIMH psychoactive drug screening program at University of North Carolina School of Medicine, has been studying these agents for some time, thanks to federal funding in the form of an NIH grant. He explained in a conversation with NeurologyLive about this lack of robust evidence and the challenges in conducting clinical trials in migraine. He also spoke to the difficulty in informing patients about these drugs given their legality and access in certain states amid this lack of data.

To read more of Roths work into psychedelics, he and Tristan D. McClure-Begley, PhD, recently published on the topic in Nature Reviews: Drug Discovery, which you can read here: The promises and perils of psychedelic pharmacology for psychiatry.

Click here for more coverage of AHS 2022.

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Anecdotal Evidence and the Need for Trials of Psychedelics in Headache Disorders: Bryan Roth, MD, PhD - Neurology Live

My father died this year of cancer. In the end, he was brought home from the hospital to die with his family around him, and Im grateful for that. He was resigned to his inevitable end, and we were able to say goodbye.

Under the careful ministrations of hospice nurses, my father experienced his final day on a morphine-fueled trip that would have made psychedelic pioneer Timothy Leary jealous. As far as I know, it was his first and last extended psychedelic experience. None of the health care providers ever mentioned to us (or to him) that hed be visiting the origin of the universe, seeing God and reliving his emotional childhood. But thats what seemed to be happening as we sat around his bed.

Some research suggests that DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine) is produced inside the dying brain and sparks a hallucinatory near-death experience including feelings of transcending your body, traveling through alternative realms, communicating with sentient entities and so on. Its unclear whether the morphine or the DMT is more responsible for the final magic carpet ride.

If the psychedelic experience is transformative and I think it is then it seems a cruel irony to have it at the end of your life. Thankfully, though, we dont have to wait for our near-death trip or ask our shady friend to score some LSD or even travel to lick the psychotropic skin of the Colorado River toad. We need only to pay closer attention to the weirdness of our nightly dreams and our daily imaginings, which are also psychedelic to varying degrees.

In what ways can the psychedelic imagination be transformative? The science of psychedelics is having a renaissance, and the research is helping us understand the mind better and provide fresh therapeutic options. Psychotropic substances engender psychological and philosophical states that reveal important features of the self and consciousness. They can reduce the vigilant executive functions in the frontal areas of the brain and release the mind into the involuntary sphere of free association and mind wandering what neuroscientists call the default mode network, or DMN. These altered states loosen the tyranny of task-based consciousness, and they also suspend the egos usual dominance letting us feel connected to everything.

Research at the MIND Foundation in Berlin and the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research is revealing that psychedelics are better than many antidepressants for treating certain kinds of depression. But even healthy people can benefit from psychedelic experiences.

After the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment, the West came to see nature as a giant machine and human beings as fungible cogs. We stopped thinking about nature as symbolic, purposeful or infused with drama. Great advances came from this mechanistic model, of course, including medicine and technology. But something was lost in the disenchantment of nature and mind. Some poetry and meaning seemed to slip away.

Psychedelic imagination can reenchant nature and self, activating purposeful and even poetic perspectives that were expunged by modernism. Such experiences may also help us find universal hidden grammars of imagination. Are there common archetypes uniting us all throughout the ages from the shaman painters in Frances Lascaux caves to writers Dante Alighieri, Aldous Huxley and Philip K. Dick?

Altered states are surprisingly common ground for artists and religious people, though they rarely notice the connection. As piano great Bill Evans once said, art should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise. Its easy to rediscover part of yourself, but through art, you can be shown part of yourself you never knew existed.

Instead of anxiety about the weird parts of our psyches, our culture should teach us to grapple with them and integrate them starting at an early age. Tripping balls is not just for bohemians. Your conservative grandma is probably going on a magical mystery tour, too, whether she wants to or not.

If I had known that my father was going to rocket across the universe at the end of his life, we could have talked to him and helped him prepare. Hearing him spontaneously cry out in wonder, fear and joy was difficult. My brother looked at me at one point and said, Hes on one hell of a journey now. I felt some comfort at the idea that he wasnt having random pleasures and pains but maybe making some kind of pilgrims progress.

Since his passing, several people have confided in me that their loved ones also had a psychedelic end. Its far more common than we think. Your loved ones and you, too, may be on that same journey one day. It would be better if we had a more open-minded and honest way to prepare for it.

Stephen Asma is professor of philosophy at Columbia College Chicago. He is the author of The Evolution of Imagination, On Monsters and Why We Need Religion, among other titles.

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Stephen Asma: My father's experience with morphine in hospice showed me the healing joy of altered states - Chicago Tribune

Welcome to TDRs review of the Top 5 Psychedelic developments for the week of May 30. Aside from presenting a synopsis of events, we provide market commentary to summarize the week that was for publicly-listed companies.

5. B.C. To Decriminalize Possession Of Small Amounts Of Hard Drugs, Including MDMA

Effective Jan. 31, 2023, British Columbians 18 and older will be able to carry up to a cumulative total of 2.5 grams of these illicit substances without the risk of arrest or criminal charges. Under rules established by Ottawa and the province, police will not confiscate the drugs, and people found to be in possession will not be required to seek treatment. The production, trafficking and exportation of these drugs will remain illegal.

BREAKING: Small amounts of illegal drugs will be decriminalized in B.C starting in 2023.

Adults 18 years of age and older will be able to carry up to 2.5 grams of certain drugs including opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine and not be subject to arrest, charges, or drug seizure. pic.twitter.com/JXrxKaRIYn

The illicit drugs covered by the new rules are opioids including heroin and fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA the substances most commonly associated with deaths from toxic drugs. Police will maintain discretion to arrest people and recommend charges for possessing other substances.

The province has ramped up its response in recent years to a drug crisis that has killed thousands of people, expanding harm-reduction measures and opening the door to a safer drug supply.

4. Tripp Raises $11.2M To Build The Mindful Metaverse

Tripphas raised $11.2 million in funding to help it continue to create meditation apps that power the mindful metaverse.

The funding was raised from Bitkraft Ventures, Amazon Alexa Fund, Qualcomm, HTC, Niantic and Mayfield. Tripp reports that it will use the funding to help meet the growing global demand for mental wellbeing through Tripps extended-reality (XR) wellness accessible through augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mobile application.

The company also recently announced the acquisition of BeardedEyes world-building platform Eden, which will enable users to further customize their Tripp experience, explore digital realities and meet other people.

