How the number of psychedelic therapy sessions and type of added talk therapy relate to results in treating depression and anxiety

Twenty-three studies demonstrated large to very large effects of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) on anxiety and depression symptoms, with Hedge's g = 0.98-1.83.

• Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy showed significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety and depression both at post-treatment and follow-up.
• Two dosing sessions may be more effective than one, as suggested by between-group analysis results.
• The within-group analysis did not replicate the finding regarding the number of dosing sessions.
• Only three studies utilized evidence-based psychotherapy protocols, limiting the analysis of this moderator.
• Issues such as lack of blinded outcome assessments and non-adherence to the intention-to-treat principle were noted as potential biases.

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