Research Update

There has been a paucity of recent, original research published on mindfulness and/or psilocybin for PTSD or other related mental health issues.  Two major articles from Johns Hopkins (Clinical Trial) and New York University (Clinical Trial) that utilized psilocybin to treat the existential distress frequently experienced by cancer patients are due to be published soon, but then I have been thinking that for the past 9 months. However, there has been a preliminary report in December 2015.

My hope it that both articles will both be published in the same issue of the same high profile journal such as the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM - 2015 impact factor is 59.558,  the highest among general medical journals) or possibly the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA - 2015 impact factor is 37.684) since both articles in the same issue would increase public awareness of the profound usefulness and extremely low toxicity of psilocybin when used for the right reason in a supportive environment. It would also bring to light the very real possibility that those individuals with a limited time on this earth could avoid the use of mind numbing drugs like antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and high doses of narcotics though judicious use of psilocybin to ease their existential distress at this critical stage of life.

In May 2016 an article titled 'Changes in Mindfulness and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Veterans Enrolled in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction' was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Changes in Mindfulness and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Veterans Enrolled in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
OBJECTIVES: The current study assessed associations between changes in 5 facets of mindfulness (Acting With Awareness, Observing, Describing, Non-Reactivity, and Nonjudgment) and changes in 4 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters (Re-Experiencing, Avoidance, Emotional Numbing, and Hyperarousal symptoms) among veterans participating in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR).
METHOD: Secondary analyses were performed with a combined data set consisting of 2 published and 2 unpublished trials of MBSR conducted at a large Veterans Affairs hospital. The combined sample included 113 veterans enrolled in MBSR who screened positive for PTSD and completed measures of mindfulness and PTSD symptoms before and after the 8-week intervention.
RESULTS: Increases in mindfulness were significantly associated with reduced PTSD symptoms. Increases in Acting With Awareness and Non-Reactivity were the facets of mindfulness most strongly and consistently associated with reduced PTSD symptoms. Increases in mindfulness were most strongly related to decreases in Hyperarousal and Emotional Numbing.
CONCLUSIONS: These results extend previous research, provide preliminary support for changes in mindfulness as a viable mechanism of treatment, and have a number of potential practical and theoretical implications.
Stephenson KR, Simpson TL, Martinez ME, Kearney DJ.
J Clin Psychol. 2016 May 6. doi: 10.1002/jclp.22323. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 27152480
Cited by (Google Scholar)
(PDF)

A long-term, >12 months, follow-up study titled 'Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation' has been published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse this month (July 2016).  I had discussed the original study in a previous post.

Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation.
BACKGROUND: A recent open-label pilot study (N = 15) found that two to three moderate to high doses (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) of the serotonin 2A receptor agonist, psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation, resulted in substantially higher 6-month smoking abstinence rates than are typically observed with other medications or CBT alone.
OBJECTIVES: To assess long-term effects of a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation program at ≥12 months after psilocybin administration.
METHODS: The present report describes biologically verified smoking abstinence outcomes of the previous pilot study at ≥12 months, and related data on subjective effects of psilocybin.
RESULTS: All 15 participants completed a 12-month follow-up, and 12 (80%) returned for a long-term (≥16 months) follow-up, with a mean interval of 30 months (range = 16-57 months) between target-quit date (i.e., first psilocybin session) and long-term follow-up. At 12-month follow-up, 10 participants (67%) were confirmed as smoking abstinent. At long-term follow-up, nine participants (60%) were confirmed as smoking abstinent. At 12-month follow-up 13 participants (86.7%) rated their psilocybin experiences among the five most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives.
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in the context of a structured treatment program, psilocybin holds considerable promise in promoting long-term smoking abstinence. The present study adds to recent and historical evidence suggesting high success rates when using classic psychedelics in the treatment of addiction. Further research investigating psilocybin-facilitated treatment of substance use disorders is warranted.
Johnson MW, Garcia-Romeu A, Griffiths RR.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2016 Jul 21:1-6. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 27441452

Results of the smoking cessation study above are quite impressive since prescription medications such as Chantix, the most potent aid for smoking cessation, have a success rate of about 35% at six months.

Finally, an article published in a Birmingham, Alabama newspaper (Weld, July 19, 2016) titled 'UAB professor wants to fight dependence with psychedelics', highlights an ongoing Clinical Trial by Peter Hendricks, associate professor at the UAB School of Public Health using psilocybin to treat cocaine addiction.

Some excerpts from the Weld article UAB professor wants to fight dependence with psychedelics:

• “Recreational use is completely different from very carefully controlled use in a therapeutic setting,” Hendricks said. “We know that there are individuals who use recreationally, and the effects in these contexts are completely different than what you might expect [from taking psilocybin] with a very specific intention and the assistance of a therapist.
• “In the appropriate setting and with the appropriate mindset and preparation, [psilocybin] can occasion a mystical-type experience sometimes called a ‘peak experience,’” Hendricks continued. “These would be mystical-type experiences that would qualitatively be indistinct from the sort of experiences reported by or experienced by the world’s great saints and sages… There’s often a sense of timelessness and spacelessness, there’s often a sense that all is one, and all people are one, that all of creation is one. There’s often an encounter with an unconditionally loving higher power, what most people would call God, and a sense of serenity or bliss.”
• “I think people are essentially having these types of experiences where they’re in a short amount of time confronted with what is most meaningful to them and how their behavior may stand in conflict with what they hold to be most sacred,” Hendricks said.  “So imagine if we were struggling with cocaine dependence or cocaine addiction, and often people who are addicted will — and they’re aware of this — they will prioritize the drug use over their relationships with people they love, over their careers, over their living situations and in some situations even over their basic living needs like food and shelter. And in this amount of time [of the peak experience], it’s as though people have a profound degree of insight and introspection that allows them to see the degree to which they prioritize that drug.”