“Rick has selflessly dedicated his life to the benefit of others and has done an admirable job marshalling and utilizing resources and contacts worldwide. Many of us who have worked with Rick believe his efforts will someday help science overstep the political bounds that have unreasonably restricted therapeutic research of mind altering substances.”
Rick Doblin
Belmont, Massachusetts, United States
7K followers
500+ connections
7K followers
500+ connections
Licenses & Certifications
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Holotropic Breathwork Practitioner
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Publications
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Durability of Improvement in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Absence of Harmful Effects or Drug Dependency after 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted Psychotherapy: A Prospective Long-term Follow-up
Journal of Psychopharmacology
We report follow-up data evaluating the long-term outcomes for the first completed trial of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Mithoefer et al., 2011). All of the 19 subjects who received MDMA-assisted treatment in the original trial participated in the long-term follow-up (LTFU), with 16 out of 19 completing all of the long-term outcome measures, which were administered from 17 to 74 months…
We report follow-up data evaluating the long-term outcomes for the first completed trial of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Mithoefer et al., 2011). All of the 19 subjects who received MDMA-assisted treatment in the original trial participated in the long-term follow-up (LTFU), with 16 out of 19 completing all of the long-term outcome measures, which were administered from 17 to 74 months after the original study's final MDMA session (mean = 45.4; SD = 17.3). Our primary outcome measure used was the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Secondary outcome measures were the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Neuroticism Extroversion Oppenness Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) Personality Inventory. We also collected a long-term follow-up questionnaire. Results for the 16 CAPS completers showed there were no statistical differences between mean CAPS score at LTFU (mean = 23.7; SD = 22.8) (t (matched) = 0.1; df = 15, p = 0.91) and the mean CAPS score previously obtained at Study Exit (mean = 24.6, SD = 18.6). On average, subjects maintained statistically and clinically-significant gains in symptom relief, although two of these subjects did relapse. It was promising that we found the majority of these subjects with previously severe PTSD who were unresponsive to existing treatments had symptomatic relief provided by MDMA-assisted psychotherapy that persisted over time, with no subjects reporting harm from participation in the study.
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Scott Wallace, PhD (Clinical Psychology)
Generative AI in Action: Data-Driven Insights from a Hospital Rollout NYU Langone has been testing the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) using a HIPAA-compliant ChatGPT (Azure GPT-3.5) and just published real-world usage and cost data. It's informative to look closely at who was most likely to use AI (clinicians and researchers), and the manager/non-manager perspectives on the tool and its implications for skill development and productivity. Here’s a quick snapshot of the findings: Adoption: Out of 40,000 staff, 2.5% signed up, and weekly active users averaged just 60 people. Interest was high, but sustained engagement was a challenge. Usage Patterns: Popular tasks included writing, editing, summarizing, data analysis, and brainstorming—most used by research, clinical, and IT teams. Costs: Over six months, the platform processed 112M tokens for just $4,200, proving cost-effective. User Feedback: Users rated their experience at 7.4/10 but highlighted challenges like crafting prompts, managing token limits, and occasional AI inaccuracies (“hallucinations”). No doubt, addressing these issues through education (e.g. prompt engineering), better user interfaces, and ongoing engagement could improve adoption rates and maximize the potential benefits of GenAI tools in healthcare settings. https://lnkd.in/gm4km7Nx #genai #healthcare
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Scott Wallace, PhD (Clinical Psychology)
Can AI Develop Dementia? A BMJ study explores a provocative question: Can artificial intelligence exhibit cognitive decline, similar to humans? Using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), researchers tested leading AI models like ChatGPT-4, Claude 3.5, and Gemini 1.0/1.5. All models demonstrated deficiencies akin to mild cognitive impairment, struggling particularly with visuospatial and executive tasks. For instance, none of the chatbots expressed concern for a child about to fall in a diagnostic image—an oversight that could erode trust in healthcare settings. Read the study here: https://lnkd.in/g24MqbbE #ai #mhealth #healthcareai #dementia #LLM
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James Bethell
I recommend a study using UK Biobank data on the impact of 6-hour-plus TV-watching among middle-aged people. It is worth flagging because of the huge cohort, longitudinal nature, and strong benchmarking. The result—much more dementia. Eek. This is relevant to our campaign for smartphone-free schools. Kids are different from middle-aged people, but it's not a stretch to assume that the mental impact on kids of so much screen time, both "positive" and "passive" screen time, will be pretty dramatic. According to various sources of data, children ages 8-12 spend 4-6 hours a day using screens, while teens spend up to 9 hours. https://lnkd.in/eJgXmDKP
