Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40351554›Full record

ArticlePsychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)2025

A Field-Wide Review and Analysis of Study Materials Used in Psilocybin Trials: Assessment of Two Decades of Research.

David B Yaden, Marianna Graziosi, Alexa M Owen, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Scott T Aaronson, Katja Ehrmann Allen, Frederick S Barrett, Michael P Bogenschutz, Robin Carhart-Harris, Terence H W Ching and 32 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trials, trips, and tribulations: pathways for implementing psychedelic therapy in Ireland.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

42 authors.

David B YadenCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9604-6227
Marianna GraziosiCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Alexa M OwenSmith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3227-4925
Gabrielle Agin-LiebesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Scott T AaronsonUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7616-8801
Katja Ehrmann AllenDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Frederick S BarrettCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7443-3237
Michael P BogenschutzDepartment of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Robin Carhart-HarrisInstitute for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Sheppard Pratt, Towson, Maryland, USA.
Terence H W ChingDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Mary P CosimanoJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Alicia DanforthThe Lundquist Institute at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA.
Alan K DavisCenter for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education, College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Albert Garcia-RomeuCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Roland GriffithsCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5185-7854
Charles S GrobThe Lundquist Institute at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA.
Gerhard GründerCentral Institute of Mental Health, Department of Molecular Neuroimaging, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
Natalie GukasyanNew York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
Keith G HeinzerlingTreatment and Research In Psychedelics (TRIP) Center, Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, California, USA.
Peter S HendricksDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Friederike HolzeClinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
David M HortonDepartment of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Matthew W JohnsonCenter of Excellence for Psilocybin Research and Treatment, Sheppard Pratt, Townson, Maryland, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7068-0513
Benjamin KelmendiDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Stephanie Knatz PeckDepartment of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA.
Michael KoslowskiDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité CCM-Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Matthias E LiechtiClinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1765-9659
Lea J MertensCentral Institute of Mental Health, Department of Molecular Neuroimaging, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
Francisco A MorenoCollege of Medicine Tucson, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Sandeep M NayakCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Christopher R NicholasDepartment of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0599-4046
Katrin H PrellerDepartment of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Nathalie M RieserDepartment of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Stephen RossDepartment of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Karina SergiTreatment and Research In Psychedelics (TRIP) Center, Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, California, USA.
Jordan SloshowerDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Lukasz SmigielskiDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Dea Siggaard StenbækNeurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark.
Franz X VollenweiderDepartment of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Brandon WeissCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Max WolffMIND Foundation gGmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Mary Elizabeth YadenCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Serotonergic psychedelics, serotonin 2A receptor agonists such as psilocybin that can result in substantially altered states of consciousness, are used in recreational and research settings. The safety of psychedelic experiences in research settings is supported by controlled physical environments, presence of clinical and medical staff to address emergent issues, screening for personal and family history of potential contraindications, and psychoeducational preparation with psychological support. Research settings typically provide psychoeducation to participants verbally and in writing (e.g., informed consent), and such documents and conversations can provide safety-related information-but may also introduce a wide range of expectancies. Such expectancies might involve the specific character of the acute subjective effects of psychedelics, possible side effects, and anticipated outcomes. Methods: To better understand the content of this psychoeducation, we gathered study materials from many psilocybin studies conducted in the past two decades in healthy and therapeutic populations. We conducted a reflexive thematic analysis to better understand these documents. Results: While these documents varied substantially between studies, we identified themes intended to lower levels of risk and optimize therapeutic effects from psychedelic treatments. The most frequently coded themes related to (1) biological and physical safety, (2) psychological safety and well-being, (3) aspects of setting, and (4) potential for expectancies. Prioritizing biological and psychological safety was evident in the materials from all sites. Furthermore, we identify potential contributors to expectancy unrelated to safety and suggest that these extrapharmacological elements be studied systematically in future research. Conclusions: Ideally, future research should strive to maximize safety while attempting to minimize extraneous expectancies.

Indexed as

expectanciespsilocybinpsychedelic-assisted psychotherapyPsychoeducationreflexive thematic analysissafety

Identifiers

PMID40351554
PMCPMC12060849

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.