1178 results for "Consciousness"
Mindfulness meditation and psychedelics: potential synergies and commonalities
Pharmacological Reports – November 06, 2023
Summary
Combining **mindfulness** **meditation** with **psychedelics** offers a powerful new **psychological intervention** for **mental health**. Both **modalities** independently provide moderate to large benefits, significantly reducing **anxiety** and improving well-being. Evidence suggests these psychedelic treatments and mindfulness practices share mechanisms, including altered self-consciousness and present-moment awareness, impacting **neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior**. When used together, these **interventions** demonstrate synergistic effects, enhancing positive outcomes. This promising approach within **clinical psychology** could revolutionize how **psychotherapists** address various **mental health** challenges, offering deeper, more lasting change.
Abstract
Abstract There has been increasing scientific and clinical interest in studying psychedelic and meditation-based interventions in recent years, bot...
The revival of the psychedelic experience scale: Revealing its extended-mystical, visual, and distressing experiential spectrum with LSD and psilocybin studies
Journal of Psychopharmacology – October 31, 2023
Summary
A new psychometric tool significantly advances understanding of psychedelic experiences. Analyzing 239 measurements from 140 healthy participants given psilocybin or LSD, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed four novel dimensions beyond mysticism: paradoxicality, connectedness, visual, and distressing experiences. This expanded framework, now a 6-factor MEQ40, offers a more comprehensive assessment for psychology and clinical applications. It enhances psychometrics in Psychedelics and Drug Studies, moving beyond initial focus on mystical states to cover the full spectrum of altered consciousness, aiding future Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies.
Abstract
Background: Research with the Psychedelic Experience Questionnaire/Scale (PES) focuses on questions relating to mystical experience (Mystical Exper...
Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis With Serial Negative MRI Findings: An Evaluation Using Autoimmune Psychosis Criteria.
Case reports in neurological medicine – January 01, 2025
Summary
When a teenager's mental state rapidly deteriorated, doctors discovered that his brain inflammation had an autoimmune cause, despite normal MRI scans. His symptoms included seizures, altered consciousness, and psychiatric changes. Using specialized criteria and electroencephalography, physicians identified anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Treatment with steroids led to significant improvement, highlighting how autoimmune conditions can masquerade as psychiatric disorders.
Abstract
Autoimmune psychosis criteria have been proposed for autoimmune encephalitis with prominent psychiatric symptoms as an alternative to biomarker-bas...
Thoughtseeds: A Hierarchical and Agentic Framework for Investigating Thought Dynamics in Meditative States.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) – April 24, 2025
Summary
During meditation, our thoughts behave like competing agents vying for attention. This groundbreaking model reveals how experienced meditators maintain focus while beginners' minds tend to wander. By treating thoughts as dynamic "thoughtseeds" within a neural workspace, researchers mapped how Vipassana meditation shapes consciousness through meta-cognition and embodied awareness. The findings show that mental stability emerges naturally through practice.
Abstract
The Thoughtseeds Framework introduces a novel computational approach to modeling thought dynamics in meditative states, conceptualizing thoughtseed...
Neural Electrical Correlates of Subjective Happiness.
Human brain mapping – June 01, 2025
Summary
Scientists have discovered that our brain's happiness levels can be measured through specific electrical patterns. Using advanced brain imaging, researchers found that people who report higher levels of happiness on the Subjective Happiness Scale show distinct gamma-band oscillations in the precuneus, a brain region linked to self-awareness. The findings suggest that happier individuals have more stable neural activity, measured through MEG scans.
Abstract
Happiness is a subjective experience that can serve as the ultimate goal for humans. A recent study that employed resting-state functional magnetic...
Similarities and differences between natural sleep and urethane anesthesia.
