The Bloom #173 Free Edition long-term follow-up The psychedelic research landscape continues to evolve at a remarkable pace. Last month, I tracked 193 new studies and added the 11 most significant ones to our database. In this monthly recap, I've synthesized what we've learned from these latest findings. Two standout studies examine the long-term outcomes from both clinical trials and observational research. The durability of psychedelic effects represents a critical area of investigation—one...
23 days ago • 4 min read
The Bloom #172 Free Edition what do you think? What happens during a psychedelic trip? How can we minimise harms? Do psychedelics reduce feelings of shame? Why do people trip? Do researchers get funding for psychedelic research? Are social workers open to psychedelic therapy? These are but some of the questions that 14 surveys (about one a day) have asked in published research this month. We cover the first three in the research papers below. In other new research, we look at a new...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
The Bloom #171 Free Edition going meta In the last edition, I noted that the research on psychedelics has accelerated. From an average of about 100 studies, last month saw a record of 183 studies published. But, we only added 11 studies to the database. More studies than ever are reviews, commentaries, and perspectives. Though they can provide a great introduction for a specific audience, they aren't material to add. In the monthly recap of January, I take a closer look at the published...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
The Bloom #170 Free Edition amalgamations The pace of research has picked up again. With over a week to go in January, the link overview (which now includes the papers we cover on Blossom) has 104 studies linked. In the studies we cover below, we take a second look at the 'pharmahuasca' study and see positive results (and many details) on the journey of the drug and the effects and actions (on healthy subjects). We also cover a new study on psychedelics and personality, of which we've seen...
2 months ago • 4 min read
The Bloom #169 Free Edition slowing down Another year full of groundbreaking research has passed us by. I've added 205 new research articles to the database. They cover everything from data on new experiments in clinical settings to observational studies deep in the Amazon forest. In the 2024 link overview, I've captured another ~1500 studies showing just how active the psychedelic research field has become. Just for reference, when I started covering the research, I might see only 20 to 30...
3 months ago • 3 min read
The Bloom #168 Free Edition second pass What happens when psychedelics become an approved medicine? That is the question researchers investigated in Australia, where psilocybin and MDMA have been prescribed since mid-last year. The short answer, not much. High costs for patients and lack of therapists willing to prescribe (or who have received training) mean only a handful of patients have received the therapy. Still, more psychiatrists are being trained, and data from down under will be...
3 months ago • 3 min read
The Bloom #167 Free Edition hyper-psychoplastogens What is the effect of psychedelics inside our brains? A comprehensive review argues that psychedelics lead to hyper-plasticity (re-opening developmental windows) and meta-plasticity (sensitivity to stimuli). However, a meta-analysis argues that BNDF - in humans - only minimally changed in human studies (vs animal studies). Still, the first review (see below) points to many other mechanisms that may underly the long-term psychological effects...
4 months ago • 4 min read
The Bloom #166 Free Edition Meow meow Before we answer the question if psychedelics are effective, researchers have to establish safety. Yes, you may say that millions of experiences speak for themselves. Yet research can help us determine precisely what (obscure) risks exist and at what dosages things go sideways. This applies to psychedelics that have been around for centuries and novel compounds alike. Researchers gave a variety of dosages of mescaline (up to 800mg) to participants and...
4 months ago • 5 min read
The Bloom #165 Free Edition all about psychedelic research Apologies for the lack of updates from Blossom, and welcome to all new subscribers! I was honoured to recently talk with David Drapkin on the Psychedelics Today podcast. We discussed the work I've been doing here over the last five years and examined psychedelic research globally. The reasons for my absence was a lovely honeymoon in Thailand, which I can recommend everyone visiting at least once. I'm now caught up on the research...
5 months ago • 5 min read