Issue 169

Supporting psychedelic therapy with digital interventions

A new paper has described the development of a self-directed intervention that harnesses digital technologies for psychedelic preparation.

A team of researchers from University College London, Massachusetts Medical School and Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden, have now designed a 21-day digital course called Digital Intervention for Psychedelic Preparation (DIPP).

The course consists of four modules including:

– Knowledge–Expectation

– Psychophysical–Readiness

– Safety–Planning, and

– Intention–Preparation

These modules include tools such as meditation practice, supplementary exercises, and mood tracking.

The authors write: “DIPP provides a comprehensive and scalable solution to enhance psychedelic preparedness, aligning with the broader shift towards digital mental health interventions.”

AI MAPS PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCES TO BRAIN REGIONS

In the Houston Chronicle, Galen Ballentine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and Sam Friedman of Harvard University discuss how they have utilised AI to map psychedelic ‘trip’ experiences to regions of the brain.

The team describes how they found new links and patterns that confirm what is known in the current research literature, such as changes in sensory perception being associated with a serotonin receptor in the visual cortex of the brain.

PSYCHEDELICS AT MONASH: WORLD-FIRST TRIALS AND THERAPIST TRAINING

Monash University’s pioneering Clinical Psychedelic Lab, established in 2020, now has its own psychedelic research facility, with 25 clinicians, and about 25 multidisciplinary researchers, trainers, and volunteers, reports Monash University.

The University explains how the work carried out at the lab now is less about targeting and reducing specific symptoms of mental health conditions, but more about bringing a patient closer to the source of their distress.

BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT

Clearmind Medicine has submitted an additional three patent applications under the PCT for MDMA, ibogaine and ketamine compounds.

Beckley Academy has published its first open-source learning framework to advance psychedelic-assisted therapy training standards.

aNUma and the University of California will investigate the potential benefits of aNUma’s Experience Platform for psychedelic facilitation training.

Revive Therapeutics has announced the closing of the second and final tranche of its private placement for gross proceeds of $1,187,110.

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

Mark Bleackley, CCO at Incannex Healthcare dives into the scheduling of psychedelics and how this impacts research efforts for Pharmacy Times.

A new paper has been published exploring Psychedelics as a treatment for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

NewsMedical explores how psychedelic-assisted treatments are transforming mental health and neurodegenerative disease research.

A psychedelic retreat center for veterans has begun recruitment amidst a shortage of volunteers for its upcoming programme, reports The Daily Texan.

REGULATION AND LEGISLATION

RollingStone reports that legal psychedelic therapy is coming for veterans, but asks, how long will they have to wait?

The New Bedford Guide explores Massachusetts’s ballot questions, including its Regulated Access to Psychedelic Substances Initiative.

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

A pioneering new Mental Health Platform Research Hub that aims to advance understanding, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness has been awarded a £4.3 million grant from UKRI and the MRC.

The European Commission has published its latest article presenting an overview of European Union statistics related to mental and behavioural disorders, noting 3.7% of all deaths in 2020 resulted from mental and behavioural disorders.