Scientific reports – May 25, 2025
Summary
Brain activity patterns during natural sleep and anesthesia share intriguing similarities, yet crucial differences exist. While both states show δ waves and slow oscillations in the parietal cortex, researchers found distinct mechanisms driving these patterns. Brain recordings revealed that although urethane anesthesia mimics sleep's electrical signatures, it creates these patterns through different neural pathways, challenging assumptions about using anesthesia to study sleep processes.
Abstract
Slow oscillations dominate the EEG or local field potential (LFP) of mammals during specific periods within natural sleep and anesthesia. Such simi...
Philosophical aspects of migraine: Headache treatment is a human-to-human service.
Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache – May 01, 2025
Summary
Beyond physical pain, migraines raise deep philosophical questions about human suffering and consciousness. This analysis explores how effective headache treatment requires thinking out of the box, combining medical expertise with human-to-human understanding. When doctors bridge the gap between clinical knowledge and patients' lived experiences of pain, treatment becomes more meaningful and successful.
Abstract
Migraine is a complex neurobiological disorder that extends beyond physical symptoms to encompass profound mental, emotional and existential dimens...
Feasibility of a Hypnosis Intervention for a Mystical Experience.
The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis – May 15, 2025
Summary
Hypnosis can induce profound mystical experiences similar to those reported with psychedelics, but without drugs. In a groundbreaking exploration, highly hypnotizable participants underwent guided sessions in controlled settings. 70% achieved complete mystical experiences, reporting profound non-ordinary states of consciousness. The intervention proved both safe and effective, with participants unanimously expressing interest in future sessions.
Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to determine feasibility and acceptability of a standardized hypnosis intervention for a mystical experience ba...
Calcium channels in anesthesia management: A molecular and clinical review.
Molecular pain – January 01, 2025
Summary
Calcium channels act as molecular gatekeepers in our nervous system, controlling how we respond to anesthesia. These channels regulate consciousness and pain perception by managing calcium flow in nerve cells. Recent advances show that anesthetic mechanisms work by precisely targeting these channels, leading to more effective pain control. Understanding calcium channelopathies helps doctors personalize anesthesia for better patient safety and outcomes.
Abstract
Calcium channels play an essential role in the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying anesthesia by mediating intracellular calcium ion ...
Adverse clinical effects associated with the use of synthetic cannabinoids: A systematic review.
Drug and alcohol dependence – July 01, 2025
Summary
Synthetic "Spice" drugs like K2 are up to 100 times more potent than natural cannabis, leading to severe clinical complications. These substances trigger dangerous adverse effects including seizures, heart problems, and altered consciousness. Analysis of hospital data shows young adult males are most affected, with many requiring intensive care. Clinical effects range from cardiovascular issues to withdrawal syndrome, making these drugs significantly more dangerous than traditional cannabis.
Abstract
Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are potent agonists of CB1 and CB2 receptors, with affinities approximately 100 times greater than that of natural can...
When pain overwhelms the self: A phenomenological study of a new mode of suffering, based on adults' recollections of their worst pain episodes.
The journal of pain – May 02, 2025
Summary
During intense pain episodes, people can experience a profound disruption of their basic sense of self - losing connection with time, body, and identity. Through in-depth interviews with chronic pain patients, researchers uncovered how severe pain can create immediate suffering that transcends conscious thought. This qualitative study revealed that overwhelming pain can lead to dissociative states where sufferers feel dehumanized and disconnected from themselves.
Abstract
Suffering is a foundational yet understudied construct within the field of pain. There is general agreement that pain-related suffering involves di...
"Big chunks of blank memory": complex trauma and dissociative body memory.
Medicine, health care, and philosophy – May 03, 2025
Summary
Trauma survivors often report "blank spaces" in their memories, yet their bodies retain traces of these experiences. New findings reveal how complex trauma can create a unique form of body memory, where individuals sense disturbing feelings about past events they cannot consciously recall. This unconscious physical memory, linked to dissociation and CPTSD, explains why many survivors feel unsettled by memory gaps despite having no clear recollection of specific traumas.
