One of our focus points at STRIDE-Lab is to apply Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, such as Large Language Models (LLMs), to accelerate and facilitate systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Given the vast and rapidly-growing amount of research on psychedelic substances for treating psychiatric disorders, manual evidence synthesis has become challenging and time-consuming. To address this, we are developing an online tool called PsyNamic: This free web-based interface periodically retrieves new clinical trial data, automatically extracts relevant information such as study characteristics, substances and target diseases from their abstracts and then interactively displays it. By bridging the fields of medicine and computational linguistics, we aim to make the large body of research more accessible to clinicians and researchers, as well as a lay audience."

Psychedelics are gaining recognition as promising treatments for mental health disorders, yet the influence of sex differences on their efficacy and safety remains underexplored (Gurvich et al., 2018). This review investigates the impact of sex differences and menstrual cycle-related effects on the efficacy and safety of MDMA and classical psychedelics, aiming to emphasise the importance of refining treatment protocols. Preclinical studies suggest that females exhibit heightened sensitivity to psychedelics, experiencing more pronounced adverse effects and increased serotonin turnover compared to males. Clinical trials further indicate that hormonal fluctuations—particularly during the follicular phase—amplify emotional reactivity and intensify psychedelic effects, with estrogen potentially playing a critical role in this heightened response. However, the limited number of studies addressing sex differences warrants cautious interpretation of these findings. To explore this further, we conducted a variability analysis to examine how menstrual cycle phases impact clinical outcomes. 

At the Psychiatric Clinic Münsterlingen, we offer psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) to inpatients with treatment-resistant depression. Patients are either referred by external clinicians or assessed upon admission for suitability for PAP. Typically, patients stay for 12 weeks and undergo 2-3 PAP sessions, spaced 3-4 weeks apart. Dosages range between 15-35 mg of psilocybin, starting low and adjusted according to clinical judgment.

Before PAP, patients complete two preparation sessions and undergo psychological and medical screening, either on an inpatient or outpatient basis. PAP sessions occur in a comfortable, living-room-like setting with the patient lying down, wearing eyeshades, and listening to music. A psychiatrist, psychotherapist, nurse, and researcher are present, maintaining minimal communication to foster introspection. After the session, a therapy session supports the patient to start process their experience, followed by an integration session the next day.

A Novel Framework for Understanding Psychedelic Effects: Vocabulary Analysis in Pre- and Post-5-MeO-DMT Voice Note Diaries

This research introduces a novel approach to studying the effects of psychedelics by analysing changes in language expression from before to after a psychedelic experience. The study explores the potential for language to serve as a marker for the cognitive and emotional changes triggered by psychedelics, specifically 5-MeO-DMT.

A group of 29 healthy participants recorded daily voice notes via a custom-built chatbot for seven days before and after a single session of 5-MeO-DMT (12 mg). These recordings were analysed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software, focusing on standard language categories (e.g. Cognition, Affect, Time, etc.) and a specialised ‘Mindfulness’ dictionary. Mixed effect models, correlations and linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationships.

In total, 292 voice notes were collected and 25 participants qualified for analysis. Findings revealed that after the psychedelic experience, participants showed a significant increase in cognitive and mindfulness-related vocabulary and a decrease in social and conversational language. The study also found that a higher proportion of mindfulness language, positive tone, and wellness-related vocabulary before the session predicted a greater intensity of 'Oceanic Boundlessness' during the psychedelic experience. Within-individual increases in cognitive process words were associated with improvements in overall well-being.

Recent research in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy have raised promise as one of the few potential new treatments for psychological trauma in decades. However, significant knowledge gaps still remain surrounding the effects of MDMA on mental resilience and psychological health beyond clinical settings. The present study seeks to address this gap by investigating associations between naturalistic MDMA use and personal meaning-in-life, a key psychological marker of resilience. Using data from 807 Swedish adults, our findings reveal that among individuals with a history of childhood trauma, MDMA use is associated with a higher sense of meaning-in-life. Our findings indicate that in individuals with a history of childhood trauma, MDMA use is associated with a higher sense of meaning-in-life. While causality cannot be established from this cross- sectional study, the results highlight a potential link between MDMA use and enhanced meaning-in-life for trauma survivors. These insights call for further investigation into MDMA’s psychological effects and its broader implications for mental health and well- being.

Mystical experiences are associated with long-term positive change in the context of psychedelic-assisted therapy. This part of a larger research project on Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) aimed to investigate mystical experiences induced by CCB, and in particular their frequency, phenomenology, and the nature of their impact on participants' lives and perspectives.
Both qualitative (open-ended questions) and quantitative (MEQ30) data were collected to comprehensively characterise the experience of mystical states evoked by CCB, as well as the life impact of these experiences.

The results provide strong evidence that non-pharmacological methods like CCB can reliably induce mystical states that are phenomenologically similar to those elicited by pharmacological agents.

The findings also suggest that mystical experiences during CCB may offer psychotherapeutic benefits in line with research on mystical states in other ‘psychedelic’ altered states of consciousness.

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Breathwork practices, particularly Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB), have recently attracted scientific and public interest due to their potential to induce profound altered states of consciousness, including ‘psychedelic’ and mystical experiences, and offer therapeutic benefits. 

This study is one part of a larger research project on CCB which aimed to investigate the phenomenology and consciousness profile of the altered state occasioned by CCB compared to normal waking consciousness.

Data were collected through an online survey questionnaire which included self-devised open-ended questions about participants’ most recent CCB sessions as well as the 11D-ASC. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, while the 11D-ASC provided quantitative measures of the altered state experience.

Despite limitations such as self selection and recall biases, the study provides valuable insights into the psychological experiences and the consciousness profile of CCB. The results give further support to the claim that CCB sessions are of healing and therapeutic, as well as psychedelic, quality.