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Number And Percentages Of Negative Responses Linked To The Use Of Psychedelic Drugs, Online Survey Completed By 2,510 Adults

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3. Psychedelic Stocks Outperform And Post A Third Consecutive Winning Week

The biggest psychedelic stocks were mixed, however, percentage gainers outpaced decliner and that allowed psychedelic stocks to outperform peer indexes. TheHorizon Psychedelic Stock Index ETF(PSYK) climbed3.26%, which bested theNasdaq Junior Biotechnology Index(1.52%) and theNasdaq Biotechnology Ishares ETF(2.51%). After a positive performance last week disrupted seven consecutive weeks of decline, both theNASDAQ1001.01%andS&P 5001.11%fell after a weak Friday session despite a better-than-expected U.S. payrolls report.

Heres how the Health Care (Biotechnology) sector performed:

Weekly technical snapshot, PSYK ETF:

In the news

12 companies from across the country joined forces to foundPsychedelics Canada, the first, national-level trade association representing the blossoming psychedelic medicine and therapy industry. Incorporated as a not-for-profit trade association,Psychedelics Canadaspeaks on behalf of the legal psychedelics industry to government, the press, and the public.

ACT government is considering legislation changes to allow MDMA-assisted therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin to treat depression.

Awakn Life Sciences has have initiated a larger behavioral addiction study investigating ketamine as a treatment for Gambling Disorder. Awakn had previously announced on May 19, 2022, that the company had completed a successful pilot study for a range of behavioral addictions. Newest interview covering the news.

Braxia Scientific announced positive preliminary results from the first Health Canada Approved, Phase II, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the feasibility, safety, tolerability, and efficacy of multi-dose psilocybin-assisted therapy for Treatment-Resistant-Depression.

Clearmind Medicine has been granted patent approval from the Office of the Controller-General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks in India. The patent refers to the companys proprietary MEAI-based alcohol substitute patent family.

Cybin Inc.announced the team of 28 esteemed faculty and advisors who will lead the Companys EMBARK Psychedelic Facilitator Training Program. Recognizing the crucial importance of supporting psychedelic study facilitators with quality training.

FSD Pharma announced the submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada detailing a planned Phase 2 clinical trial of FSD-PEA for the treatment of a yet-to-be-disclosed inflammatory disorder.

Ketamine Wellness Centers has expanded the availability of SPRAVATO to three new cities and increased the total number of clinics offering the FDA-approved esketamine nasal spray to six. StartingJune 1, the KWC clinics inMinneapolis,Salt Lake CityandDallaswill join theHouston,Las VegasandSeattlelocations in offering SPRAVATO to their patient base.

Michigan activists announced on Wednesday that they will no longer be pursuing a statewide psychedelics legalization ballot initiative for this years election and will instead focus on qualifying the measure to go before voters in 2024.

Mind Medicine announced thatRobert Barrow, Chief Executive Officer and Director, will participate in the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, to be held inNew York, NYfromJune 8-10, 2022.

Mynd Life Sciences announced positive preclinical data in measuring dosing accuracy in psilocybins and psilocybin analogs.

Nirvana Life Sciences has released comprehensive data on a scientific study that aims in determining the effects that psilocybin has on the heroin-addicted brain.

Novamind Inc. reported its financial results for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2022.

Novamind Inc. announced new patient financing options to help patients access critical mental healthcare services at its six clinic locations in Utah. The Company now accepts Synchronys CareCredit credit card for treatments including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, ketamine therapy and Spravato therapy.

Optimi Health has entered into a supply agreement withFilament Health to supply psilocybin mushrooms cultivated in Optimisrecently inaugurated 20,000 square footEU-GMPPrinceton, British Columbia facility.

Origin Therapeutics Holdings, an actively managed, psychedelics industry-focused investment issuer, has received approval to list its common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange. The common shares will commence trading under the trading symbol ORIG on June 6, 2022.

PsyBio Therapeutics has initiated formal process development for commercially scalable, patent pending manufacturing technology expected to enable Good Manufacturing Practice production.

Psyence Group provided the following corporate update on its three strategic focus areas namely: Psyence Therapeutics, Psyence Production and Psyence Function.

Silo Wellness has executed a nonbinding letter of intent to acquire Dyscovry Science, a Toronto-based biotechnology company that focuses on biosynthetic manufacturing of psilocybin and its derivatives.

The Psychedelic House of Davos, a satellite event happening in conjunction with the World Economic Forum, was a genius strategy to build credibility, say experts.

University of Calgary recruits Canadas first research chair in psychedelics. The university has recruited Dr. Leah Mayo as its Parker Psychedelic Research Chair a first for Canada.

Wesana Health Holdings announced its first quarter 2022 financial results. Cash balance: $3,193,371

2. Cybin Submits IND Application to FDA For Its Phase 1/2a First-in-Human Trial of CYB003 For The Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Cybin Inc.(NEO:CYBN) (NYSE:CYBN) announced the submission of an Investigational New Drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Phase 1/2a first-in-human clinical trial evaluating CYB003, a proprietary deuterated psilocybin analog, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Following the successful completion of our IND-enabling work just last month, we are very excited to have reached this major milestone toward advancing CYB003 into clinical development so quickly. Based on preclinical studies, our proprietary psilocybin analog has the potential to offer numerous advantages over classic psilocybin with the potential to ultimately provide better outcomes for people suffering with MDD, said Doug Drysdale, Chief Executive Officer of Cybin. This FDA submission is the next major step in the advancement of CYB003, and we continue to work tirelessly to bring this innovative therapeutic option to people as quickly as possible. We look forward to continuing to work with the FDA to initiate the Phase 1/2a trial in mid-2022.

1. B.C. Company Opens Canadas Largest Licensed Psychedelic Mushroom Growing Facility

B.C.-based company Optimi Health(CNSX:OPTI) (OTCMKTS:OPTHF)has harvested its first cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms at its Health Canada-licensed facilities in Princeton, B.C., positioning itself as a major player in the burgeoning psychedelic sector.

We are the only GMP organic facility in the world that can supply what we do. We have contacts all over the world for people who would like to do research with psilocybin.

The $14-millionventure consists of two 10,000-square-feetfacilities with a combined total of 10 growing rooms that can produce approximately2,000 kilogramsofdried psilocybin mushrooms a month, according to Optimis head cultivator, Todd Henderson.