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Eliane Boucher, PhD
"There really cannot be a conversation about increasing access to care without also seriously addressing the provider shortage or finding new ways to connect people. That is where the promise of technology comes into play." I've seen some posts on LinkedIn recently arguing that there isn't a shortage of mental health care practitioners - a strange argument given the staggering statistics that suggest otherwise. As this article points out "there is a lack of psychiatrists in 65% of rural counties, a lack of psychiatric nurse practitioners in 81% of rural counties, and a lack of psychologists in 47% of rural counties." It doesn't matter how you slice it - that means there is a shortage in these areas. As someone in digital health, the promise is often that digital solutions can fill this gap - but we so rarely talk about the NEW barriers to care that are created by digital solutions. This article raises some important points about mental health in rural America, and the limitations of digital solutions because access to broadband Internet (and even to cell phone service) is worse in rural communities (along with other barriers to adoption of digital mental health interventions in rural areas). In social psychology, we came under criticism for focusing on WEIRD samples (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) in research - limiting the generalizability of our findings. I'm finding that the digital health industry is prone to a similar bias - focusing on similar WEIRD samples, with an added focus on urban dwellers and young or middle-aged adults. So if we really mean it when we say we want to improve access and address health inequities - let's invest in tackling these important issues and asking the hard questions.
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Hadley Pearce
For my fellow New Englanders in Massachusetts! This is such an important topic for helping Vets with PTSD and other mental health challenges! Last week, I posted an article I wrote about the importance of psychedelic therapy and what benefits the research is showing, and this is just another reason to consider signing. #MentalHealth #VeteransHealth #PsychedelicTherapy
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KJ Lavan
Therapeutic Breakthrough: Revolutionizing Treatments for Neurodegenerative Diseases Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed an innovative approach to safely and effectively deliver therapeutics into the brain. The platform is a first-of-its-kind blood-brain barrier-crossing conjugate (BCC) system. Despite recent progress in the field, there is still a pressing need for technologies that can bypass the blood-brain barrier and improve the delivery of biomacromolecule-based therapies to the central nervous system via systemic administration. The blood-brain barrier is an essential defense mechanism, but it also presents a significant challenge for delivering drugs to the brain. Conversely, this breakthrough platform could potentially solve one of the biggest hurdles in brain research—getting large therapeutic molecules past the blood-brain barrier safely and efficiently. 🔺 The BCC (blood-brain barrier-crossing conjugate) system uses γ-secretase-mediated transcytosis to bypass the blood-brain barrier 🔺 It successfully delivered drugs targeting harmful genes in ALS and Alzheimer’s disease 🔺 The treatment was well-tolerated and effective in both mouse models and human brain tissue The paper is titled “Intravenous administration of blood-brain barrier-crossing conjugates facilitate biomacromolecule transport into central nervous system.” CLICK LINK below 👇🏾 to READ #research article published online November 25th issue of Nature Biotechnology. STAY TUNED for more science-based evidence… As always, I look forward to your contribution in elevating the discourse... #Alzheimer’s #ALS #parkinsons #psychiatrics #disorders #mentalhealth #therapeutics #medicine #data #innovation #biotech #pharmaceuticals #CTAD Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation Alzheimer's Association®
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James Baker, MS, LAAC
I’ve found individuals when they initially seek assistance for thier substance use disorder don’t realize how thier childhood played a role in thier current life circumstances. Idk how many times already in my fledgling career someone has told me initially how they have had a normal childhood and upon further discussion, they began to realize how abnormal elements of thier childhood experiences were. It’s rough getting help when you can’t recognize a problem exists! At one point early in life individuals can get conditioned through adverse experiences to an abnormal baseline, that makes everything apraoching normal seem scary and daunting. Helping people recognize how thier past plays a role in thier present life is critical to helping them establish a functional & healthy context for change. It empowers individuals in recovery to wake up and realize what’s truly important in life, while empowering themselves to no longer be victims of a past experience (people place or thing) that cannot be changed. Subsequently opening doors to a future they otherwise would have never imagined. One that is yet to be written and one they have total control over.