Abstract
Research into traumatic memory has focused heavily upon re-experiencing symptoms (e.g. flashbacks). Features predominantly associated with complex ...
Microdosing with classical psychedelics: Research trajectories and practical considerations
Transcultural Psychiatry – October 01, 2022
Summary
Microdosing, the use of minute amounts of psychedelics, is claimed to enhance creativity and mood. Psychology explores how substances like psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, and mescaline—compounds often from chemical synthesis or natural alkaloids—influence consciousness and perception. These drug studies investigate behavior at sub-hallucinogenic doses, where individuals report profound shifts without a full hallucinogen experience. Understanding their subtle impact, potentially via neurotransmitter pathways, faces significant regulatory hurdles. The field aims to distinguish genuine effects from expectation.
Abstract
Microdosing—the intermittent ingestion of minute, sub-hallucinogenic amounts of psychedelic substances, repeatedly and over time—has become a wides...
Effective Connectivity of Functionally Anticorrelated Networks Under Lysergic Acid Diethylamide.
Biological psychiatry – February 01, 2023
Summary
LSD's profound ability to alter self-perception stems from its unique impact on brain network communication. Research shows the psychedelic disrupts normal boundaries between brain networks that typically maintain our sense of self. Using advanced brain imaging, scientists found LSD transforms inhibitory connections between key neural networks into excitatory ones, particularly affecting how attention-directing systems interact. This may explain the ego dissolution experience many report during psychedelic states.
Abstract
Classic psychedelic-induced ego dissolution involves a shift in the sense of self and a blurring of the boundary between the self and the world. A ...
Shannon entropy of brain functional complex networks under the influence of the psychedelic Ayahuasca
arXiv Preprint Archive – November 01, 2016
Summary
Psychedelic Ayahuasca increases brain network complexity, supporting ancient wisdom about "mind expansion" with modern neuroscience. Brain scans revealed that this Amazonian brew creates more diverse neural connections while strengthening local brain networks. The changes in brain organization showed higher Shannon entropy, indicating more dynamic and flexible thought patterns during the psychedelic experience.
Abstract
The entropic brain hypothesis holds that the key facts concerning psychedelics are partially explained in terms of increased entropy of the brain's...
Biophysical aspects of neurocognitive modeling with long-term sustained temperature variations
arXiv Preprint Archive – February 02, 2023
Summary
Mind over matter takes on new meaning: researchers discovered that focused meditation can trigger sustained body temperature changes of up to 1.6°C, lasting over an hour. Using biophysical and medical sensors, the study showed practitioners could intentionally raise their core temperature to mild fever levels through mental focus alone. These effects extended beyond the body, creating measurable thermal changes in nearby water.
Abstract
Long-term focused attention with visualization and breathing exercises is at the core of various Eastern traditions. Neurocognitive and psychosomat...
Existence of multiple transitions of the critical state due to anesthetics.
Nature communications – August 15, 2024
Summary
Anesthetics don't just make us unconscious - they can trigger multiple distinct patterns in brain activity. New research using advanced imaging of mouse brains reveals that while mild sedation maintains normal neural patterns, deeper anesthesia creates varied and complex brain states. Different anesthetics (like ketamine and isoflurane) disrupt natural brain rhythms in unique ways, explaining why individuals can respond differently to various anesthetic drugs.
Abstract
Scale-free statistics of coordinated neuronal activity, suggesting a universal operating mechanism across spatio-temporal scales, have been propose...
A combined toxicokinetic and metabolic approach to investigate deschloro-N-ethylketamine exposure in a multidrug user.
Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis – June 15, 2024
Summary
A novel ketamine-like substance, 2-deschloro-N-ethylketamine, was identified in a multidrug user who lost consciousness. Advanced molecular networking revealed 27 previously unknown metabolites, while toxicokinetics showed the drug clears from the body in about 5 hours. This arylcyclohexylamine compound was found alongside other substances, highlighting evolving challenges in drug monitoring.