This monththe agencygranted Optimi a licenceto produce the mushrooms as well as a research exemption to extract the psychedelic components ofpsilocybinand psilocinfor use in clinical trials, according to the company. Optimi says theirfacilities are builtto meet Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements, a quality assurance standard required by Health Canadato produce psilocybin for clinical research.

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TDR's Top 5 Psychedelic Developments For The Week Of May 30 - The Dales Report

Tripping is going mainstream as research into magic mushrooms continues to grow. Research into magic mushrooms was initially halted during the 70s and 80s thanks to Ronald Reagans War on Drugs. However, the past few years have seen a resurgence of clinical research looking at the effects of magic mushrooms.

Magic mushrooms get their magic from a compound known as psilocybin. The compound is responsible for providing that euphoric and trip effect, but it may also provide health benefits.

As of this time, magic mushrooms are still classified as a Schedule I drug. Schedule 1 drugs, which include LSD and heroin, have, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, a high potential for abuse and serves no legitimate medical purpose in the United States. We should also mention that cannabis is also classified as a Schedule 1 drug and yet, its been proven to provide a number of medical benefits.

Similar to cannabis, the change in attitude towards magic mushrooms and other psychedelics has opened the floodgates when it comes to research, with many studies revealing the role that psilocybin treatment can play when it comes to improving your health.

The majority of psilocybin studies are looking into their potential as a treatment for mental health disorders, most notably depression.

According to a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, psilocybin was found to reduce depression levels in 27 individuals with moderate to severe unipolar depression. Participants were given two doses of psilocybin every 2 weeks between August 2017 and April 2019.

The researchers found that the participants depression levels remained low 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-months after the treatment.

In a separate study published in Nature Medicine, researchers analyzed fMRI brain scans from nearly 60 people who had participated in two psilocybin trials. According to the scans, the psilocybin treatment reduced connections within brain areas that are tightly connected to depression.

For the first time, we find that psilocybin works differently from conventional antidepressants making the brain more flexible and fluid, and less entrenched in the negative thinking patterns associated with depression.

This supports our initial predictions and confirms psilocybin could be a real alternative approach to depression treatments. David Nutt, DM, head of the Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research.

Now, while these findings are promising, the authors of the study caution against patients with depression self-medicating with psilocybin.

A 2016 study from Johns Hopkins University found that out of 51 cancer patients, those who were given a high dose of psilocybin experienced an improved quality of life and decreased levels of depression and anxiety.

A more recent review from 2020 also found the same thing when reviewing three different studies where participants had depression and anxiety related to life-threatening illnesses. For the three studies, the individuals took lab-synthesized psilocybin. The review authors found that psilocybin did help relieve feelings of both anxiety and depression.

While research into the effects of psychedelics on PTSD is focused more on MDMA (ecstasy), there is research that suggests that psilocybin can help with post-traumatic stress.

According to an animal study published in Experimental Brain Research, low doses of psilocybin erased the conditioned fear response in mice. According to the researchers, this supports the hypothesis that psilocybin can help break the traumatic cycle that occurs in patients with PTSD.

It should be mentioned that this study is from 2013, so we definitely need more recent research.

If youre struggling with cutting back on substance use, studies suggest that magic mushrooms could help.

In regards to alcohol abuse, a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that alcohol abstinence did not increase significantly in the first 4 weeks of treatment (when participants had not yet received psilocybin), yet it did increase significantly following psilocybin administration.

Photo by Ahmed Zayan on Unsplash

In a more recent pilot study from 2018 that analyzed psilocybin-assisted treatment of alcohol dependence, participants noted changes in their personal relationship to alcohol.

For those hoping to kick the smoking habit, Johns Hopkins University suggested that magic mushrooms can help longtime smokers quit. According to the findings, which were published in 2014, following a carefully controlled and monitored use of psilocybin, the abstinence rate for study participants was 80 percent after six months, substantially higher than typical success rates in smoking cessation trials.

In a follow-up study from 2018, researchers from Johns Hopkins found that psilocybin therapy significantly improved abstaining from smoking over a 12-month follow-up period.

For those battling crippling migraines, a study published in Neurotherapeutics suggested that magic mushrooms may provide relief.

The study, published last year, had 10 frequent migraine sufferers consume a placebo capsule. At least two weeks later, they then consumed a capsule containing a low dose of psilocybin.

The findings revealed an association between psilocybin and a greater reduction in the frequency of migraines compared to the placebo. Additionally, a link between psilocybin and reductions in both headache pain severity and migraine-related functional impairments was also established. Despite the promising findings, study author and assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine Emmanuelle A. D. Schindler advises us not to get ahead of ourselves.

Its important to remember that there is no silver bullet when it comes to headache management, says Schindler,

Psilocybin and related compounds might simply be added to the toolbox of treatment options. What we learned from this study though, is that psilocybin seems to work in a new way compared to other treatments, which is more valuable than simply replicating an already existing form of treatment.

As magical as these mushrooms are, the reality is that they are psychedelics and psychedelics are very unpredictable. In addition to the fact that its quite psychologically dangerous, psilocybin has also been found to affect cardiovascular health by increasing blood pressure and heart rate.

That said, psilocybin therapy isnt exactly a shroom-fest. All the aforementioned studies happened in controlled environments.

Nonetheless, regardless of our opinion on this, the only opinion that matters at this time is that of the FDA who will continue to delve into the aforementioned benefits and other studies before satisfactorily concluding that magic mushrooms are the magic that our health needs.

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Psychedelic Wellness: 5 Magical Benefits of Magic Mushrooms - Longevity LIVE - Longevity LIVE

The brain adopts rigid patterns of activity if you suffer from depression. But researchers at Imperial College London have discovered that psilocybin, the psychedelic substance found in magic mushrooms, helps to open up depressed peoples brains.

Psilocybin is now one of a number of interesting psychedelics that are being explored as a potential therapy for psychiatric disorders.

Several studies have shown promising results in patients suffering with depression and anxiety, where traditional treatments are not working.

Researchers explain that patterns of brain activity in depression can become restricted, and that psilocybin could potentially help the brain break out of this rut, in a way traditional antidepressants cant.

The new results, taken from two combined studies, reveal that people who respond to psilocybin-assisted therapy show increased brain connectivity, not just during their treatment, but up to three weeks after, and this opening-up effect helped. Similar changes in brain connectivity were not seen in people treated with escitalopram, which is a conventional antidepressant used to treat anxiety and OCD.

It suggests that the psychedelics works differently in depression.

