🍄 Our new living systematic review and meta-analysis on MDMA for PTSD is now live on medRxiv. Here's what we found and how we built upon our open science infrastructure to support it 🧵 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Genuinely groundbreaking work in psychedelic anthropology here! I understand that this is the first well-documented case of indigenous psilocybin use outside of the Americas. Fieldwork led by @eselster.bsky.social under @manvir.bsky.social also w/ Sandeep Nayak and myself

For the full story -- but with better writing -- check out the Substack below! open.substack.com/pub/unpublis...

Psilocybin mushrooms are found worldwide, yet I have long argued (based on direct evidence) that traditional use is confined to Mesoamerica. I was wrong! In a new paper led by @eselster.bsky.social, we document Indigenous psilocybin mushroom use—potentially very old—in highland southern Africa.

Genuinely groundbreaking work in psychedelic anthropology here! I understand that this is the first well-documented case of indigenous psilocybin use outside of the Americas. Fieldwork led by @eselster.bsky.social under @manvir.bsky.social also w/ Sandeep Nayak and myself

People claim that psychedelics have been used by Indigenous groups around the world for millennia. But clear evidence of serotonergic psychedelic use has long been confined to the Americas. Until now. Here, we document clear evidence of Indigenous psilocybin use in Lesotho. 🍄 osf.io/preprints/so...

The Biden administration before and now the Trump administration signed support for psychedelic research. As a scientist, I think psychedelics are an essential subject of research––but I think it is important they not be conflated with other cultural/political/religious agendas:

My new paper 'Mapping profiles of animal affect' is now out in Biology and Philosophy. In it, I explore why understanding species-specific “affect profiles” matters for animal welfare research, and sketch some possible ways we might begin to map them. Available open access: doi.org/10.1007/s105...

Finished @mikejay.bsky.social's PSYCHONAUTS. Been a fan since reading his essays in Fortean Times and Anomalist (great piece on Coleridge!). Approachable, with deep insights. Text runs from Freud to Yeats, H.G. Wells, to Crowley, Blavatsky to Baudelaire. Bold, rich, nuanced.. and fun! 🔥 #BookSky

Psychological scientists are determined to figure out the best practices for online surveys, who—or what—is behind bad data, and how to best protect surveys from the new and emerging threat of #AI. @justinsulik.bsky.social

What can large-scale studies tell us about reproducibility? In our webinar on April 16, researchers from COS, I4R, and META-REP will discuss findings from three papers—one from the recently published SCORE effort—and insights on reproducibility, transparency, and credibility cos-io.zoom.us/webin...

Full Psych Science paper from @bxjaeger.bsky.social available at: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... Here is the pattern of judgments for the individual targets:

How do people decide whether it’s wrong to harm a pig? A chimp? A baby? In the West, these judgments are based more on *experience* (being able to feel) than on *agency* (being able to think and act) New study finds that same pattern across other cultures journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Reminder! The Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science (OECS) hosts summaries of what we know vs don't about a host of fascinating issues. All freely available. What a terrific alternative to doomscrolling: learning about (e.g.) The Mind-Body problem, Delusion, or Free Will. oecs.mit.edu

TIL despite the opening sentence of “Reasons and Persons”, Derek Parfit did in fact *not* own a cat.

#Artemis II, the first crewed lunar mission in 50+ years, provides a new perspective from the far side of the #moon. Seeing Earth from space can ignite the overview effect—a profound sense of awe and understanding. Explore the psychology of space travel: https://bit.ly/4tVvKIb @existwell.bsky.social

Join us Wednesday for the Psychedelic Archives Project Guest Speaker Series! 🎤 Jeffrey Breau, MDiv. 🗓 April 15, 2026 | ⏰ 4:30 PM EDT 🎟 Free to attend — sign up at the link below and in our bio!👇 jhubluejays.zoom.us/j/92622903856

My book just came out in a Japanese translation. I’d be happy to speak to any classes or groups who happen to read it-

Have you had separate experiences with psychedelics and cannabis? If so, take our survey! tinyurl.com/psyches-cann... Your responses help us understand these compounds better, so that we can continue to expand the science of psychedelics and knowledge about their risks and benefits.

I'll join the chorus of people who are not even quite sure what to say about this absolute behemoth of a project, except for YAY! I worked full time on SCORE from 2019-2021 with the COS team, designing and implementing the system for identifying claims in the literature, developing protocols to...

CPCR Faculty David Yaden was quoted in the New Yorker on one of the more interesting scientific questions in the field of psychedelics - what role (if any) the psychedelic experience has in their persisting effects www.newyorker.com/culture/anna...

Last day to sign up for a continuing medical education course on psychedelic science basics - risks, benefits, potential mechanisms, with a focus on some of the bigger, better, and more recent studies.

Happening this evening! Feel free to share examples you have seen of the sciences and humanities helping to identify blind spots in one another’s work (bonus points for psychedelic relevant examples)

Happening this evening! Feel free to share examples you have seen of the sciences and humanities helping to identify blind spots in one another’s work (bonus points for psychedelic relevant examples)

New 🚨 "Psychedelics Are Still Not Ethically Exceptional: Rebutting Recent Claims of Uniqueness" -- new work forthcoming in Neuroethics by myself, Katherine Cheung, and David Yaden. Part of a scholarly exchange with our friend and colleague Daniel Villiger. www.researchgate.net/publication/...