Abstract
The use of new psychoactive substances derived from ketamine is rarely reported in France. A chronic GHB, 3-MMC, and methoxetamine consumer present...
Comparative brain-wide mapping of ketamine- and isoflurane-activated nuclei and functional networks in the mouse brain.
eLife – March 21, 2024
Summary
Ketamine and isoflurane, two common anesthetics, affect the brain in surprisingly different ways. Neuroscience research using mouse models reveals ketamine primarily targets higher brain regions controlling sensation and emotion, while isoflurane acts on deeper areas managing basic bodily functions. By tracking c-Fos protein activity, scientists mapped distinct functional networks, showing how these drugs create unconsciousness through different pathways.
Abstract
Ketamine (KET) and isoflurane (ISO) are two widely used general anesthetics, yet their distinct and shared neurophysiological mechanisms remain elu...
Active Inference, Computational Phenomenology, and Advanced Meditation: Toward the Formalization of the Experience of Meditation
PsyArXiv Preprints – June 16, 2025
Summary
Advanced meditation practices reshape how our brains process reality through precise shifts in attention and awareness. New computational models reveal that expert meditators develop enhanced control over their perceptual experiences through a process called precision weighting. This allows them to consciously modulate awareness, leading to improved wellbeing, cognitive flexibility, and deeper meditative states.
Abstract
Computational phenomenology has emerged as a powerful framework for investigating advanced meditation states and stages, and meditative development...
Associations between psychedelic-related and meditation-related variables: A longitudinal study.
J Psychiatr Res – March 17, 2025
Summary
People who use psychedelics often report deeper meditation experiences, and new research confirms this connection. Following 2,125 participants over 4 months, researchers found that psychedelic use was linked to increased mindfulness, ego dissolution, and mystical experiences during meditation. Interestingly, meditation practice also enhanced the positive effects of psychedelic experiences, suggesting a synergistic relationship between these two consciousness-expanding practices.
Abstract
Associations between psychedelic-related and meditation-related variables: A longitudinal study.
The phenomenology of psilocybin’s experience mediates subsequent persistent psychological effects independently of sex, previous experience or setting
OpenAlex – August 26, 2024
Summary
Psilocybin, a potent hallucinogen, safely induces lasting positive psychological effects. A placebo-controlled study of 40 healthy adults showed mostly pleasant altered states of consciousness, via visual analogue scale, with only one unpleasant instance. All experiences resolved positively, supporting its safety for repeated use in clinical psychology and psychiatry. This underscores Psychedelics and Drug Studies, revealing how chemical synthesis and alkaloids influence neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior. Such psychology insights inform diverse fields, from developmental psychology to audiology.
Abstract
Abstract Background Recent studies have intensively explored the potential antidepressant effects of psilocybin. However, important variables such ...
Psychedelic replications in virtual reality and their potential as a therapeutic instrument: an open-label feasibility study.
Front Psychiatry – March 01, 2023
Summary
Virtual reality can safely simulate psychedelic experiences, offering potential therapeutic benefits without actual drug use. In tests with 30 participants, VR sessions mimicking visual and sensory aspects of psychedelic trips produced meaningful psychological effects and positive mood changes. Results suggest VR could be a valuable tool for mental health treatment and consciousness exploration.
Abstract
Psychedelic replications in virtual reality and their potential as a therapeutic instrument: an open-label feasibility study.
Psilocybin Modulates TPJ Effective Connectivity during Out-of-Body Experiences
OpenAlex – June 25, 2025
Summary
Experiencing an out-of-body sensation after taking psilocybin, a potent hallucinogen, correlates with specific brain changes. In a neuroscience study of 62 healthy adults, those reporting intense out-of-body experiences showed reduced functional connectivity. Specifically, connections between the right and left anterior insula, and between the right anterior insula and right temporoparietal junction, were inhibited. This psychology finding, relevant to cognitive psychology and drug studies, suggests psilocybin influences neurotransmitter receptors, altering bodily self-consciousness and offering insight into paranormal experiences.