The effect seen with psilocybin is consistent across two studies, related to people getting better, but was not seen with a conventional antidepressant, says Professor Robin Carhart-Harris, senior author and former head of Imperials Centre for Psychedelic Research.

In the new research, the team analysed fMRI scans, where you carry out functions while being scanned.

Both of the studies found improvements with psilocybin therapy, with brain scans revealing altered communication or connectivity between brain regions.

These findings are important because for the first time we find that psilocybin works differently from conventional antidepressants making the brain more flexible and fluid, and less entrenched in the negative thinking patterns associated with the illness, says Professor David Nutt, head of Imperials Centre for Psychedelic Research.

It works by increasing the communication between those brain regions that are more segregated in depressed patients.

The researchers also found a correlation between this effect and symptom improvement across both the trials.

Professor Nutt added: This supports our predictions and confirms psilocybin could be a real alternative approach to treatments.

Professor Carhart-Harris added: One exciting implication of our findings is that weve discovered a fundamental mechanism via which psychedelic therapy works not just for depression, but other mental illnesses, such as anorexia or addiction.

We now need to test if this is the case, and if it is, then we have found something important.

Its remarkable stuff and could pave the way for new treatments for depression in the years to come.

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'Magic mushrooms drug could help depression sufferers in the years to come' - Irish Mirror

Aaron Orsini took the psychedelic drug LSD for the first time when he was 27, about four years after he had been diagnosed with autism. The experience, in 2014, transformed his life: During his acid trip, he walked through the woods and encountered another person, and in a simple exchange of greetings, he says he experienced a deep joy in and understanding of human connection that he hadnt previously known.

Since then, Orsini has continued to take LSD periodically, as well as another psychedelic substance, psilocybin. Low to moderate doses of LSD, he says, make him capable of more directly feeling and labeling my own emotional states and perceiving the cues relating to the emotional states of others.

Orsini has had similarly profound experiences taking another substance, MDMA, commonly called ecstasy or molly a psychoactive drug that is not generally considered psychedelic yet shares some similar effects and biochemical targets. MDMA has helped him not only to experience the enhanced social connections many users describe, he says, but to re-examine and deal with the trauma, confusion and self-doubt he carries as an autistic person in a largely non-autistic world.

Orsini detailed his experiences in a 2019 self-published book, Autism on Acid, and a year later co-founded a peer support group called the Autistic Psychedelic Community. Some people describe bad experiences, Orsini says, but growing numbers of autistic people in his forum, and in others focused on autism more generally, are sharing their strongly positive impressions of these substances.

Despite that enthusiasm, researchers are hesitant about the promise of psychedelics for people with autism. The therapeutic potential is far from implausible: Studies in animals models show positive results for MDMA in particular. And psychedelics act primarily on the serotonin system, which is already implicated in autism.

Yet researchers dont know how the biological differences underlying the condition whether in serotonin signaling, brain wiring or other factors might intersect with the drugs effects. And the researchers and pharmaceutical companies exploring these questions need to balance any potential benefits against the risks: MDMA, which is derived from amphetamines, has potential for misuse, for example, and LSD and psilocybin can prompt episodes of psychosis.

Theres a lot of caution, but theres certainly discussion, says Clinton Canal, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. I think the big thing is, we need a lot more research.

Its hard to ignore the current boom of studies on psychedelic therapies for a range of neuropsychiatric conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain and intractable depression. Several dozens of companies are testing psychedelic or related compounds to treat such conditions.

To date, little work has directly investigated the role these substances could play in easing autism traits. Yet research on psychedelics as therapies for autism has a documented history: About a dozen small studies conducted from the late 1950s to the 1970s tested psychedelic compounds mainly LSD, psilocybin and a synthetic analog of LSD in autistic children and adolescents.

None of it would stand up today, says Alicia Danforth, a clinical psychologist in private practice and researcher at the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California in part because the diagnostic criteria for autism have changed since then. Also, those studies consisted of only about 100 children in total, and most were observational with poorly defined outcome measures. Just two approach modern standards, she says, and most which included children as young as 5 or those with intellectual disability would be deemed unethical under todays guidelines.

In several cases, children experienced the intense panic and fear characteristic of a so-called bad trip, but on the whole, the studies hinted that many children benefited from the drugs, at least in the short term, showing gains in emotional responsiveness, for example.

Danforth and her colleagues have conducted the only study since then in which autistic people took a psychedelic-like substance in this case, MDMA. That work was funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a nonprofit organization that also supported research on psychedelics that demonstrated positive results last year in a late-stage trial using MDMA to treat PTSD.

Danforths trial, published in 2018, was small but yielded some promising results, she says. Eight autistic adults with low support needs took MDMA, and four took a placebo, during two eight-hour psychotherapy sessions, spaced about a month apart. All the participants then attended another three drug-free psychotherapy sessions. Those who had taken MDMA experienced a marked reduction in social anxiety, as measured by a clinician-administered social anxiety scale an effect that lasted at least several months. Afterward, the four people who had received the placebo were offered and accepted the option to take MDMA.

There was definitely a notable and durable drop in social anxiety scores, Danforth says. One participant didnt respond to the drug, she noted, adding that early estimates suggest that about 10 percent of people dont. Seven participants contacted her after the study one as recently as last year just to tell her how positive their experience on the drug had been.

This doesnt work for everybody. But when it does work, it can be quite profound, she says.

Lab studies support the idea that MDMA in particular could benefit autistic people, says Robert Malenka, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University in California. My personal feeling is that there really may be a place in the drug armamentarium for MDMA in treating autism. The drug boosts sociability in four mouse models of autism, he and his colleagues reported in 2021.

There is less preclinical evidence for classic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin, although their mechanism of action, too, suggests they hold potential. Unlike MDMA, which acts primarily on molecules that transport serotonin and other neurotransmitters, these drugs work largely by stimulating a specific serotonin receptor called 5-HT2A. Decades of research suggest that people with autism have lowered levels of serotonin in the brain, though the nature of the connection is poorly understood, says Gabriella Gobbi, professor of psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

To understand whether and how psychedelic compounds might be used to treat autism, researchers will have to delineate the underlying biology more carefully, Gobbi speculates, and pin down which of the many serotonin receptors are especially important to the condition. We propose a revisitation of the serotonergic hypothesis of autism, she says.