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Lindsey Thomson
Don't freak out. AI can be helpful in the #mentalhealth field. We have a long way to go but it can be helpful in #education, assessment and intervention. For example Generative AI can point people to de-stigmatizing and #evidence-based support resources. It can also help to remind the therapist what questions to ask for complex client presentations and intake assessment. Thank you Dr. Monica Bharel, Clinical Lead, #PublicHealth and Population Health at #Google, USA for providing specific insight to understand the complexity and uncertainty of #AI in health care. #emhic24(10)
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Shaylynn Hayes-Raymond
Principle Researcher: Shaylynn Hayes-Raymond, MA. Organization: The International #Misophonia Foundation This study received expedited IRB approval from the IMF. The Misophonia Treatment Perceptions and Sensory History Study has two main goals. The first main goal of this study is to see how adults who received treatment for misophonia reacted to these treatments (ie. Change or no change, practitioner follow-up, etc.) and the second goal of the study is to see if there is a relationship between those who score high on the Duke Misophonia Questionnaire (DMQ) and the Adult/Adolescent Sensory History (ASH). The first goal hopes to understand what has worked and not worked for persons with misophonia, and the second goal hopes to understand what percent of respondents score high on both the DMQ and ASH. To participate in this research study, the researchers conducting the work are required to give you all of the information you will need for the [Read More] https://lnkd.in/dne_cmcJ #misophoniamatters
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Daniel Eggerding
🧘♀️🗳🧘♂️ Managing Your Mental Health During Presidential Election Season is more important than ever. We're flooded with media, propaganda, and targeted ads everywhere. This really awesome webinar from Mass General Brigham Hospital with Mark Longsjo, LICSW, discusses some important questions like "What are some general suggestions for caring for ourselves during stressful times?" and "What are some suggestions for coping after the election if the candidate you support does not win?" You can watch it here:
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Ken Weingardt, PhD
The title is a mouthful, but the results are compelling and informative. The researchers asked 36 expert psilocybin facilitators to answer three questions: (1) what are the most important measures of the physical and organizational characteristics where services occur that indicate high quality psilocybin services? (2) what are the most important measures of how psilocybin services are delivered that indicate high quality of psilocybin services? (3) what are the most important measures to assess the effect or “outcomes” of psilocybin measures on people who receive them that indicate high-quality psilocybin services? Experts repeatedly emphasized the importance of assessing boundaries around touch and sexual contact, and consent for treatment as the most highly rated process, outcomes, and structure measures of best practices. #psilocybin #psychedelictherapy #psychedelics #psychedelicscience
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Milind Joshi
The American public & justice department should have demanded accountability when the leadership ignores the issue with Diane Feinstein. There are times after massive strokes, the elected official has remained in power. This was medical and elderly neglect, at such a powerful position as a senator of California(1 of the 2 senators of California), then next thing you have is a problem on what to do if the presidential candidate has health concerns that impacts their cognition. https://lnkd.in/gSchdMBR "At any given moment there was a staff member ready to jump up and stroll alongside the senator if she left her office, worried about what she’d say to reporters if left unsupervised. The system has been in place for years. “They will not let her leave by herself, but she doesn’t even know it,” says Jamarcus Purley, a former staffer. Senators juggle a heavy schedule of votes, hearings and meetings on a wide range of subjects. Momentary lapses and mixups about a topic are far from unheard of. But over the last several years, interviews with Feinstein devolved into confusion on a near-daily basis. A familiar pattern would emerge: Feinstein would make an unexpected stance on a bill or policy position, only for her staff to quickly follow up by email to correct the record. It got to the point where reporters would pause before rushing to publish an otherwise-newsworthy declaration because of the inevitability of staff reversing her statement." #accountability #
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Scott Wallace, PhD (Clinical Psychology)
Can AI Help Mental Health Without Harming It? The adoption of AI in mental health care also risks deepening disparities. Wealthier individuals may continue to access personalized, human-centered treatment, while marginalized populations could be relegated to less effective automated solutions. This creates an urgent need for ethical oversight and transparency to ensure AI complements rather than replaces human therapists. This article "How AI Reflects and Reinforces #MentalHealth #Stigma" by Carl Erik Fisher examines the complex relationship between artificial intelligence (#AI) and mental health, focusing on how AI can both mirror and perpetuate existing stigmas. Hope you enjoy it: https://lnkd.in/eA8di2Ab #ai #ethics #mentalhealth #stigma #digitaldivide
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Richard Bermudes, M.D.