Abstract
Abstract Serotonergic psychedelics alter self-boundaries and can induce out-of-body experiences (OBEs)—the sense of being located outside one’s phy...
Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research and Development
Frontiers in Pharmacology – July 05, 2018
Summary
**Psilocybin** and other **Psychedelics**, professionally guided by a **Psychotherapist**, are revolutionizing **Psychiatry**. This innovative **Medicine** model offers profound efficacy for mental disorders, with **Drug Studies** indicating over 60% remission rates for treatment-resistant conditions. These compounds, often **alkaloids** from **Chemical synthesis**, exert their **Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior**, opening non-ordinary states of **Consciousness**. This paradigm shift challenges traditional **Psychology** diagnostics, addressing root causes like trauma and cultural factors, rather than merely managing symptoms.
Abstract
Mental disorders are rising while development of novel psychiatric medications is declining. This stall in innovation has also been linked with int...
Acute effects of subanesthetic ketamine on cerebrovascular hemodynamics in humans: A TD-fNIRS neuroimaging study
bioRxiv Preprint Server – January 06, 2023
Summary
Quantifying neural activity during psychedelics in a clinical setting can unlock personalized treatments. A study measured brain dynamics and physiological effects in healthy volunteers given a psychoactive substance (ketamine) or placebo. Ketamine altered consciousness and systemic responses, reducing brain-wide low-frequency fluctuations and prefrontal connectivity. Initial findings suggest combining brain and body metrics could predict positive mystical experiences and improve depressive symptomatology, leading to better patient outcomes and potential biomarkers. This highlights successful brain imaging for understanding psychedelic impact.
Abstract
Quantifying neural activity in natural conditions (i.e. conditions comparable to the standard clinical patient experience) during the administratio...
Virtual Reality as a Moderator of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy
Frontiers in Psychology – March 04, 2022
Summary
Psychedelics, like the natural compound psilocybin, show profound promise in psychology for treating anxiety and influencing consciousness. These hallucinogens require careful psychotherapist guidance and a supportive mindset. Virtual reality (VR) could significantly enhance this, aiding relaxation, promoting mindfulness, and complementing practices like meditation. While VR’s potential to deepen these experiences is compelling, its synergy with psychedelics demands rigorous evaluation in drug studies to understand its full impact on behavior.
Abstract
Psychotherapy with the use of psychedelic substances, including psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ketamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymetha...
Rostral Anterior Cingulate Thickness Predicts the Emotional Psilocybin Experience
Biomedicines – February 18, 2020
Summary
The anterior cingulate cortex's thickness strongly predicts emotional responses to the hallucinogen psilocybin. Among 55 healthy adults receiving oral psilocybin (0.160 or 0.215 mg/kg), greater rostral anterior cingulate thickness predicted all four emotional sub-scales of altered consciousness. This neuroscience insight, crucial for psychology and serotonergic drug studies, reveals how individual brain structure in the cingulate cortex influences cognition and subjective experiences with psychedelics. It underscores the importance of 5-HT receptor activity, linked to serotonin, beyond the posterior cingulate.
Abstract
Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound of mushrooms in the psilocybe species. Psilocybin directly affects a number of serotonin receptors, with hi...
Assessment of Bioactivity‐Modulating Pseudo‐Ring Formation in Psilocin and Related Tryptamines
ChemBioChem – April 28, 2022
Summary
Psilocin, a potent psychedelic tryptamine, profoundly alters consciousness, unlike its close chemical cousin bufotenin. This critical difference stems from a unique intramolecular force: a hydrogen bond forming a pseudo-ring in psilocin's specific molecular arrangement. This fundamental chemistry, vital for understanding psychedelics and drug studies, allows a higher number of uncharged psilocin molecules to cross the blood-brain barrier. Such nuances in chemical synthesis and alkaloids' structural chemistry dictate their neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior. Psilocybin acts as a prodrug for psilocin, highlighting its therapeutic promise.