Much of the research on serotonins role in neuropsychiatric disorders focuses on the serotonin 2A receptor, Canal says. But his lab, which is exploring serotonin-based therapies for fragile X syndrome, a leading genetic cause of autism, is investigating other serotonin receptor subtypes as well. Their studies suggest that targeting other receptors, such as 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B, improves social behaviors, prevents sound-elicited seizures and lessens anxiety in mouse models.

Regardless of the target, some drug trials for autism-related conditions have likely faltered because of autisms heterogeneity, and that issue may muddle studies of psychedelic for autism, too, Gobbi says. Its possible some autism syndromes are linked more specifically to the serotonin receptor, so maybe in some subtypes of autism, psychedelics could be good but not in all.

LSD signaling also activates the mTOR pathway, Gobbi and her colleagues reported last year. But because some genetic forms of autism, such as tuberous sclerosis, have disruptions in the mTOR pathway, LSD and other drugs that act on that pathway may not work in the same way in those people, she says.

Individual differences in peoples biological response to psychedelics may also be revealing, says Grainne McAlonan, professor of translational neuroscience at Kings College London in the United Kingdom. She and her colleagues are working to enroll 40 autistic people whose autism has no known genetic cause, plus 30 non-autistic people, for a study of how small doses of psilocybin likely too small to induce psychoactive effects but not as small as the microdoses touted by popular culture affect brain circuitry and responses to sensory stimuli.

They also plan to track how these effects align with blood levels of serotonin, which previous work suggests is elevated in at least a quarter of autistic people. Its likely, she says, that different people have different underlying mechanisms that contribute to their particular suite of autism traits. Looking closely at the underlying biology can begin to identify patterns in these drugs effects on those traits, she says. Our hypothesis is that there is going to be a difference in response to psilocybin in people with and without autism.

Many conceptual questions remain about how psychedelic compounds should be used in autistic people and how they should be tested. For example, researchers are debating whether the psychedelic experience these compounds engender is central to their therapeutic value.

Also, most work on autism therapeutics focuses on children, but giving psychedelic drugs to children may not be ethically justified at least, not if they are administered in doses high enough to cause a trip, as they have been in clinical trials for other conditions, such as PTSD and depression, Malenka says.

Similarly, current clinical trials involving psychedelic therapies for other conditions involve intensive psychotherapy before and along with the treatment so that a trained therapist can help participants find meaning in their experience. But that component could be challenging with an autistic person who is nonverbal or who struggles with communication, Malenka says.

Despite these complexities, several companies are beginning to explore the territory. For example, COMPASS Pathways, a London-based firm testing psychedelic therapies for several mental health conditions, funds McAlonans study. Nova Mentis, based in Canada, is seeking approval in that country to launch a clinical trial to test the therapeutic effects of repeated microdoses of psilocybin in people with fragile X syndrome. The U.S. Food and Drug administration granted the company orphan drug status to pursue a psilocybin compound for fragile X in 2021.

Another company, MindMed, is beginning to investigate a molecule closely related to MDMA one with psychoactive properties but less potential for misuse for treating social anxiety in people with autism or other conditions. (Malenka chairs MindMeds scientific advisory board.) And many more companies are actively exploring psychedelics for conditions that frequently co-occur in people with autism, such as anxiety and depression.

For autistic people to really benefit from psychedelics, researchers will need to look past the usual medical model of drug development, in which a pharmaceutical intervention targets specific features of autism, such as repetitive or social behaviors, McAlonan says. Orsini, for example, is collaborating with researchers at University College London to probe autistic peoples experiences with psychedelic drugs, using a questionnaire. He notes that psychedelics have benefited him in ways researchers might not traditionally think to measure, in terms of quality-of-life improvements rather than shifts in symptoms.

McAlonan puts it this way: Who are we to say what is the target for an individual?

Cite this article: https://doi.org/10.53053/AKMF5393

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Tripping over the potential of psychedelics for autism | Spectrum - Spectrum

As psychedelic medicine edges toward the mainstream, some are trying to make drugs that offer therapeutic benefits without the mind-altering experience. But the experience might be key to how psychedelics transform people's lives

By Thomas Lewton

Janelle Baron; pexels/cottonbro

SWITCHED OFF, short-circuited and shut down. This is how three participants described their depression before they took part in a clinical trial for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy at Imperial College London in 2016.

Their outlook changed dramatically after taking a high dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. I was a ball of energy bouncing around the planet, one recounted in an interview with Rosalind Watts, a clinical psychologist who led the trial. Another described the experience as akin to defragging a computer hard drive: I visualised as it was all put into order, a beautiful experience with these gold blocks going into black drawers that would illuminate.

Such transformations are no longer surprising. Similar trials have established psychedelics as a game changer when it comes to tackling the global mental health crisis. Theres a huge unmet need, and psychedelics do have radical potential, says Watts.

Now, some scientists are creating new drugs that remove the psychedelic experience, or trip, while still offering therapeutic benefits. But Watts and others are warning that this approach misunderstands how psychedelic therapy works and that if we try to squeeze it into a pill-popping industrial healthcare model, its vast promise may never be realised.

They arent just dishing out warnings, though. Some of the pioneers of the field are moving beyond the simple story that psychedelics reset the brain by carefully investigating the role of the psychedelic experience, and the therapy that accompanies it. The aim is to establish exactly what we cant lose if we are to make good on the hopes raised by psychedelic medicines recent successes.

In psychedelic therapy, people

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Can you take the trip out of psychedelics and still treat depression? - New Scientist

The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland where the financial and political elite gather to more or less decide the fate of the world looked a little different this year.

For the first time since the cold war, Russia was blacklisted from the event, its typically lavish party house replaced with a gruesome multimedia exhibit on the promenade titled Russian War Crimes. Due to Covid concerns which has kept the event out of commission for the last two years the forum was held in the spring instead of the typical January, so world leaders were cheated out of their ski breaks in the Swiss Alps.

And to the surprise of many, psychedelic drugs were one of the hottest topics of discussion on the streets of Davos.

Like the Russian War Crimes exhibit, the Psychedelic House of Davos was one of several satellite events happening in conjunction with the World Economic Forum (though not directly associated with it). As with every year, each building along the promenade of downtown Davos hosted different countries including India, Poland and Ukraine businesses such as the Wall Street Journal, and industries like blockchain and cryptocurrency, which put on weeklong parties with speakers, panelists and networking mixers, all designed to seduce world leaders into supporting their agenda.

