Summary: Researchers are reassessing psychedelics — from microdosing to enhance cognition to using substances such as psilocybin, LSD and DMT in clinical settings — and exploring their potential benefits and limits as medicines for mental health.
Source: The Conversation
For decades, substances like LSD, psilocybin and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) were widely perceived as dangerous recreational drugs. In recent years, however, public perception has shifted. A growing body of researchers, clinicians and entrepreneurs now frame these compounds as potential therapeutic tools that could help treat conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, and that might even foster greater appreciation for nature or shift how people think about belief and society.
Use of psychedelics appears to be increasing. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, UK Home Office figures indicated a large rise in LSD seizures — a reported 230% increase compared with the previous year. The pandemic also changed how some people use drugs: surveys from that period suggested that almost half of people who use magic mushrooms did so more often during lockdowns.
The renewed interest in psychedelics is partly driven by research into their therapeutic potential. During the 1950s through the 1970s, scientists and clinicians experimented with LSD for a wide range of conditions, including alcohol dependence, schizophrenia, childhood autism and sexual dysfunction. That early work generated intriguing findings but was hampered by inconsistent methods and political and cultural pushback. By the late 1960s most research in the United States stopped, though work continued in some European countries.
Over the past two decades, carefully controlled clinical studies have resumed in academic centres, and media coverage has shifted toward the possible benefits of psychedelics. Emphasising therapeutic potential — as happened previously with medical cannabis — appears to have influenced public opinion and regulatory discussions, helping to recast these substances from purely illicit drugs toward candidates for medical research and treatment.
Mind altering
The changing image of psychedelics has been amplified by a booming wellness industry and broader interest in mental well-being. Many people now seek ways to expand or enhance cognitive, emotional and spiritual life, and products or experiences promising those outcomes have grown in popularity.
One visible trend before the pandemic was psychedelic tourism — for example, visitors travelling to South America to participate in ayahuasca ceremonies. Ayahuasca is a traditional brew used for spiritual and healing rituals by some indigenous communities; it contains DMT, which can produce powerful visionary experiences. Visitors often pay for guided retreats that combine ritual, introspection and claimed therapeutic outcomes.
Alongside ritual and retreat experiences, another trend has been microdosing: taking very small, sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics with the intention of enhancing creativity, focus or productivity without undergoing a full psychedelic experience. Media coverage and anecdotal reports have popularised microdosing among professionals and creatives. However, rigorous scientific evidence for consistent cognitive or mental health benefits remains limited, and researchers urge caution and more high-quality trials before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Easier access to drugs through online markets has also contributed to broader use and visibility. At the same time, some lawmakers have moved to reduce penalties for possession of small amounts of certain psychedelics, reflecting a view that these substances may be distinct from other controlled drugs and could carry therapeutic potential when used responsibly and under clinical supervision.
Big business
Industry has taken notice. Investors, pharmaceutical startups and established companies are exploring ways to develop psychedelic-based medicines, refine synthesis and dosing methods, and build clinics offering guided therapeutic sessions. Some founders draw on academic research and work with experienced scientists to pursue regulated medical applications that separate clinical treatments from recreational use.
Beyond medical markets, many observers expect growth in wellness-focused services and consumer products related to psychedelics — for example, retreats, coaching, microdosing kits and lifestyle offerings — as public acceptance broadens. The global wellness market is large, and where demand exists, businesses often emerge to meet it. That expansion raises questions about regulation, quality control, safety and how to ensure evidence-based practices rather than unproven claims.
Funding:
Harry Sumnall receives grant funding for research on substance use and serves without pay on the scientific advisory board of the MIND Foundation, a European non-profit that supports psychedelic research and therapy.
Ian Hamilton declares no employment, consultancy, share ownership or funding from organisations that would benefit from this article, and reports no affiliations beyond his academic appointment.
About this mental health and psychedelics research news
Source: The Conversation
Contact: Ian Hamilton and Harry Sumnall – The Conversation
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