Gasser, PeterHolstein, DominiqueMichel, YvonneDoblin, RickYazar-Klosinski, BerraPassie, TorstenBrenneisen, Rudolf2014-08-132014Gasser, Peter, Dominique Holstein, Yvonne Michel, Rick Doblin, Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Torsten Passie, and Rudolf Brenneisen. 2014. “Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases.” The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 202 (7): 513-520. doi:10.1097/NMD.0000000000000113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000113.0022-3018http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:12717487Abstract A double-blind, randomized, active placebo-controlled pilot study was conducted to examine safety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)-assisted psychotherapy in 12 patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases. Treatment included drug-free psychotherapy sessions supplemented by two LSD-assisted psychotherapy sessions 2 to 3 weeks apart. The participants received either 200 μg of LSD (n = 8) or 20 μg of LSD with an open-label crossover to 200 μg of LSD after the initial blinded treatment was unmasked (n = 4). At the 2-month follow-up, positive trends were found via the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in reductions in trait anxiety (p = 0.033) with an effect size of 1.1, and state anxiety was significantly reduced (p = 0.021) with an effect size of 1.2, with no acute or chronic adverse effects persisting beyond 1 day after treatment or treatment-related serious adverse events. STAI reductions were sustained for 12 months. These results indicate that when administered safely in a methodologically rigorous medically supervised psychotherapeutic setting, LSD can reduce anxiety, suggesting that larger controlled studies are warranted.en-USLSDpsychedelicpsycholytic therapyhallucinogenanxiety disorderJournal Article2014-08-1310.1097/NMD.0000000000000113