Griffiths et al.'s recent "Effects of Psilocybin on Religious and Spiritual Attitudes and Behaviors in Clergy from Various Major World Religions" is an important study in the literature on psychedelic medicine and religious experience. In this commentary on the study, we argue: (1) The study design's implicit presupposition of perennialism in its conception ...
This randomised controlled feasibility trial evaluates the Digital Intervention for Psychedelic Preparation (DIPP), a novel 21-day self-guided program designed to prepare individuals for psychedelic experiences. Forty healthy volunteers will be randomly assigned to either a meditation-based intervention or a music-based control condition. Both groups will fo...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent distressing thoughts and substantial anxiety, accompanied by repetitive behaviors or mental rituals. Individuals with OCD often have diminished quality of life, and functional impairment. The disorder cause high personal, societal and economic costs. Current availab...
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...
Psilocybin induces profound alterations in consciousness, yet prevailing neural models often describe a monolithic change in brain connectivity that may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of the psychedelic state. To test the hypothesis of a composite neural state, this study applied a robust, data-driven framework, Connectome Independent Component An...
Investigators will recruit 36 individuals on MAT for OUD for a double-blind, placebo-controlled design to determine whether PEX010 (25-mg/d) shows preliminary efficacy on neural correlates of neurocognition and on clinical outcomes. Participants will be randomized to either (single dose) 25-mg (PEX010-25 group) or 1-mg (PPEX010-1 group) PEX010 in a 2:1 ratio...
Psychedelics, such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ketamine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), have captured the attention of scientists, artists, and seekers alike for their profound ability to alter consciousness and inspire creativity. The concept of "creation" encompasses multiple interpretations-ranging from generating novel ideas to fo...
Abstract Rationale: Individual variability in psilocybin response is a major challenge for psychedelic-assisted therapy, with structural brain features potentially serving as predictive biomarkers. Lewis et al. (2020) reported that rostral anterior cingulate cortex thickness predicted emotional experiences under psilocybin, suggesting cortical morphometry as...
Electromagnetic field theories of consciousness propose that consciousness emerges from resonant electromagnetic field interactions rather than purely computational neural processes. This paper examines how psychedelic substances-LSD, psilocybin, ketamine, and 5-MeO-DMT-modulate consciousness through their effects on brain electromagnetic fields, as measured...
The goal of this clinical trial is to understand how personally meaningful, autobiographically salient music compares to standardized playlists when combined with psilocybin in healthy adults ages 21 to 75. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does autobiographically salient music lead to stronger emotional responses to music, greater acute subjective e...
The serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin induces neural plasticity and profoundly alters consciousness. The benzodiazepine midazolam blunts neural plasticity and induces conscious sedation and amnesia at low doses. In our recent open label pilot study, we administered oral psilocybin (25 mg) along with intravenous midazolam at doses allowing a full psychedeli...
Abstract Classical psychedelics such N,N -dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocybin, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) modulate consciousness via serotonergic receptor agonism, and are increasingly investigated for their psychotherapeutic potential. When combined with the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitor harmine-mimicking the pharmacological profile of ay...
Sleep paralysis (SP), an REM parasomnia, can be characterized as one of the symptoms of narcolepsy. The SP phenomenon involves regaining meta-consciousness by the dreamer during REM, when the physiological atonia of skeletal muscles is accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations that are perceived as vivid and distressing nightmares. Sensory impression...
BackgroundClassic serotonergic psychedelics are 5-HT2A partial agonists that induce non-ordinary states of consciousness. Many have demonstrated anti-addictive properties; however, their impact on smoking behaviors remains under-researched. This review provides a synthesis of the therapeutic potential of these compounds in promoting smoking cessation and red...
Psychoactive substances are compounds that can influence perception, consciousness, cognition, and emotions. The psychoactive substances caffeine, nicotine, cannabis, and psilocybin all originate from natural sources and can be used without complex processing or synthesis. Their natural availability has contributed to a long-standing history of human use and...
Serotonergic psychedelics alter self-boundaries and can induce out-of-body experiences (OBEs)-the sense of being located outside one’s physical body. While OBEs also occur in clinical conditions and can be experimentally induced, their neural basis under psychedelics remains underexplored. In an open-label, baseline-controlled MRI study of 62 healthy adults ...
Due to psilocybin-assisted therapy's success in previous research, growing cultural awareness and use of psilocybin and other psychedelics, the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act passed by ballot measure in 2020 and began offering services in 2023. While the program has had many successes, a significant problem it faces is affordability and no research to date h...
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the feasibility of combining meditation with psilocybin microdosing in healthy adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Recruitment and retention feasibility 2. Acceptability, Safety and Tolerability 3. Exploratory Measures: 3.1: Explore potential changes in sleep quality and duration, heart rate variabi...