Search
Showing results for “Psychedelics”
Jump to a topic
PsychedelicsLong relegated to the countercultural fringes of society, psychedelics have been experiencing a scientific and cultural renaissance in recent years. They're a class of psychoactive substances known to alter perception, mood, and affect cognitive processes, though their neural mechanisms are under active investigation. Common psychedelics include psilocybin, MDMA (commonly called ecstasy), LSD, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and more.
Psychedelic compounds have been tapped by communities around the world for ritual, medicinal, and sociocultural use for hundreds—if not thousands—of years, with cave art depicting their apparent use. But these powerful, hallucinogenic drugs are increasingly garnering scientific and political support for potential applications, including treating depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and substance abuse disorders. Scientists are seeking to better understand their safety profiles, how they work—via brain-scan studies—and to launch clinical trials.
Some small-scale research and anecdotal reports suggest the compounds can yield significant effects on some mental health conditions with as little as one dose, potentially providing relief for entrenched conditions that did not respond to other medications and therapies. Yet they can also be risky: The substances have led to fatal health complications and in some cases worsened patients' mental health conditions.Explore Psychedelics
What we've found
Researchers recently took an unprecedented look at the neural effects of psychedelicsAccording to analysis published in 2026 that looked at more than 500 brain scans pooled from 267 people who took psychedelics, the drugs increase connectivity between different brain regions within minutes of taking them, including transmodal networks (tied to thinking) and unimodal networks (involved in visual and sensory perception). AOL/National GeographicPsychedelics are being fast-tracked for research after a 2026 executive orderMany such compounds (including LSD, psilocybin, and more) are classified as Schedule I drugs—illegal to possess and federally regarded as having no medical use. Researchers say such restrictions have created significant hurdles for formal clinical trials. With this executive order, the FDA will enable work particularly focused on depression, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder. AP NewsPsychedelics interact with neurotransmitter systems to alter one's perceptionLSD, psilocybin, and MDMA can suppress the brain's default mode network and enhance connectivity. Research shows that, when paired with therapy, psychedelics may help treat mental health conditions, including depression, addiction, and PTSD. TED-EdHow psychedelics can potentially reinvent learningCritical periods, discovered in the early 20th century, describe a period when someone is incredibly sensitive to their environment, and any information learned can stick with them for life. Some researchers argue these states can be "reopened" via psychedelics, which put the mind into a malleable state that can potentially be used to treat conditions ranging from lazy eyes to PTSD. The Gray AreaThe neurobiology of meaningfulness: the benefits of psychedelicsPsychedelics produce powerful emotions in its users, including a profound sense of meaningfulness. The philosopher William James called this sense "noetic" in the late 19th century, but for decades researchers avoided studying the effects of such drugs on the brain. However, the recent resurgence in psychedelic research has heightened interest in the relationship between this noetic sense resulting from the therapeutic use of drugs. Learn what researchers have found out here. VoxMental health applications of psychedelicsScientists are investigating psilocybin, ketamine, LSD, and MDMA (also known as ecstasy) as potential treatments for mental health issues. These drugs enable an altered state of consciousness, which can have beneficial or harmful impacts depending on the nature of the experience. Research suggests these drugs can be effective in treating substance use disorders, mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. New York TimesPsychedelics set off a flurry of brain activity that may permanently alter itThe brain seems to experience a sharp increase in communication between areas that generally don't interact. New research suggests a thin, sheet-like gray matter structure tucked deep within the brain, between the insular cortex and striatum, may be the key to this change. The area is centrally located and home to many of the receptors that psychedelics target, potentially rewiring the brain and rewriting thought patterns. YouTubeUsing psychedelics to manage a cancer diagnosisDr. Roland Griffiths helped lead the revival of psychedelic research, often prescribing the use of psilocybin to address severe depression or anxiety in patients. This podcast explores how Griffiths leaned on his own career after being diagnosed with cancer and facing the prospect of death. NPRWhat can psychedelics teach us about dying?Psychedelics have made their way into the world of licensed mental healthcare, and the drugs have been proven to help people process and lessen anxiety and depression. What does this mean for people with terminal illnesses who are afraid of death? To The Best Of Our KnowledgeHow Western psychedelics research fell to the waysidePsychedelics' modern era began when LSD was discovered in the 1930s. By the 1950s, clinical trials were underway. US