The role of non-ordinary states of consciousness occasioned by mind-body practices in mental health illness.

BACKGROUND: Research with hallucinogens suggests that non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSCs), particularly mystical-type experiences, predict improvements in various affective disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs). Little is known, however, about the therapeutic potential of NOSCs induced by mind-body practices such as meditation, yoga and breathwork. METHODS: We conducted a literature review in online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar) and preprint databases (SSRN, bioRxiv) to identify studies of NOSCs induced by mind-body practices and their effects in affective disorders and SUDs. RESULTS: A wide variety of mind-body practices involving physical movement (i.e., shamanic drumming, yoga) and deliberate immersive experiences (i.e., meditation, breathwork) have been reported in the literature. Preliminary evidence, mostly from qualitative studies and open label studies, suggest that mind-body practices produce NOSCs. These experiences have also been correlated with short-term reductions in anxiety and depression, with increased motivation to change addictive behaviors, and with enhanced self-awareness and well-being. LIMITATIONS: Findings are limited by the scarcity of literature in this field. Further rigorous and methodologically sound empirical research is needed, including comparative studies of NOSCs occasioned by different methods. CONCLUSIONS: Mind-body practices may represent a promising approach for treating mental health disorders. The NOSCs induced by such practices may lead to beneficial shifts in perceptions, values, beliefs, and behaviors. Given the challenges with hallucinogen-based therapies, mind-body practices may represent a more accessible and acceptable way of eliciting potentially helpful NOSCs in clinical practice.

Acute and Sustained Reductions in Loss of Meaning and Suicidal Ideation Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Psychiatric and Existential Distress in Life-Threatening Cancer.

People with advanced cancer are at heightened risk of desire for hastened death (DHD), suicidal ideation (SI), and completed suicide. Loss of Meaning (LoM), a component of demoralization, can be elevated by a cancer diagnosis and predicts DHD and SI in this population. We completed a randomized controlled trial in which psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) produced rapid and sustained improvements in depression, demoralization, and hopelessness in people with cancer. Converging epidemiologic and clinical trial findings suggests a potential antisuicidal effect of this treatment. To probe our hypothesis that PAP relieves SI through its beneficial impacts on depression and demoralization (LoM in particular), we performed secondary analyses assessing within- and between-group differences with regard to LoM and an SI composite score. Among participants with elevated SI at baseline, PAP was associated with within-group reductions in SI that were apparent as early as 8 h and persisted for 6.5 months postdosing. PAP also produced large reductions in LoM from baseline that were apparent 2 weeks after treatment and remained significant and robust at the 6.5 month and 3.2 and 4.5 year follow-ups. Exploratory analyses support our hypothesis and suggest that PAP may be an effective antisuicidal intervention following a cancer diagnosis due to its positive impact on hopelessness and demoralization and its effects on meaning-making in particular. These preliminary results implicate psilocybin treatment as a potentially effective alternative to existing antidepressant medications in patients with cancer that are also suicidal, and warrant further investigation in participants with elevated levels of depression and suicidality.

Educación basada en el funcionamiento del cerebro / Education based on brain functioning

Introducción: La educación basada en el cerebro es una disciplina que busca maximizar la capacidad de aprender –memoria, atención, entendimiento- a partir de los hallazgos neurocientíficos. Desarrollo: En el siguiente artículo buscamos exponer algunos de los conocimientos de neurociencias y aprendizaje y como estos tienen aplicabilidad en el aula de clase o en general en el proceso de aprendizaje que se va deteriorando con la edad. Conclusión: El dividir la clase en bloques, realizar animaciones para estimulación visual, despertar emociones o exponer primero los conceptos generales antes que los específicos han sido formas eficaces de mejorar el rendimiento de los estudiantes en el aula de clase. La adecuada alimentación, el ejercicio constante, el reforzamiento en la lectura o ejercicios de memoria son clave para estimular el cerebro y prevenir el deterioro cognitivo normal de el envejecimiento.

Introduction: The brain-based education is a discipline that seeks to maximize the ability to learn -Memory, attention, understanding-from neuroscientific findings. Development: In the following article we seek to expose some of the knowledge of neurosciences and learning and how they have applicability in the classroom or in general in the learning process that deteriorates with age. Conclusion: divide the class into blocks, make animations for visual stimulation, arouse emotions or expose the general concepts first before specific have been effective ways to improve student performance in the classroom. Proper diet, regular exercise, strengthening reading or memory exercises are key to stimulate the brain and prevent cognitive decline of normal aging.

Uso de pacientes simulados en psiquiatría / Use of Simulated Pacients in Psychiatry

Introducción: Los avances científicos y la complejidad del conocimiento humano generan una constante necesidad de crear nuevas herramientas que faciliten el aprendizaje de una forma amena y duradera. En la docencia médica, una de estas herramientas es el uso de pacientes simulados. Los pacientes simulados o estandarizados son actores o personas entrenadas rigorosamente para presentar una historia clínica o, de ser posible, hallazgos físicos específicos, con la finalidad de ser un complemento educativo y evaluativo de la práctica clínica. Específicamente en psiquiatría, el uso de pacientes simulados ha tenido en general una gran acogida; sin embargo, se cuestiona su utilidad en áreas como la psicoterapia o la evaluación de residentes. Métodos: Revisión a partir de la búsqueda en PubMed con los términos MESH: ("Psychiatry/education" y "Patient Simulation"); búsqueda en LILACS y Schoolar Google, utilizando términos similares. Resultados: Los pacientes simulados son ampliamente usados alrededor del mundo en el área de psiquiatría; su utilidad como herramienta de enseñanza a estudiantes de pregrado se confirma en la mayoría de literatura revisada. Uno de los principales beneficios del uso de estos pacientes es la adquisición de habilidades específicas (por ejemplo, toma correcta de la historia clínica); no obstante, hay opiniones encontradas en cuanto a su efectividad en experiencias más complejas, como la psicoterapia o la certificación de residencia. Conclusiones: A pesar de la controversia, la gran mayoría de la literatura revisada confirma los beneficios y la aceptación que ha tenido esta metodología en la formación de estudiantes y psiquiatras.

Introduction: Scientific advances and the complexity of human knowledge generate a constant need for creating new tools intended to facilitate learning in an agreeable and lasting form. Simulated patients are one of such tools in medical education. Standardized or simulated patients are actors or people vigorously trained to represent a medical history or, if possible, specific physical findings with the purpose of using such representations as an educational and evaluating supplement in clinic practice. The use of simulated patients has been very well received, particularly in the psychiatric field; however, its usefulness in areas such as psychotherapy or evaluation of residents remains questionable. Methods: A search was made in PubMed with the MESH words ("Psychiatry/education" and "Patient Simulation"); a search was also made in LILACS and scholar Google using similar words. Results: Simulated patients are widely used throughout the world in the psychiatry field and their usefulness as an academic tool for pre-graduate students is confirmed in most of the literature reviewed. One of the main benefits of the use of this kind of patients is the acquisition of specific abilities (e.g.: medical history recording); nevertheless, its efficacy in more complex experiences like psychotherapy or certification of psychiatry residents is questioned. Conclusions: Notwithstanding the controversy, most of the literature reviewed confirms the benefits and acceptance of this methodology in the formation of students and psychiatrists.