MindShift

The Big Story

Psychedelics aren’t just for depression and anxiety. Researchers are exploring their potential to treat a surprisingly broad range of conditions, from chronic pain to autoimmune disorders. This week, a new study in Nature Neuroscience found that a single dose of psilocybin relieved chronic pain in mice by recalibrating brain circuits. Meanwhile, in The Conversation, a translational pharmacology professor dives into psychedelics’ anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting they could help with conditions far beyond the brain.

While most of this research is still preliminary, the possibilities are striking. Psychedelics may offer relief for many conditions, some of them related to mental health (addiction, eating disorders, and existential distress) and others to common physical disorders (migraines, cognitive decline, rheumatoid arthritis, and even tinnitus).

Science & Innovation

Virtual psychedelics mimic their chemical counterparts. Italian researchers recreated psychedelic-like effects using immersive virtual reality. In their “Cyberdelics” study, participants experienced visual hallucinations that boosted cognitive flexibility and creativity, without drugs. VR could offer a safe, non-pharmacological way to harness altered states of consciousness, they say.
→ The Debrief

Medical imaging blind spot may miss the mark in psychedelic research. In the brain, the activity of neurons is closely related to blood flow. But when mice are exposed to a synthetic psychedelic, this relationship falls out of sync. Published in Nature Neuroscience, these results question the relevance of many studies relying on fMRI, a blood flow-based imaging technology, to explain the action of psychedelics. Such an approach may not always reflect the brain’s true activity.
→ Bioengineer

Microdosing: Does it actually work? We might not have a definite answer yet, but a new study gives an interesting insight. Scientists tracked 1,435 people who rated their mental performance on days they microdosed versus days they didn’t. Participants reported higher well-being, productivity, creativity, connectedness, contemplation, and focus on microdosing days. What remains unclear is whether these boosts stem from the drug itself or from the power of expectation.
→ Psychopharmacology

Society & Policy

Who was Terence McKenna, the "Timothy Leary of the '90s"? A psychedelic evangelist, blending science, mysticism, and anarchism, he reached the status of a cult figure before his premature death in 2000. He compared LSD to the discovery of the telescope and proclaimed that psychology, without psychedelics, was just "pissing into the wind." Quoted everywhere, from bookstores to the Joe Rogan Experience, McKenna is also described as “a master bullshitter” in a newly issued biography.
→ Reason 

Shielding science from the American political polarization. Researchers from Penn, Berkeley, and NYU urge policymakers to strengthen research funding and uphold the FDA’s independence amid political pressure to approve drugs like MDMA and psilocybin. “We encourage policymakers to balance the need for evidence, the importance of patient safeguards, and the desire for speed”, they say.
→ Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics

The hidden cost of psychedelics. Overharvesting threatens entire ecosystems and cultures. Peyote, sacred to Native American people, grows so slowly that it may be endangered in its natural environment, while the iboga, central to Gabonese communities, is being massively uprooted. Researchers call for a "biocultural" approach based on sustainable cultivation and Indigenous stewardship.
→ Mongabay

The latest updates on the regulation front. Over the past two weeks, regulations have been shifting, or failing to do so, on both coasts.

• New York - mentioned in MindShift’s last issue, talks are ongoing about the legalization of psilocybin, following in the footsteps of Oregon and Colorado. → New Jersey 101.5

• California - Governor Newsom signed a bill fast-tracking studies on psychedelics for PTSD, addiction, and depression. → Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions

Business

These investments are as volatile as a trip. The popular investing advice company Motley Fool explores the potential of publicly traded psychedelic companies such as Atai Life Sciences, Compass Pathways, and MindMed. Mentioning upcoming phase II and III clinical trials, it labels these stocks as “high-risk but high-potential”. It also warns that, so far, “no psychedelic drugs have yet been approved for market.”
→ The Motley Fool

Patent wars. As Big Pharma races into psychedelic-inspired medicine, legal battles over who owns key compounds are heating up. Enveric Biosciences is defending its patent on non-hallucinogenic “neuroplastogens” against Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, recently acquired by AbbVie for $1.2 billion. The outcome could shape who controls the next generation of brain-plasticity drugs.
→ Investing.com

In brief

War and no peace. The journalist behind BBC’s The Trip reflects on how the 1970s war on drugs halted psychedelic studies that could have transformed mental health care today. → New Scientist

Reducing stigma in aging women. Cambridge researcher Liliana Galindo highlights the potential of psychedelics among menopausal women. → El País

Old world tripping. The left-wing European political alliance DiEM25 takes a strong stance in favor of psychedelic therapies to tackle the mental health crisis. → DiEM25 

Lessons learned. Five key lessons from last June’s Psychedelic Science 2025 conference. → Rolling Stone 

The Psychedelic Lived Experiences Summit. A free virtual event (Nov 21–23) bringing together psychedelic science and lived experiences. → Psychedelic Lived Experiences

Holy Shrooms! A Detroit church celebrates its first anniversary on “Ancestors Day” (Halloween) with costumes, free mushrooms, and free memberships for new joiners. → The News Tribune

If you have a little more time

Tripping under the radar in Cape Town. As legitimate psychedelic science gains momentum, unregulated psychedelic treatment markets are also rapidly expanding. Cape Town in South Africa is one such emerging market. There, psychedelics remain illegal, with penalties including up to 25 years in prison, and yet shamans openly advertise their services. Read a traveler’s account of his $2,000 psychedelic retreat with a self-styled shaman in South Africa.
→ BBC (article)
→ The ceremony filmed by BBC’s Africa Eye