Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 18, 2023
Emmy Manson, Erin Ryding, Wes Taylor et al.
13 citations
A pilot program offered group-based therapy with three ketamine sessions at a psychedelic dose to eight Indigenous participants and two Elders, in partnership between Roots to Thrive and the Snuneymuxw First Nation. Thematic analysis of interviews and feedback revealed that participants experienced significant benefits, including the importance of Indigenous team members, traditional healing approaches, and authentic relationships. Challenges were also noted. The work highlights the need to address colonial legacies and integrate Indigenous Ways of Knowing for culturally safe psychedelic therapies.
Psychedelic Med (New Rochelle)
December 2, 2024
Sara G. Gloeckler, Alexandre Lehmann, Sara de la Salle et al.
4 citations
A survey of over 2,000 people who used psychedelic substances in non-clinical settings found that most reported therapeutic benefits and enjoyment from combining music with their experiences, though the degree of benefit varied by substance. Contrary to clinical guidelines that recommend unfamiliar, lyric-free music, only 10% of respondents agreed music should be unfamiliar and only 22% agreed it should lack understandable lyrics. The data also suggest that psychedelic experiences without music may offer unique benefits, especially with the shortest- and longest-acting substances. These findings indicate that current music selection guidelines for psychedelic therapy may need more nuanced, substance-specific research.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
May 15, 2025
Sara G. Gloeckler, Julien Thibault Lévesque, Alexandre Lehmann et al.
3 citations
Music is a standard part of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, but the role of silence is not well understood. In a compassionate-access program in Canada, two breast cancer patients undergoing psilocybin therapy experienced a 30-minute silent period that included mindfulness exercises and therapist discussion. One patient initially found the absence of music difficult but later found the mindfulness exercises highly meaningful. The other patient reported that music had evoked challenging memories early in the session, which were then productively explored during the silent period. The findings suggest that integrating silent intervals may enhance mindfulness and therapist-patient interactions, offering distinct therapeutic benefits. The authors call for more detailed reporting on session components in psychedelic research.