Greater Preparation Therapy Enhances Antidepressant Effects of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: JAMA
A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that significantly bigger reductions in depression symptoms were linked to higher preparatory therapy levels in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT).
A innovative treatment for depression symptoms, PAT is usually administered in conjunction with extra psychological therapy sessions. There is little quantitative data on how this concurrent therapy affects treatment outcomes, which emphasizes the necessity for a methodical synthesis. Thus, this study determined whether the amount of psychological therapy is linked to a decrease in PAT for depressed symptoms.
The databases PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched from the beginning until June 16, 2025. Adults with depressive symptoms who underwent PAT utilizing traditional serotonergic psychedelics (like psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide) were included in the analysis of controlled clinical studies. Psychedelic dosage sessions were incorporated into therapeutic sessions prior to (preparation) and following (integration) in these trials.
Studies that did not record the number or length of therapy sessions, used microdosing as the main intervention, or involved naturalistic or purely pharmaceutical administration were disqualified. Additionally, case reports, reviews, conference abstracts, and qualitative investigations were not included. 12 of the 42 full texts that were evaluated by two separate reviewers out of the 226 records that were found satisfied the requirements for inclusion.
A total of 733 people were included in the 12 included studies. When compared to control settings, PAT demonstrated a significant overall effect size in lowering depressed symptoms (Hedges g = -0.84; 95% CI, -1.15 to -0.54; P <.001). Greater symptom reduction was substantially correlated with more preparation treatment hours (β = -0.13; 95% CI, -0.24 to -0.01; P =.04). Hours of postdosing integration (β = -0.02; 95% CI, -0.08 to 0.05; P =.53) and the total number of sessions (β = -0.01; 95% CI, -0.09 to -0.08; P =.86) did not show any significant correlations.
In general, smaller treatment effect sizes were linked to longer follow-up periods, evaluated in weeks from substance administration (β = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.04; P =.003). The majority of studies (9 [75%]) had a significant risk of bias, primarily as a result of inadequate blinding. Overall, a higher amount of preparation therapy was linked to noticeably greater decreases in depressed symptoms in this comprehensive review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials examining PAT for depressive symptoms.
Source:
Florineth, G. A., Klima, I., Boeker, A. L., Catzeflis, P., Wopfner, A., Denier, N., Bracht, T., Adorjan, K., Pfammatter, M., Müller, F., & Soravia, L. M. (2026). Psychological therapy quantity and depressive symptom reduction in psychedelic-assisted therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 9(1), e2554843. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.54843