I’ll be at Harvard on March 25 talking psychedelics, culture, and the science–humanities divide with Nicolas Langlitz of the New School. Organized by Amadeus Harte of Princeton at Harvard's Mahindra Humanities Center:

Worth a read. Some (enthusiasts) will be disappointed psychedelics effects "only" around those of current antidepressants,while others (skeptics) will be amazed psychedelic effects are around current gold standard antidepressant treatments. Response relative to priors jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

I study aspects of the acute subjective effects that predict better/worse persisting effects. I really want to know the roles they do and don’t play in the causal chain Article: www.newyorker.com/culture/anna...

Excited and nervous for this event tomorrow. Come in person in Berlin, or join online! www.einsteinfoundation.de/en/insights/...

Context for my quote in @newyorker.com on researching compounds w/o a psychedelic experience that may not be obvious outside of science culture…I am glad for work by Olson et al on this subject & hope it leads to more understanding. Scientists should be skeptical of their own theories!

Despite delays, NIH grants generated a 250% return on $36.6B investment in 2025: report www.fiercebiotech.com/research/des...

Also fitting that the audiobook version of the book is now out: www.amazon.com/Varieties-Sp...

It's fitting that the book symposium (collection of reviews & responses) on my book is out this week in Brain, Religion, and Behavior, as I've been lecturing on and discussing it at a meeting in Italy. Grateful for the generous words & constructive critiques from the reviewers! 🧵

Now out in BMJ - State of the Art on Psychedelic Medicine. Led by Eddie Jacobs w/ Zarmeen Zahid, Sandeep Nayak, Jared Hinkle, and myself. Looks across compounds at therapeutic signal, potential mechanisms (physio & psych), risks, and highlights limitations and challenges- www.bmj.com/content/392/...

Do the people in the room for psychedelic sessions change the psychedelic experience? In this analysis across multiple studies, the answer depends on whether the study is on a clinical or healthy population. Analysis led by @seangoldy.bsky.social & Sandeep Nayak

The term "PSYCHEDELICS" can cover a broad set of substances, which people define differently. Risks vary by substance, so worth specifying which one(s) you mean whenever you use the term. New article led by Jared Hinkle (MD/PhD), w/ Will Choi (med student and researcher) & me:

A new review in Psychiatric Times examines adverse event data for psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and ibogaine, finding meaningful differences in risk and inconsistent reporting. Clear compound-level distinctions are crucial as access expands. www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/adverse...

A great new preprint on the importance of pilot studies for the validity of studies that are performed. Such an important tooic, that is discussed too little. I especially liked the section on the need for transparent reporting. osf.io/t968e_v1 By @yashvin.bsky.social and collaborators.

My paper on concerns about replicability, theorizing, relevance, generalizability, and methodology across 2 crises is now in press at the International Review of Social Psychology. After revisions it was 17500 words, so it is split in 2 parts: osf.io/dtvs7_v2 and osf.io/g6kja_v1

Psilocybin phase 3 trial results are out showing larger reductions in depression from a full dose (25mg) than lower doses (10mg and 1mg). It will be interesting to see data on functional unblinding, safety, & timepoints. Largest sample size so far in the field psychedelicalpha.com/news/breakin...

Happening TODAY. Leading psychedelic scholar Nicolas Langlitz MD PhD will speak about issues in the history of science of psychedelics and beyond-

Please consider taking this if you qualify and spreading widely!

New blog post, inspired by the excellent recent qualitative paper by Makel and colleagues: On the reliability and reproducibility of qualitative research. I reflect on how I will incorporate realist ontologies in my own qualitative research. daniellakens.blogspot.com/2026/02/on-r...

The Psychedelic Archives Project Guest Speaker Series continues this Wednesday with Dr. Nicolas Langlitz. 🗓 February 11th, 2026 | ⏰ 4:30 PM EST 🎟 Attendance is free — registration link below 👇 jhubluejays.zoom.us/j/92622903856

Please consider taking this if you qualify and spreading widely!

Ongoing debate about psychological support versus psychotherapy in psychedelic trials often stems from vague definitions. Clarifying these constructs is essential for rigorous study of safety and efficacy.

Join us Wednesday for the Psychedelic Archives Project Guest Speaker Series! 🎤 Dr. Larissa Carneiro 🗓 January 28, 2026 | ⏰ 4:30 PM EST 🎟 Free to attend — sign up at the link below! 👇 jhubluejays.zoom.us/j/92622903856

Citation: Schettino, J. R., Cheung, K., Nayak, S. M., Weiss, B. M., & Yaden, D. B. Psychological support can be distinguished from psychotherapy: Clarifications for future empirical work. General hospital psychiatry, 99, 30-40. OA Link: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

With clearer definitions, we can operationalize with empirical tests (which we are now working on). We can operationalize psychological support vs psychotherapy, measure when each actually occurs, and, eventually, use factorial designs to test their distinct benefits and risks.

Curious about psychedelics beyond the hype? Our new Coursera course, Psychedelic Science and Medicine, offers clear, evidence-based insight into how they work and who may benefit. Ideal for clinicians, students, researchers, and curious learners. Enroll below 👇