We spark curiosity with the neon sign out front, said Maria Velcova, one of the organizers of Psychedelic House of Davos. Once people get curious and brave enough to come down here, they realize that this isnt some underground electronic dance party. They find themselves meeting world-renowned scientists, clinicians, policymakers, people from for-profit and non-profit sectors, and experts from leading academic institutions.

While psychedelic treatments for mental health problems have garnered wild enthusiasm from the media and parts of the scientific community, news of this booming new industrys presence at Davos this year was a bit too surreal for some to handle.

After a headline on Bloomberg news declared Forget Burning Man, Psychedelic Shamans Are Heading To Davos, late-night comedian Stephen Colbert quipped in his opening monologue, Oh good, just what billionaires need: a looser grip on reality.

Colbert was specifically referring to event speaker and shamanic investing expert Silvia Benito, whom Bloomberg described as having deep expertise in ayahuasca and experience managing family investments.

Hopefully at the same time, said Colbert. We split your investments between high yield stocks, medium yield bonds and the sense-memory of your wronged ancestors, who will appear to you as a wolf with your fathers voice. Now walk with me into the fire, where we will itemize your deductions.

While the weeklong event did feature plenty of woo-woo fodder for late-night comedians, such as sound healing ceremonies, psychedelic breathwork and immersive art installations designed to stimulate immersive hepatic reprogramming, the Psychedelic House of Davos was dominated by a sober catalog of lectures and panels.

Science, investment and ethics made up the bulk of topics discussed, while the audience included an eclectic range of burner psychonauts, big pharma investors and humanitarians from around the globe concerned about the escalating mental health crisis.

I am a firm believer that psychedelics have the ability to unlock novel approaches to disorders notoriously difficult to treat, like PTSD, alcoholism, opioid addiction and pain, said Kevin McKenzie, co-founder of Carvin Medicines, a Swiss drug company entering the psychedelic drug market. Hosting this in Davos at the same location as WEF is a genius strategy it brings fresh eyes and bright minds to psychedelic drug development, which builds credibility for these medicines.

Its difficult to identify any one moment that inspired the sudden recent popularity of psychedelic drug therapy after all, the treatment seemed poised for breakthrough in the 1950s. But many point to author Michael Pollans massively popular 2019 book How To Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence.

That same year, Denvers decriminalization of psilocybin created a domino effect of legislative reforms across the US, leading Oregon to decriminalize all drugs in 2020. Just last week Senators Cory Booker and Brian Schatz sent a letter to the NIH and FDA requesting they identify regulatory roadblocks keeping psychedelic research from moving forward.

And earlier this year, the health minister of Australia approved $15m in funding to research whether MDMA can be an effective tool in treating PTSD and alcoholism.

Often the world of psychedelic science finds itself in a catch-22 triangle of needing more research before politicians will change drug laws, yet needing more funding to do the necessary research, while investors need the laws to change before they will risk funding the research. Still, a handful of recent developments have kept this momentum alive.

Last year the UK psychedelic company Compass Pathways completed the first randomized, double-blind trial of psilocybin for the treatment of depression, given to 233 patients across Europe and North America. Those treatments were administered by trained therapists, while MindBio Therapeutics just completed phase one of their research around LSD microdose therapy, which, for the first time, allowed participants to self-administer the drug at home.

Its all changed very quickly and dramatically when it comes to the business interest in psychedelics, said chemist and documentarian Hamilton Morris, after his presentation at the Psychedelic House of Davos. And thats led to increased interest from the public and academia, and increased pressure for government funding of psychedelic research. Until recently theres been virtually no funding for this kind of research, either government or commercial.

Funding is still relatively scarce it costs about $2.6bn to bring a single drug to market but the marriage of high finance and the science of highs is beginning to seem inevitable.

Billionaires like Peter Thiel (PayPal), Bob Parsons (GoDaddy) and dozens of others have already invested heavily in psychedelic companies. In 2021 alone, 45 different investments led to a $595m windfall into the psychedelic medicine industry, leading Elon Musk to flirt with the trend when tweeting last month: Ive talked to many more people who were helped by psychedelics & ketamine than SSRIs & amphetamines.

A Vice News journalist, Shayla Love, was somewhat of a wet blanket at the Psychedelic House of Davos which at times felt like a pep rally for the industry by bringing attention to concerns around unethical business practices, overpromising the efficacy of psychedelic treatments and instances of sexual abuse against patients while under the influence of drugs in clinical trials.

Psychedelics in the last two or three years, particularly since Michael Pollans book came out, have had extremely positive coverage, she said during a panel discussion. And unfortunately a lot of the people who write about psychedelic studies may not have a background in science, and present too simplistic a conclusion on this research. Im not working in opposition to anyone, but I do report on these issues as they arise and as I see them. I think the coverage has been overwhelmingly positive and theres room for more nuanced approaches.

By the end of the week, Hamilton Morris said the Psychedelic House of Davos felt more or less like any of the other dozens of psychedelic business and science conferences popping up all over the world these days.

While hes a little burnt out on them and wants to get back to his chemistry lab, he admits coming here due to some degree of morbid curiosity, because I never thought Id see something like this at Davos. It has a reputation for being the international epicenter of avarice and business, things that seem superficially antithetical to the world of psychedelics.

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We spark curiosity: how the psychedelics industry is taking on Davos - The Guardian

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cybin Inc. (NEO:CYBN) (NYSE American:CYBN) (Cybin or the Company), a biopharmaceutical company focused on progressing Psychedelics to Therapeutics, is pleased to announce the publication of a peer-reviewed article introducing EMBARK, a model of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy that integrates leading clinical approaches to promote effective facilitation and supportive healing with psychedelic medicines.

Its a pleasure to see our work published in this respected journal. In developing EMBARK, we looked at 17 models of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, and we noticed that many are missing critical elements: a focus on ethics, on human relationships, on the body as a site of somatic healing, and on evidence-based practices. We designed EMBARK to overcome some of these limitations as an integrative model of psychedelic therapy. Wed like to honor the contributions of many teachers and leaders in the field who have helped chart this course, said Alex Belser, PhD, EMBARKs co-creator and Cybins Chief Clinical Officer.

The article was published on June 2, 2022 in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology and is titled, Models of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Contemporary Assessment and an Introduction to EMBARK, a Transdiagnostic, Trans-Drug Model. Written by EMBARKs co-creators, Bill Brennan, PhD and Alex Belser, PhD, Cybins Chief Clinical Officer, the article provides a detailed overview of EMBARK to the academic and clinical communities. Frontiers in Psychology is the largest journal in the field of psychology.

