The Bloom #180 Free Edition integrate this

Since the last newsletter, psychedelic research has made a 180-degree turn. Where before the research was a bit slow, the end of June proved to be fertile ground for the study of psychedelics.

Instead of the three most interesting articles, see six featured below. In total, 18 new publications were added to the database in the past few weeks.

We cover the first PET-MRI study of LSD, the first study of vaporised DMT, a long-term follow-up of psilocybin for cancer patients with depression, and more below.

Floris - Founder of Blossom

ps Delphi is hosting their second Insight Session this Wednesday (July 2nd, 11am MST / 1pm EST). Tyler Norris (Co-Founder and Director of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health, and a recognised bridge-builder in the field) will interview Lia Mix and yours truly about how psychedelic therapies fit within broader mental health transformation. Join the free 30-minute session here.

pps Planning ahead a bit further, Inawe will host the 3-day Psymposium Madrid 2025 conference from October 2-4. Find more information on their site.

Latest Psychedelic Research

1 Safety, tolerability and subjective effects of vaporized N,N-Dimethyltryptamine: A randomized double-blind clinical trial​

This first RCT (n=25) of vaporised DMT (60mg) demonstrated that DMT significantly increased subjective experience measures while causing only transient, safe physiological changes and predominantly mild adverse events. This suggests that inhaled DMT is safe, well-tolerated, and effective at inducing profound altered states of consciousness. Significant correlations were observed between physiological responses and subjective experiences.

2 Long-term benefits of single-dose psilocybin in depressed patients with cancer​

This Phase II trial long-term follow-up (n=30) found that a single dose of psilocybin (25mg) combined with psychological support provided sustained benefits for cancer patients with depression, with 54% showing significant depression reduction (50% remission) and 46% experiencing reduced anxiety at 2 years' follow-up, suggesting a potential paradigm shift in depression treatment for cancer patients compared to traditional daily antidepressants.

3 Molecular, haemodynamic, and functional effects of LSD in the human brain​

This pre-print simultaneous PET-MRI study (first of its kind) demonstrates that LSD increases global cerebral blood flow and internal carotid artery flow without affecting artery diameter (opposite to psilocybin's effects), while decreasing global connectivity (particularly in visual networks) and increasing network entropy and spatial complexity, with researchers also observing an anticlockwise hysteresis loop (dynamic lag between an input and an output) between plasma levels and subjective effects that challenges existing hypotheses about psychedelic mechanisms of action.

Related: Knocking at the Doors of Perception: Relating LSD Effects on Low-Frequency Fluctuations and Regional Homogeneity to Receptor Densities in fMRI​

4 MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for AUD: Bayesian analysis of WHO drinking risk level and exploratory analysis of drinking behavior and psychosocial functioning at 3 months follow-up​

This secondary analysis of an open-label feasibility study (n=14) of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD) found, through Bayesian analysis, a 55-63% probability of achieving a 2-level reduction in WHO drinking risk at 3 months follow-up, with preliminary evidence suggesting reductions in alcohol craving and improvements in sleep and psychosocial functioning compared to baseline.

5 Efficacy and safety of low- versus high-dose-LSD-assisted therapy in patients with major depression: A randomized trial​

This double-blind controlled trial (n=61) found that high-dose LSD-assisted therapy (100μg + 200μg) reduced depression symptoms more than low-dose LSD (25μg + 25μg) in patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder (MDD), with benefits lasting up to 12 weeks and similar side effects between groups.

6 ‘Equal-unblinding’ meta-analysis of psychedelic therapy vs. antidepressants for the treatment of depression​

This pre-print pre-registered meta-analysis (s=24) comparing psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) and open-label traditional antidepressants (tAD) for major depression found no significant difference in effectiveness between the two approaches, with both producing clinically meaningful improvements, challenging previous assumptions about PAT's superiority when accounting for the unblinding effect present in psychedelic trials.

More Research

• ​An international Delphi consensus for reporting of setting in psychedelic clinical trials​
• ​The effect of MDMA on anterior pituitary hormones: a secondary analysis of a randomized placebo-controlled trial​
• ​Long-term outcomes of single-dose psilocybin for U.S. military Veterans with severe treatment-resistant depression – 12-month data from an open-label pilot study​
• ​Psilocybin’s acute and persistent brain effects: a precision imaging drug trial​
• ​Cost-per-remitter for esketamine nasal spray versus quetiapine for treatment-resistant depression​
• ​The effects of psilocybin therapy versus escitalopram on cognitive bias: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial​
• ​Pilot Data on Salivary Oxytocin as a Biomarker of LSD Response in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder​
• ​Enhancing mindfulness and compassion through an ayahuasca-inspired formulation containing N,N-DMT and harmine: A randomized controlled trial in healthy subjects​
• ​Evaluation of the peak experience scale as a rapid assessment tool for the strength of a psychoactive experience with 5-MeO-DMT​
• ​The phenomenology of psilocybin's experience mediates subsequent persistent psychological effects independently of sex, previous experience, or setting​
• ​Enhanced meaning in life following psychedelic use: converging evidence from controlled and naturalistic studies​

New on Blossom

1 Psychedelic Research Recap May​

Ketamine and psychedelic therapies are moving from experimental treatments to real-world clinical options, but questions about cost-effectiveness and safety remain central to their adoption. This month’s research tackles these practical concerns head-on, with economic studies suggesting ketamine could actually save healthcare systems money when replacing more expensive treatments like electroconvulsive therapy.

Safety data also offers encouraging news. Long-term follow-up of over 1,000 esketamine patients shows the treatment remains both effective and manageable over years of use, while new research reveals how different psychedelics can be safely administered through various routes and formulations.

Perhaps most intriguingly, studies of psilocybin and MDMA are uncovering how these therapies work at a deeper level. Unlike traditional antidepressants that can blunt emotions, psilocybin appears to preserve emotional responsiveness while still treating depression. Meanwhile, MDMA’s benefits for PTSD seem to flow directly through enhanced self-compassion, suggesting that explicitly targeting this mechanism could improve outcomes.

2 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 Inawe Psymposium 2025 (Event)

Psymposium Madrid 2025 presents a three-day forum (October 2–4, 2025) dedicated to mental health innovation, neuroscience, and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Hosted in the Gran Anfiteatro of the Ilustre Colegio de Médicos de Madrid, the gathering aims to advance discussion ahead of World Mental Health Day.

Confirmed speakers include Dr David Erritzøe (Imperial College London), Marcela Ot’alora (MAPS), Dr José Carlos Bouso (ICEERS), Dr Liliana Galindo (University of Cambridge), Christopher Timmermann, Débora González, Magí Farré, and Rosa María Dueñas. Their combined expertise spans basic research, clinical practice, and policy analysis, ensuring a rounded examination of the field.

Attendance is limited to 450 participants. Ticket details can be found on Inawe’s website. Professionals interested in current and emerging approaches to mental health care may find the discussions and networking opportunities valuable.

Molenvaart 76, Anna Paulowna, NH 1761AL
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