UMCG Psychedelic Research

There is growing interest in the potential of therapies involving psychedelics (e.g. psilocybin, ketamine and MDMA) to treat psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addiction. Studies suggest that they may also work for patients with more severe, treatment resistant disorders, for whom regular treatments have not provided lasting relief. The application of psychedelics requires a carefully designed (psycho)therapeutic framework; both in during treatment sessions and in the aftercare program. Especially with vulnerable patients with complex symptoms and life experiences, psychedelics need to be used with great care by experienced, trained therapists and in combination with targeted psychotherapies. Working with patients in an altered state of consciousness demands specific therapeutic skills and thus for high quality training and adequate follow-up care. Additionally, we offer long-term support and integration with existing evidence-based treatments provided at the UCP. Our aim is to create and critically evaluate novel approaches, in order to develop safe, effective, and ethical treatments for patients with various severe, often treatment-resistant, disorders. Using rigorous, interdisciplinary and complementary research methods (e.g. clinical trials, psychometrics, biomarkers, qualitative research methods), our research group takes a transdiagnostic approach to studying novel substance-assisted treatments for patients with mental disorders.