Understanding and treating depression is complex, particularly when capturing the daily experiences of those living with it. Researchers are now exploring a new approach: using the human voice to gain deeper insight into how people process, express and recover from depression, thanks to newly developed technology.

In this episode, Ashley Mason, co-investigator at Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center, provides a masterclass on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), detailing techniques like time in bed restriction, stimulus control, and cognitive restructuring to improve sleep. She explains how to manage racing thoughts and anxiety, optimize sleep environments, and use practical tools like sleep diaries to track progress. 

In April, Vail Health’s Behavioral Health Innovation Center will kick off the second of two studies aimed at targeting depression. The OPTIMIZE study will examine the impacts of psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, on people with major depressive disorder.

Sign up for a clinical trial of a psychedelic drug and you’re agreeing to a potentially bizarre experience. “All of a sudden, your dead grandma or Satan is in front of you,” says psychiatrist Charles Raison of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Some think this consciousness-altering “trip” underlies the potential benefits of drugs such as psilocybin and LSD, which are under study to treat depression, trauma, chronic pain, and more.