Pilot Trial of Visual Healing® in Psilocybin-assisted Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder

January 12, 2023 updated by: Keith Heinzerling

Pilot Trial of Visual Healing®, a Nature-themed Virtual Immersive Experience, to Optimize Set and Setting in Psilocybin-assisted Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder

Twenty participants, age 18 or older, who meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for moderate to severe Alcohol Use Disorder will be randomized to open-label psilocybin (25 mg) therapy with the Visual Healing Set and Setting platform (N=10) versus psilocybin (25 mg) with a standard Set and Setting platform (N=10). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of adding Visual Healing, a nature-themed virtual immersive program, to psilocybin-assisted therapy among participants with alcohol use disorder.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The objective of the study is to test a strategy for optimizing Set and Setting for psilocybin-assisted therapy of alcohol use disorder. Psilocybin shows promise in early trials for alcohol use disorder, but initial results suggest that patients with alcohol use disorder may be less likely to achieve a mystical experience with standard doses of psilocybin. Optimizing Set and Setting for the psilocybin experience may improve outcomes without requiring higher drug doses. The current study will complete a pilot randomized clinical trial to assess the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of Visual Healing Set and Setting (N=10) versus standard Set and Setting procedures (N=10) in participants with alcohol use disorder undergoing open-label psilocybin 25 mg therapy. In the Visual Healing condition, participants will view nature-themed video programs during the Prep session and during the Ascent phase of the psilocybin experience. Anecdotal reports and reviews suggest that viewing Visual Healing creates a tranquil and calming environment that fosters a stronger connection between the viewer and nature. Psilocybin increases the users feeling of connection to nature and having an intention to connect with nature during the psychedelic session is associated with better outcomes of psychedelic-assisted therapy in initial studies. Reducing pre-dosing anxiety/apprehension and enhancing connections to nature with Visual Healing may improve outcomes of psychedelic-assisted therapy without the need for higher psilocybin doses.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

20

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Santa Monica, California, United States, 90404
        • Pacific Treatment & Research in Psychedelics

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 or older
  • Able to read, speak, and understand English
  • Alcohol use disorder, moderate-severe, according to DSM-5 criteria
  • Interested in stopping or reducing alcohol use
  • Able and willing to adhere to study requirements, including attending all study visits, preparatory, and follow-up sessions, and completing all study evaluations
  • Able to swallow capsules
  • Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must agree to practice an effective means of birth control throughout the duration of the study
  • Have an identified support person
  • Agree to be driven home (or to an otherwise safe destination) by the support person, or another responsible party, following dosing

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Alcohol withdrawal requiring medical intervention
  • Women who are pregnant, or women who intend to become pregnant during the study or who are currently nursing
  • Unwilling or unable to discontinue formal alcohol use disorder treatment
  • Significant current or history of cardiovascular condition
  • Have a history of stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
  • Moderate to severe liver impairment
  • Epilepsy
  • Insulin-dependent diabetes
  • Diabetes and taking oral hypoglycemic agent with a history of hypoglycemia requiring serious medical intervention

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Visual Healing Set and Setting
Participants in this group will receive a single 25 mg dose of open-label psilocybin along with the Visual Healing Set and Setting protocol. Psilocybin is administered orally as a capsule and taken with water. Four weeks later all participants will undergo a second open-label psilocybin 25 mg session where participants will choose to receive Visual Healing or standard Set and Setting procedures. All participants will receive Prep and Integration counseling.
Drug: Psilocybin plus Visual Healing Set and Setting
Psychedelic session (psilocybin 25 mg) with a therapist who will guide and accompany participants before, during, and after the psychedelic session. In addition, participants will have the chance to view nature-themed videos before and after the psychedelic sessions. Four weeks later, a second psychedelic session (psilocybin 25 mg) with either Visual Healing or standard Set and Setting procedures (patient's choice).
Active Comparator: Standard Set and Setting
Participants in this group will receive a single 25 mg dose of open-label psilocybin along with the Standard Set and Setting protocol. Psilocybin is administered orally as a capsule and taken with water. Four weeks later all participants will undergo a second open-label psilocybin 25 mg session where participants will choose to receive Visual Healing or standard Set and Setting procedures. All participants will receive Prep and Integration counseling.
Drug: Psilocybin plus Standard Set and Setting
Psychedelic session (psilocybin 25 mg) with a therapist will guide and accompany participants before, during, and after the psychedelic session. Four weeks later, a second psychedelic session (psilocybin 25 mg) with either Visual Healing or standard Set and Setting procedures (patient's choice).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility: Recruitment Rate
Time Frame: Week 10
Enroll at least 70% of target number of participants
Week 10
Feasibility: Retention Rate
Time Frame: week 10
Participants complete at least 70% of post-randomization visits
week 10
Tolerability: Number of Visual Healing segments viewed by participants
Time Frame: Week 7
Average number of segments viewed
Week 7
Safety/Tolerability: number of Adverse Events
Time Frame: Week 14
Average number of adverse events (side effects)
Week 14
Safety: Systolic Blood Pressure
Time Frame: Week 14
Systolic blood pressure during dosing sessions
Week 14
Safety: Diastolic Blood Pressure
Time Frame: Week 14
Diastolic blood pressure during dosing sessions
Week 14
Safety: Heart rate
Time Frame: Week 14
Heart rate during dosing sessions
Week 14
Tolerabilty: Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory -Short Form (STAI-SF) mean score
Time Frame: Week 14
Average change in anxiety scale score from prep session to dosing session
Week 14
Safety: Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ)
Time Frame: Week 14
Average score on challenging psychedelic experience scale
Week 14
Safety: Questionnaire for Psychotic Experiences
Time Frame: Week 14
Average score on psychosis symptom scale
Week 14

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Keith Heinzerling

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 18, 2021

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

February 1, 2023

Study Completion (Anticipated)

February 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 18, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 28, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

June 1, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 16, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 12, 2023

Last Verified

January 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PTRIP002

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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