user experimentation outside of medical settings (and high-profile violence, like the Manson murders) inspired negative attitudes toward psychedelics, leading to use restrictions that prohibited companies from patenting psychedelic compounds. This strangled psychedelics' profitability until the 1990s when the government loosened its grip and psychedelics research began seeing a resurgence. The ConversationThe commercial and therapeutic potential of psychedelicsA 2006 study into the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics sparked a renewed interest in the field of psychedelic research, a development that has cascaded into commercialized ventures and experiences. This article details how growing research into the psychological benefits of psychedelics is matched by the rise of anecdotal reports, book deals, businesses, and corporate claims seeking to capitalize on psychedelic potential. The New RepublicAre psychedelics legal in your state?The answer is usually more complicated than a simple yes or no. This resource includes a state-by-state and international breakdown of current psychedelics legislation and reform. As of November 2023, psychedelics are fully illegal in 18 states, though there still may be religious or medical exemptions depending on the drug in question. Legislation reform and decriminalization efforts are ongoing. Psychedelic InvestHow four types of psychedelics affect the brainBrain imaging shows that ayahuasca, MDMA, DMT, and psilocybin profoundly affect neural activity, giving rise to higher states of introspection and consciousness. This article details exactly how each of these drugs physically affects the brain and what that means for mental health treatment. Some of these drugs quiet the brain or trigger the release of neurochemicals associated with mood regulation and learning. Rolling StonePeople with schizophrenia are excluded from psychedelic researchIndividuals with this mental health condition are routinely eliminated from any psychedelic research due to concerns about triggering or worsening psychosis. Yet there is little high-quality research in this area, raising questions about if further research into this question is warranted as interest grows in using psychedelics for therapeutic purposes. NatureWatch veterans experience psilocybin at a Mexican clinic and discuss the aftermathThis "60 Minutes" episode from 2025 follows nine veterans attending a week-long psychedelic retreat to treat their PTSD. Most of the vets say the experience at the Mexican clinic was life-changing. But results were mixed: One veteran reported he was scared and that the experience worsened his mental health overall. 60 MinutesPsychedelic DMT—part of ayahuasca—shows antidepressant promise in small clinical trialProponents say this short-acting psychedelic, formally known as dimethyltryptamine, could be particularly promising for medicinal use because longer-acting psychedelics can sideline someone for hours after a treatment with hallucinations. DMT is the primary psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew used across various South American cultures for spiritual, social, and medicinal purposes. Ars TechnicaThis is the human brain on the world's strongest psychedelicWithin seconds of inhaling a high dose of vaporized synthetic 5-MeO-DMT—a lab-produced substance that otherwise is naturally derived from the glands of the Colorado River toad—it induced slow brain waves. Such waves are typically associated with unconsciousness due to a coma or anesthesia, perhaps explaining why users describe feeling like everything falls away. The compound is currently in clinical trials for treating depression. University College LondonThe FDA rejected MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD in 2024, calling for more researchThe decision was considered to be a major setback for moving psychedelics into the mainstream for mental health treatment. Pharmaceutical company Lykos, who had applied for the approval, had already attracted significant support from patients, politicians on both sides of the aisle, and leaders in the mental health field. NPRA mescaline-induced hallucination stayed with Jean-Paul Sartre throughout his lifeIn 1935, Sartre was injected with mescaline, a psychedelic drug that was then used to treat alcoholism and depression, by his friend at the Hôpital Sainte-Anne in Paris. It was not a good trip: Sartre saw nightmarish crabs for days and suffered a mental breakdown. For the rest of his life, crustaceans like the ones he saw during the hallucination appeared in his works. JSTORUnlike bossa nova, tropicália was intentionally confrontationalThe genre drew on elements of older Brazilian music, like samba and bossa nova, but it was also influenced by psychedelic rock, especially the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," and was highly critical of the country's military dictatorship. That led to repercussions: Two of the movement's primary figures, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, were detained and exiled in 1968. Firebird MagazineLewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' turned the fantasy genre upside downA lot of 19th-century British fantasy was often stiff; its children’s literature was often overly didactic. Carroll’s novel—about a young girl who falls into an unusual world full—was neither, offering vivid, psychedelic imagery and seemingly nonsensical word games. The GuardianIn 1957, a vice president at JPMorgan became an outspoken evangelist for psychedelic mushroomsR. Gordon Wasson wrote "Seeking the Magic Mushroom" for Life magazine in 1957. It was a groundbreaking piece of journalism that introduced mainstream society to psychedelic mushrooms. He retired from JPMorgan in 1963 and continued researching and writing about psychedelic experiences for the rest of his life. JSTOR Daily'All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much.'