We are excited to present our model to the field in a way that highlights its thoughtfulness and responsiveness to current concerns in psychedelic research. We have listened carefully to what has worked, and what has been found lacking, and offer EMBARK as an innovative step forward, said Bill Brennan, PhD, EMBARKs co-creator.

The article also provides an overview of EMBARKs six clinical domains (Existential-Spiritual, Mindfulness, Body Aware, Affective-Cognitive, Relational, and Keeping Momentum) and highlights the strengths and limitations of existing psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy approaches and evidence-based therapies. The article is the first of a series of publications aimed at presenting EMBARK as an open-source model of practice and training for therapists and facilitators supporting psychedelic-based treatments.

If psychedelics are ever to be integrated into modern clinical medicine, the usage protocols are as important as the medicines themselves. In this respect Cybin is a leader. Cybin has assembled a faculty of top-notch therapists to lead its EMBARK program, which incorporates a multi-dimensional approach to therapies that enable them to be tailored to a variety of patient needs. With the implementation of EMBARK, Cybin is setting high standards for the future of psychedelic therapy, said Dennis J. McKenna, Ph.D., Founding Board Member of Heffter Research Institute and President and Principal Founder of McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy.

The article can be accessed online here.

Cybins upcoming clinical trials evaluating the Companys proprietary psychedelic-based molecules CYB003 and CYB004 for treating major depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder, and anxiety disorders will use EMBARK to support study participants.

About CybinCybin is a leading ethical biopharmaceutical company, working with a network of world-class partners and internationally recognized scientists, on a mission to create safe and effective therapeutics for patients to address a multitude of mental health issues. Headquartered in Canada and founded in 2019, Cybin is operational in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Company is focused on progressing Psychedelics to Therapeutics by engineering proprietary drug discovery platforms, innovative drug delivery systems, novel formulation approaches and treatment regimens for mental health disorders.

Cautionary Notes and Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, statements regarding Cybins future, strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words believe, expect, aim, intend, plan, continue, will, may, would, anticipate, estimate, forecast, predict, project, seek, should or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Companys proprietary drug discovery platforms, innovative drug delivery systems, novel formulation approaches and treatment regimens to potentially treat psychiatric disorders.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys operations; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the psychedelics market; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for growth; political, social and environmental uncertainties; employee relations; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions in the markets where the Company operates; and the risk factors set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis for the period ended December 31, 2021 and the Company's listing statement dated November 9, 2020, which are available under the Company's profile on http://www.sedar.com and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR at http://www.sec.gov. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

Cybin makes no medical, treatment or health benefit claims about Cybins proposed products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada or other similar regulatory authorities have not evaluated claims regarding psilocybin, psychedelic tryptamine, tryptamine derivatives or other psychedelic compounds. The efficacy of such products has not been confirmed by approved research. There is no assurance that the use of psilocybin, psychedelic tryptamine, tryptamine derivatives or other psychedelic compounds can diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. Rigorous scientific research and clinical trials are needed. Cybin has not conducted clinical trials for the use of its proposed products. Any references to quality, consistency, efficacy and safety of potential products do not imply that Cybin verified such in clinical trials or that Cybin will complete such trials. If Cybin cannot obtain the approvals or research necessary to commercialize its business, it may have a material adverse effect on Cybins performance and operations.

Neither the Neo Exchange Inc. nor the NYSE American LLC stock exchange have approved or disapproved the contents of this news release and are not responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the contents herein.

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Cybin Announces Publication in Frontiers in Psychology Journal Introducing EMBARK, an Integrative Model of Psychedelic Therapy - Business Wire

When he gets up to go to the bathroom, you should help him.

I shook my head at my friend, Jimi. The advice, given to him by a guide over Zoom, suggested Jimi would have to do some things to help me that he hadnt signed up for when he agreed to watch me take ketamine for therapy.

It struck me as unlikely that Jimi would have to help me go to the bathroom. But really, I had no way of knowing. I consider myself highly experienced in the Jimi Hendrix sense of the word (this cowboy isnt new to the psychedelic rodeo), but I was entirely unfamiliar with ketamine.

In March 2022, I signed up to go on an interior journey with Mindbloom, a psychedelic therapy company that provides what is for all practical purposes ketamine-by-mail accompanied by therapeutic treatments given over Zoom. It is essentially an emerging form of teletherapy, taken to a new participatory extreme.

Editors note: This is a personal opinion essay.

Mindbloom is part of a vanguard of emerging healthcare providers using the technology we have all come to rely on during the Covid-19 pandemic to deliver a similarly innovative medical intervention for psychiatric conditions: psychedelics.

Along with ketamine, psilocybin and LSD are being reconsidered as treatments for brain conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and other behavior and mood issues after years of being maligned as illegal party drugs.

Scientific studies demonstrate ketamine has rapid antidepressant effects for individuals with major depression and bipolar depression, says Lawrence Park, Director of the Clinical Research Unit at the National Institute of Mental Healths Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch.

Ketamine hasnt been approved by U.S. regulators for treating depression, but the Food and Drug Administration approved an intranasal form called esketamine for treating resistant depression in adults. The FDA has Fast Tracked ketamine and designated it a Breakthrough Therapy distinctions that speed up research and clinical trials to help combat what some experts call an epidemic of depression.

Teletherapy, in turn, offers an innovative opportunity to expand these emerging treatments reach until the drugs become more widely accepted as an option for treating conditions that often get missed in the clinic.

HORIZONS is a newsletter on the innovations and ideas of today that will shape the world of tomorrow. This is an adapted version of the June 2 edition. Forecast the future by signing up for free.

The Mindbloom kit.Courtesy of Mindbloom

Mindbloom insists that for a clients first session they be surveilled by a peer treatment monitor. In other words, Jimi joined me for my first session as my trip-sitter to borrow a classic psychedelic phrase whose job it was to keep an eye on me as I took powerful drugs that can occasionally cause a bad trip. (Its worth noting that studies have shown 84 percent of people who experience a bad trip in fact find them to be positive experiences overall.)

This monitor functions as an on-hand check to make sure your session doesnt go off the rails one of the pros and cons of telehealth, after all, is that the therapist isnt in the room with you.