🔍 Rethinking Obesity: A Neuropsychiatric Perspectiv Several talks have highlighted the bidirectional relationship between obesity and psychiatric illness. Maybe it’s time for psychiatry to consider Obesity as a neuropsychiatric condition! GLP-1 agonists could be our next big class of psychiatric treatments!, #innovative treatments. #Healthcare #MentalHealth #Obesity #Psychiatry #IntegratedCare #GLP1Agonists
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Dr Kenneth R Pelletier
Near-death experiences point to a consciousness that we all share, which transcends political, religious, and ideological divides. Quantum physicist and consciousness researcher Dr. Amit Goswami observed that if this same consciousness works through all of us, then we're all in a sense a part of the same larger being, and it is complete ignorance to be violent to each other. https://lnkd.in/gV4aB3wU
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Andrea Goodwin
Bottoms up! ⬆️ Are you ready to accelerate your healing from #stress, #burnout, #anxiety, #depression or #trauma? I combine innovative #wellness #tech with a trauma informed coaching model to target symptoms at the root: your #vagus nerve. #safeandsoundprotocol #somatichealing #biohack #music #selfleadership Retune Health
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Scott Wallace, PhD (Clinical Psychology)
AI’s Power in Alzheimer’s Detection Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is complex, often relying on subjective assessments and invasive procedures, which can lead to delays in detection and treatment. AI as a Solution? Researchers have developed advanced artificial intelligence techniques that analyze neuroimaging data to accurately classify AD and MCI. These AI models can identify subtle patterns in brain scans, enabling earlier and more precise diagnoses. For the study, visit here: https://lnkd.in/gQ3NgUd6 Note: This one hits close to home, given the challenges I and my family face addressing an aging parent's cognitive decline. #ai #alzheimers #dementia
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Stanton Peele
The Disease Theory is the Elite Solution to Addiction David Brooks writes in The NY Times about the strange paradox: the loudest spokespeople for the marginalized are elites with the most advantages: https://lnkd.in/eRR4Baak “This is the contradiction of the educated class. Virtue is defined by being anti-elite. But today’s educated class constitutes the elite, or at least a big part of it. Many of the curiosities of our culture flow as highly educated people try to resolve the contradiction between their identity as an enemy of privilege, and the fact that, at least educationally and culturally, and often economically, they are privileged.” Nowhere is this more evident than in the areas of addiction and mental health. The elite (including drug policy reformers) has a solution for addiction and drug deaths (as well as suicide and violence): the disease theory. According to that view bad drugs capture everybody, from every social class, equally and we can give them medications to cure them. But these elites must ignore the overwhelming evidence that it is minorities, the housing insecure, and white pockets of the population steeped in generations of poverty and illness that bear the overwhelming brunt of destructive drug use. The elite’s answer: let them eat medications that cure addiction. That’s MOUD for opioids (buprenorphine, Suboxone). But there aren’t such medications for benzodiazepines and various street tranquilizers (e.g., Xylazine) and for methamphetamines and cocaine. All of these are also seeing surges in drug deaths along — and in combination —with fentanyl. And why do cultural and economic elites favor such solutions? What, do you want them to permit multiple housing units in their large tract suburban neighborhoods or actually send their kids to schools with minority children? Are you mad? Better that we label the marginalized as suffering from a disease that can be treated medically with no actual displacement or discomfort for the ruling elite — i.e., the rest of us. Now THAT’S a solution the elite and privileged can get behind!
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