The Bloom #176 Free Edition back to reality

Nothing beats seeing fellow psychonauts in person. Last week's Breaking Convention was no exception. It was a diverse gathering of like-minded souls. It was academic, whimsical, ecstatic, and an education for the mind and body. If you have the opportunity to join in 2027, I highly recommend doing so. (full write-up coming soon)

Research in the meantime hasn't stood still, and you will find eight new papers in Blossom's database. The studies look at brain mechanisms, the influence of therapy in ketamine treatments, and the effects of psychedelics in acute trauma.

Together with volunteer Chiara Corpetti, I also updated our topic page on postpartum depression. And finally, the trials database is also completely up to date.

Floris - Founder of Blossom

ps A new open-access psychedelic journal, Acta Psychedelica, is launching and is open for submissions. This is also true for submissions for the Psykedeelit conference (Oct 2-4, 2025) which is accepting applications until the end of this month.

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Latest Psychedelic Research

1 Peri-traumatic consumption of classic psychedelics is associated with lower anxiety and post-traumatic responses 3 weeks after exposure​

This observational study (n=343) of terrorist attack survivors found that those under the influence of classic psychedelics during the traumatic event reported lower anxiety and post-traumatic symptoms compared to MDMA users or non-users, particularly when psychedelics were taken alone.

2 Psilocybin therapy for mood dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: an open-label pilot trial​

This open-label pilot study (n=12) found that psilocybin therapy (10mg followed by 25mg dose with psychotherapy) for Parkinson's disease patients with depression and/or anxiety appeared safe with no serious adverse events, whilst showing promising improvements in motor symptoms, cognitive function, depression and anxiety that persisted at three-month follow-up.

3 Combined ketamine and psychotherapy provide no additional benefit beyond ketamine alone in treating depression or PTSD​

This observational study (n=202, 470, and 624) compares ketamine alone (KET) to ketamine combined with psychotherapy (KET+PSY) (35mg x 6) for depression and PTSD. Both treatments led to substantial symptom improvements, but no significant differences were found between groups. Exploratory analyses suggest younger females may benefit more from combined treatment, while older males may do better with ketamine alone.

More Research

• ​Psilocybin’s lasting action requires pyramidal cell types and 5-HT2A receptors​
• ​A multi-institutional investigation of psilocybin's effects on mouse behavior​
• ​The Role of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Ego Dissolution and Emotional Arousal During the Psychedelic State​
• ​Network control energy reductions under DMT relate to serotonin receptors, signal diversity, and subjective experience​
• ​Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of sublingual microdosed lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy adult volunteers​

New on Blossom

1 Psychedelics and Postpartum Depression​

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a distinct condition from major depressive disorder, affecting 10-20% of mothers worldwide and characterised by emotional disconnection from self, baby, and support systems, with both biological and psychosocial origins.

Ketamine and esketamine have shown promising initial results in preventing postpartum depression (PPD), with one study showing that esketamine reduces the major PPD risk to 7% compared to 25% in the placebo group. However, more research is needed on optimal dosing and safety during breastfeeding.

Several companies are actively advancing psychedelic treatments for PPD, with Reunion Neuroscience developing RE104 (a short-duration psilocybin analogue) and GH Research studying GH001 (inhalable 5-MeO-DMT), both showing encouraging preliminary results in clinical trials.

2 Psychedelic Research Recap March 2025​

This month’s research offers mixed results from clinical trials testing psychedelics for various conditions. LSD microdosing failed to help ADHD symptoms despite high expectations, while psilocybin showed uncertain benefits for alcohol use disorder in a small trial, contradicting a larger study that found positive results. More encouragingly, early research suggests psilocybin might help manage fibromyalgia pain, and a long-term follow-up study indicates that higher doses of psilocybin provide longer-lasting depression relief, though most patients see effects fade within 3-6 months.

Brain scanning studies reveal new details about how psychedelics work. DMT creates a brief but intense “destabilisation” of brain activity, particularly affecting areas rich in serotonin receptors. The largest-ever psychedelic brain imaging study found that psilocybin blurs the line between eyes-open and eyes-closed brain states, creating what researchers call “embeddedness”—a state where the boundaries between self and environment dissolve.

Researchers are also exploring the human experience of psychedelic therapy. A study on therapeutic touch during psilocybin sessions found most participants valued appropriate physical contact during intense moments, though proper consent and boundaries remain crucial. A large review discovered that “insight” experiences—sudden moments of understanding—may be even more important for healing than the mystical experiences that have received more attention. Meanwhile, European regulators highlight methodological challenges that must be addressed as the field advances toward potential approval of these treatments.

3 Psychedelic Research Links 2025​

A comprehensive overview of all psychedelic research that has come out this year. We cover the research per month and provide a one-sentence summary for each new publication. After the full summary is added, a link to Blossom's review is added to the papers included in our database.
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Spotlight

1 Reimbursement Pathways for Psychedelic Therapies (Report)

Our latest report, "Reimbursement Pathways for Psychedelic Therapies in Europe," represents six months of detailed exploration into one of the biggest barriers to bringing psychedelic therapies from clinic to patient—reimbursement. Across Europe, each country has distinct reimbursement protocols, complex health technology assessments, and significant infrastructure gaps. Without a clear path to reimbursement, even approved psychedelic therapies risk remaining inaccessible to many patients who need them most.

The report doesn't just highlight challenges—it also proposes tangible solutions. We advocate for early engagement with healthcare payers, innovative outcome-based pricing models, and proactive use of pilot studies and real-world data collection. By addressing economic hurdles and infrastructure requirements head-on, we aim to unlock a sustainable model for market access.

Personally, as someone deeply engaged in psychedelic research and advocacy, it's crucial for me that these groundbreaking treatments become realistically accessible, not just theoretically promising. This report is a call-to-action for developers, policymakers, payers, and patient advocates alike—let’s collaborate now to ensure psychedelics transform mental healthcare.

Explore the full report and insights here: https://psychedelicsandreimbursement.com​

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