Once my Mindbloom guide had delivered instructions to myself and Jimi, I put on a set of headphones and turned on the audio track Mindbloom sent me to accompany the therapy session. Then I slipped on the eye mask that had come with my ketamine kit, placed two big pink pills in my mouth, and waited for them to dissolve as directed.

Did I hallucinate and freak out? Did I find bliss and enlightenment? Did Jimi have to help me go to the bathroom?

Before we dive into my experience, lets consider the science behind ketamine therapy.

In teletherapy, doctors deliver therapy to clients via online software.Su Arslanoglu/E+/Getty Images

Ketamine was first used as a surgical anesthetic for horses, dogs, and eventually soldiers during the Vietnam War. It gained recreational popularity in the 1990s when ravers took advantage of its dissociative, hallucinogenic qualities. The War on Drugs set Special K in its sights, and for about 20 years, all most of us heard about the substance is that it induces a K-Hole a dissociative state as feared as it was sought after.

However, innovative approaches to treating psychiatric conditions suggest the very same K-Hole might have offered therapeutic potential all along. Yesterdays drug-fueled dissociative drop-out is todays scientifically supported psychedelic therapy candidate.

Ketamine was initially studied as an intravenous infusion 0.5 mg/kg given over 40 minutes and it demonstrated antidepressant effects as soon as several hours after the infusion, peaking at one day after the infusion, NIMH scientist Park explains to Inverse.

Ketamine has also been studied for a number of other conditions social anxiety, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance abuse, suicidality but there is not enough data yet to support its use for these conditions, he adds.

Park explains that the people who may benefit most from ketamine therapy are people who have major depressive episodes and do not benefit from standard antidepressants. But ketamine is not suitable for everyone, he cautions, and individuals should be assessed by a clinician. (This is a good moment to mention that you should consult your doctor before embarking on any medical treatment.)

Paul Glue, professor of psychiatry at the University of Otago in New Zealand, points out that the research so far suggests that in addition to depression, ketamine may also be used to treat different types of anxiety conditions, OCD, and anorexia nervosa.

One explanation for this broad therapeutic effect could be that ketamine is affecting a personality trait common to all of these conditions in this case, neuroticism, he says.

Neuroplasticity may also be critical to how ketamine works, Glue adds. People with depression and other psychiatric conditions show brain connectivity issues that ketamine and other drugs could alleviate, he says. In turn, it appears the neuroplasticity ketamine induces also requires very low doses of the drug.

Neuroplasticity is a broad term that relates to the brain's capacity to change both in function and structure in response to life experience or over time, he says. Ketamine and serotonergic psychedelics (e.g. psilocybin, MDMA) have common effects on cellular processes that promote new connections between nerve cells.

These neuroplastic effects occur at drug concentrations that are lower than those associated with psychedelic effects, adds Glue. [This report supports] the idea that microdosing of psychedelics might have useful effects on mood/creativity.

Ketamines dissociative qualities may be its advantage.Marco_Piunti/E+/Getty Images

When I initially poked into the ketamine therapy scene, the majority of providers offered in-clinic intravenous treatment. Mindbloom is one of the first companies to deliver ketamine into patients homes and try counseling using new video chat tools that have become a staple of life during the lockdown.

This mode of treatment suited my schedule and geography but also felt like a natural choice in a world coming out of lockdown. With pandemic-fueled depression soaring and social distancing still a thing, at-home teletherapy makes a lot of sense.

In the U.S., a doctor can prescribe drugs for off-label purposes that are not approved by the FDA. Ketamine is approved for use as an anesthetic, so it can also be prescribed for depression. Doctors at Mindbloom can mail clients prescribed ketamine tablets.

Mindbloom has a rather straightforward intake process to ensure you are eligible for therapy. Then, you embark on a series of six therapy sessions in which you take ketamine in a controlled environment and talk to guides and doctors over Zoom.

The first session involves taking an initial dose of ketamine, speaking with a trained Mindbloom guide before and after your trip, and having someone (Jimi) with you to make sure you dont freak out on the drug.

As you go through the six sessions, Mindbloom sets up video appointments with a guide and medical check-ins. Doctors ask you over the computer about any side effects you might be having, inquire about your state of mind, and catalog any experiences you have on the drug, like hallucinations or epiphanies.

When I did my first session, I wasnt sure what to expect. My tolerance for psychedelics is high, and so is my skepticism toward mail-order ketamine. I felt as if Id left my body, but only a little. I didnt have any breakthroughs or see any elaborate hallucinations, but I did have some intriguing thoughts on my life circumstances and felt a gentle sensation that my mind was tumbling in a series of foamy waves. It was as if my brain was being smoothed in a rock polisher.

After about an hour I sat up and it was over. I felt unusually calm. Jimi did not have to help me go to the bathroom.

My first therapy session was followed by what Mindbloom calls an integration session. Over Zoom, I talked with a guide about my experience and they advised me to dwell a little on those intriguing thoughts. I had a check-in with my Mindbloom-provided doctor, and based on what I told them, they upped my dosage a little from 400 mg to 600 mg. I got the pills for my next five sessions in the mail soon after.

My next session was substantially more visual and thought-provoking. This time it felt as if Id left my body and was traveling someplace dark and expansive (space?). Suddenly, I found myself at the site of past trauma. It was as if I was there but in an abstract way. A sort of ghost of Christmas past situation. For me, it afforded an opportunity to view the traumatic experience through fresh, distant eyes.

For such a personal therapy experience, teletherapy is impersonal by design. But the Mindbloom guide and doctor with whom I worked were both highly empathetic and seemed to want to help. As we increasingly become accustomed to living and working over video calls, conducting therapy sessions via video makes sense. But taking medication and working with a professional over Zoom or another video chat provider is still an emerging area of medicine. I would not have had such easy and quick access to this therapy if it were not for teletherapy companies like Mindbloom I am sure I am not alone.

Personally, I dont see any dramatic upside to being in the clinic. The key benefits are garnered from the ketamine itself.

Was I cured of my issues? No, but thats not really the point. I can say this: I came away from my teletherapy sessions with novel questions about some issues about which Id long held static beliefs. To put it another way, it broke me out of a pattern of thought. And for several days after each session, I felt noticeably calmer. Perhaps many of us might benefit from having our brains polished now and again.

HORIZONS is a newsletter on the innovations and ideas of today that will shape the world of tomorrow. This is an adapted version of the June 2 edition. Forecast the future by signing up for free.

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Ketamine can treat depression but teletherapy could make it accessible - Inverse