Introduction: Psychedelic compounds such as LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT can dramatically alter visual perception. However, the extent to which visual effects of psychedelics consistently vary for different substances is an open question. The visual effects of a given psychedelic compound can range widely both across and within individuals, so dataset...
Abstract Psychedelic use has increased in the last decade. However, it is unclear whether the cultural background of the consumers exerts any influence. The aim of the present study was to determine the pattern of psychedelic use in Spain and Spanish-speaking populations in South America and compare these consumption patterns to understand the use of these s...
Background: Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD are anecdotally associated with the phenomenon of "psychedelic afterglow," a set of predominantly pleasant, temporary psychological effects reported after the acute effects have subsided. Since post-acute effects are crucial for the therapeutic use of psychedelics, an instrument to systematically as...
There are profound methodological challenges facing microdosing research. One way we can address some of these methodological issues is by understanding how psilocybin microdosing fits in the broader existential context of people’s lives. We recruited participants who underwent psilocybin microdosing on their own and consented to being monitored for harm mit...
Abstract Objectives The first line for symptom management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a class of medications that act on dopamine and noradrenaline receptors, which leads to symptom reduction at the cost of significant side effects. These side effects have led to community searching for alternative methods that manage ADHD symptoms ...
Expectancy effects for many psychoactive substances appear to play a role in consumption, problematic use, subjective responses to acute administration, and subsequent effects. Expectancies of psychedelics have received little attention in published research despite their reputation for creating dramatic changes in subjective state. Psilocybin-assisted treat...
This article reviews the historical protocols for the administration of “classic” psychedelics in France, from the 1920s to the 1960s. Taking a chronological approach, it investigates the way mescaline, LSD, and psilocybin were administered, the subjects involved, the route of administration, the dosage, and the epistemological context of the research. From ...
Background: Psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) have gained renewed interest due to recent findings that PAT can enhance therapeutic outcomes. In 2019, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved breakthrough therapy status to psilocybin for the treatment of depression, but PAT has yet to be approved as a therapeutic treatment for mental...
Since reports about CIA-funded LSD studies came out in the 1970s, psychedelic drugs have invoked images of unethical experimentation and “mad scientists” in the public imagination. Even now, as the stigma surrounding psychedelics diminishes in the 21st century, the figure of the “mad scientist” continues to occupy a space in what Ido Hartogsohn calls the “co...
In a recent article, Messell and colleagues provide a curated list, the "Copenhagen Music Program for Psilocybin". We test their music program with an experienced Indigenous therapist/psychonaut on a 3.5 gram psilocybin journey. Based on comments provided by the Indigenous therapist, we find the program contains musical choices that evoke specific colonial a...
OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this qualitative study was to delineate psychological mechanisms of change in the first randomized controlled trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD). Theories regarding psychological processes involved in psychedelic therapy remain underdeveloped. METHOD: Participants (N = 13) mostly ident...
This article presents an analytical reading of the extraordinarily rich cultural production around drugs by the 20th-century French poet, writer, critic, and visual artist Michaux (1899-1984). Over about a decade, from the mid-1950's, the otherwise habitually sober Michaux wrote five books, included within which were dozens of drawings, and made one half-hou...
Background. As a result of the military attack in Ukraine, both the military and civilian population are facing mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Classical psychotherapy and psychiatry are often ineffective in treating these conditions. In the United States and Europe, a significant...
Objective: Psychedelic drug therapy is banned in all countries of the world except Australia, where the government regulatory watchdog, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, is planning to allow approved psychiatrists, as of July 1, 2023, to prescribe psilocybin to treat depression and MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, a move precipitated by the ...
The psychedelic drug psilocybin has been successfully explored as a novel treatment for a range of psychiatric disorders. Administration of psilocybin requires careful attention to psychological support and the setting in which the drug is administered. The use of music to support the acute psychoactive effects of psilocybin is recommended in current guideli...
BackgroundPsilocybin-induced mystical-type experiences are associated with lasting positive psychological outcomes. Recent studies indicate that trait mindfulness is increased 3 months after psilocybin intake, preceded by decreases in neocortical serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) binding. However, the association between psilocybin-induced mystical-type experi...
This phenomenological research explored the fast-growing societal trend in psilocybin microdosing, whereby a sub-perceptual amount of the psychedelic is consumed regularly. Anecdotal reports of microdosing have suggested that individuals can experience the relief of depressive symptoms, greater creativity and focus, deeper connections, and improvements in se...
This study looked into the transformative effects and integration challenges of psychedelic experiences with psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for the Romanian population. The aim was to determine the long-term transformative effects and challenges individuals might encounter during the integration process. The study employed a sequential mixed...
Due to increasing evidence of efficacy in treating mental health disorders, psilocybin may become a legal medicinal drug. This study tested the validity of Carhart-Harris and Nutt’s (2017) model of extra-pharmacological (EP) factors. It examined whether such factors should be considered in any psychological suitability test for medicinally prescribed psilocy...
