Your guide to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Cambridge research team, therapy phases, and key compounds behind clinical promise

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) is presented as a structured, therapist-supported approach aimed at treating conditions like treatment-resistant depression and severe PTSD, using intensive sessions rather than daily medication. The article highlights the Cambridge Psychedelic Research Group (CPRG) and its work led by Dr Liliana Galindo, including trial development after obtaining a Home Office license in 2023. It mentions trials targeting PTSD, and plans involving psilocybin-assisted therapy for generalized anxiety disorder and treatment-resistant depression, as well as MDMA-assisted group therapy for UK veterans, first responders, and war correspondents with PTSD. PAT is broken into three phases: preparation with trained therapists, a supervised dosing session in a clinical room with “inner directed therapy” (patients direct the session while therapists support), and an integration session the day after dosing to consolidate insights. Mechanism themes include neuroplasticity and flexible cognition, deeper therapeutic experiences to “rewire and reset” neural connections, and possible immune system effects that researchers are investigating alongside psilocybin.