- Musician George Harrison (1943–2001) The BeatlesA theory about Pink Floyd and 'The Wizard of Oz' was popularized by a 19-year-oldPink Floyd’s seminal album “Dark Side of the Moon” eerily synchronizes with “The Wizard of Oz,” offering a psychedelic soundtrack for the movie. Journalist Charlie Savage popularized the phenomenon when he was 19. He’d go on to write for the Boston Globe and New York Times winning a Pulitzer Prize. MojoDreams have long been used for religious and political powerClassic literature and mythology attests to the crucial role dreams play in narratives, from the Virgin Birth to the prophetic visions of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The heightened state of dreaming and its analog, hallucinating, have long held special power over the collective imagination. AeonHaight-Ashbury's hippie character was shaped by The Psychedelic ShopThe "metaphysical book and trinket emporium" was opened by two brothers inspired by Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor who was a pioneer in the use of psychedelic drugs. San Francisco HeritageGary Panter's punk art defined the '70s and '80s countercultureThe artist got his start providing fliers and logos for early Los Angeles punk bands, but later took his psychedelic, Pop Art-vision to designing on "Pee-Wee's Playhouse," for which he won three Emmy Awards. I Need Art and CoffeeSpringsteen's first band was called the CastilesSpringsteen joined a local garage rock band at 16. The band was influenced by British Invasion acts like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as the burgeoning American psychedelic scene. The CastilesIbogaine, a psychedelic substance, can be used to treat mental illnessAlthough the substance is banned in the US, it's legal in Mexico. Americans who have traveled there for treatment, including the NFL's Braden Smith, say the drug helps deal with conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder. CNNRetracing the 1960s history of dropping outA core element of the 1960s counterculture was the idea of dropping out of school and the broader technocratic institutions at the time. This push coincided with paranoia over mind control during the Cold War, and as some rogue psychologists advocated for the liberating use of psychedelics. AeonThe Beats also influenced the imagery of the 1960sFirst editions of Burroughs’s "The Naked Lunch," Kerouac’s "The Dharma Bums," and Ferlinghetti’s "A Coney Island of the Mind" were just as notable for their text as they were for their design, which anticipated the psychedelic imagery of 1960s countercultural touchstones like Ken Kesey, Andy Warhol, and R. Crumb. University of DelawareThe Beat Generation inspired significant parts of 1960s countercultureThe Beat Generation championed the transformative power of psychedelics, rebelled against the post-war social order, and called for more radical politics. With a strong foothold in San Francisco, it's no surprise these themes were carried over to the city's 1960s counterculture, informing the larger national hippie movement. University of VirginiaOnly a fraction of LSD reaches the brain, but it concentrates in key regionsWhen taken, LSD is absorbed quickly (often within an hour of ingestion) and exerts its effects primarily by binding to serotonin receptors. While only a small amount enters the brain, it's active in regions controlling the visual and auditory senses, potentially driving its psychedelic effects. The drug doesn't linger in the body, and is typically undetectable within a day. Institute of Human AnatomyLSD fueled a countercultural movement before evolving into a potential therapeuticAs the use of recreational psychedelics became common, authorities were quick to claim LSD had lasting adverse effects, criminalizing the drug and halting scientific study for decades. Over time, LSD's reputation shifted from a potential source of enlightenment to a dangerous drug that could dim a person's future, and back to a possible therapeutic compound. The New York TimesWidespread use of LSD sparked a counter-cultural artistic movement in the 1960sThe trippy visuals often associated with LSD flourished in the 1960s as the drug became more widespread. Psychedelic design, defined by its undulating text and graphics, ultimately grew beyond just visuals, spawning psychedelia, a term that includes art, music, and cultural experiences based on psychedelic experiences. Print MagazineHow a dose of MDMA transformed a white supremacistA man leading a faction of the US white nationalist movement took part in a psychedelic trial on the pleasantness of social touch and came away from it with his beliefs reportedly upended. He left researchers a note on a form, stating, "this experience has helped me sort out a debilitating personal issue. Google my name. I now know what I need to do." BBC NewsPsychedelic side effects, including worsening mental health for some patients, give pauseThis article explores whether the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drug use is really as good as current research suggests. Scientists are exploring its applications for conditions ranging from the existential crisis that can accompany terminal diagnoses to chronic mental health conditions, including anxiety and PTSD. TheGuardian.comStudies of psychedelic use may help shed light on the nature of consciousnessThe nature of consciousness—what it is, where it comes from, and how it manifests as moment-to-moment experience—remains under debate by scientists. Recent studies show psychedelics were found to boost low-frequency brain signals known as delta waves, a behavior also seen during dream states. NatureHow to avoid a 'bad trip' advice includes relaxing your mind if you experience scary things and not fighting the feelingIn this video, Michael Pollan, author of "This Is Your Mind On Plants," underscores the gaps in existing understanding about the substances and recommends only taking guided experiences, for safety and help. He tackles how psychedelics work, explains microdosing and psychedelic risks, how the substances could be used to treat addiction, and the history of psychedelic stigma. WIREDHow can octopuses and MDMA help scientists understand the human brain?Research shows that psychedelics may induce something called "critical periods" in the adult brain, which can make our brains more open to learning and changing, like they once were back in early childhood. Psychedelics similarly change how social creatures like octopuses behave, which demonstrates that these animals could help us better understand our own neurobiology. WIREDThe psychedelic playlist inspired by a Johns Hopkins experimentDating back to 1967, the playlist is over seven hours long and organized in such a manner as to echo users’ experiences as their trips rise, crest, and fall. According to the initial creator of the playlist, the music is a “nonverbal support system” that keeps users from prematurely returning to normal consciousness. Johns Hopkins MedicineCould this pseudo-psychedelic VR experience decrease symptoms of depression?Researchers report that virtual reality and psychedelics may be leave users with similar insights and therapeutic benefits. Try out this free psychedelic virtual reality experience to see if this holds true for you. According to the program’s creators, a study into the efficacy of this 45-minute experience indicates it may help alleviate symptoms of mild to moderate depression. AboutThe 'definitive' history of magic mushroomsWhere did magic mushrooms come from, and how did they get their magical reputation? This article explains the history of the psychedelic fungi from pre-history to now.
The earliest concrete evidence of psychedelic mushroom use is 12,000-year-old murals in Northern Australia that portray mushroom iconography. Considering how many species seek out and consume psychoactive substances, such as Siberian reindeer, it's possible human use of these psychedelic mushrooms may predate these murals. DoubleBlindPsychedelic compounds: a visual libraryHowever psychedelic experiences manifest, they all begin with the presence of psychoactive compounds. Learn about their various chemical compositions in this structural library of psychedelic compounds. Clicking on an entry will take readers to a new page where they can learn about the chemistry and pharmacology of each compound, as well as the drug's possible applications. Psychedelic Science ReviewPhysiological changes to the brain on LSD can be captured via MRIPsychedelics like LSD often take users on novel experiences that can result in lasting shifts in perspective and behavior. See how LSD affects brain activity in this video that details how scientists visually captured the psychedelic's effect for the first time. QuartzWhat do psychedelic plants look like?Far from the drippy aesthetic often associated with psychedelics, the plants powering naturally occurring psychoactive experiences may not stand out as anything special. This database offers a visual guide to psychoactive plants and fungi. Clicking on the title of a particular plant, such as yerba mate, will bring up a secondary screen with various hyperlinked images, such as the plant itself, related botanical drawings, and molecular structures. Erowid CenterPsychedelic therapy's ethical guidelines (or lack thereof)With a checkered history of misconduct, how will psychedelic-assisted therapists be held accountable in the emerging legal field? This article explores the nascent field's need for ethical guidelines and clear protection of patient rights when therapeutic breakthroughs teeter "on the edge of consent." PsymposiaAn account of unethical behavior by psychedelic guidesEthical guidelines and protections have a gossamer grasp in the underground psychedelics movement. This 34-minute podcast episode delves into patterns of deception and abuse by movement leaders through one source's deeply personal tale. This episode, which involves descriptions of sexual violence, is one of many in New York Magazine's Power Trip series, a nine-part investigation into the darker side of the psychedelic renaissance. Cover StoryDrugs 101: An interactive guideWhat's the difference between opioids and psychedelics? This guide details specific drugs and their various associated effects. Drugs in this wheel fall into seven categories: stimulants, depressants, empathogens, psychedelics, dissociatives, cannabinoids, and opioids. Alcohol and Drug FoundationPsychedelic drugs are having a scientific renaissanceAfter decades of repression, psychedelic research is making a resurgence. Hear from a host of experts in this 20-minute video on what that could mean for the future of mental health. The current science on psychedelics believes LSD can cause a particular brain network to quiet or deactivate. Big Think
Try another search?