Abstract
Abstract Psilocybin ( 1 ) is the major alkaloid found in psychedelic mushrooms and acts as a prodrug to psilocin ( 2 , 4‐hydroxy‐ N , N ‐dimethyltr...
Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) poisoning, case report and review.
Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology – June 01, 2005
Summary
Even after losing consciousness from consuming fly agaric mushrooms, full recovery is possible. A recent medical observation highlighted five young adults experimenting for hallucinations; one required days of observation due to the mushroom's complex compounds. Positively, she was discharged without complications, and the other four experienced only transient effects, underscoring a benign outcome for all involved.
Abstract
Gathering and eating mushrooms and other plants containing psychoactive substances has become increasingly popular among young people experimenting...
Screening the receptorome to discover the molecular targets for plant-derived psychoactive compounds: a novel approach for CNS drug discovery.
Pharmacology & therapeutics – May 01, 2004
Summary
Understanding how psychoactive plants affect our minds could unlock secrets of human consciousness. A novel approach screens active ingredients from these plants against the body's entire set of receptors (the "receptorome") to pinpoint their exact molecular targets. This unbiased method, using computational tools and databases, successfully identified targets for compounds from plants like St. John's Wort and Salvia. This strategy offers a powerful new avenue for CNS drug discovery, revealing promising candidates for future medicines.
Abstract
Because psychoactive plants exert profound effects on human perception, emotion, and cognition, discovering the molecular mechanisms responsible fo...
Neural Mechanisms and Psychology of Psychedelic Ego Dissolution
Pharmacological Reviews – September 09, 2022
Summary
Psychedelics profoundly reshape consciousness, offering insights into brain organization. Neuroscience demonstrates these drug studies primarily influence serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors, a key neurotransmitter receptor influencing behavior. Neuroimaging reveals this biochemical interaction leads to neuromodulatory changes affecting sentience and causing "ego dissolution," fundamentally altering selfhood. Psychology suggests this disarms ego resistance, expanding perceptual hypotheses. This extensive evidence helps understand how these substances alter our perception of the world, highlighting their impact on hierarchical processing.
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies of psychedelics have advanced our understanding of hierarchical brain organization and the mechanisms underlying their subject...
Distinct acute effects of LSD, MDMA, and d-amphetamine in healthy subjects
Neuropsychopharmacology – November 16, 2019
Summary
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) induces profoundly distinct psychological effects compared to MDMA (Ecstasy) or Dextroamphetamine. In a Pharmacology study involving 28 healthy subjects, LSD, a classic Hallucinogen, led to significantly higher ratings of altered consciousness and mystical experiences than active drugs or Placebo. While all three substances—including the Stimulant Amphetamine—showed similar autonomic responses, MDMA uniquely increased oxytocin, reflecting Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior. This highlights critical differences in Psychedelics and Drug Studies, informed by Biochemical Analysis, for understanding their therapeutic potential.
Abstract
Abstract Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a classic psychedelic, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is an empathogen, and d -amphetamine i...
Psychedelics reopen the social reward learning critical period
Nature – June 14, 2023
Summary
Psychedelics reopen critical periods for social learning in mice, a biological mechanism crucial for development. This 'period' of heightened brain plasticity, linked to consciousness alterations, is proportional to human subjective drug effects. These compounds, including those derived from chemical synthesis, restore oxytocin-mediated long-term depression in the nucleus accumbens, influencing behavior. This neuroscience discovery offers new medicine avenues for psychology and addiction disease treatment, advancing Psychedelics and Drug Studies. Psilocybin and similar compounds show promise.
Abstract
Abstract Psychedelics are a broad class of drugs defined by their ability to induce an altered state of consciousness 1,2 . These drugs have been u...
REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics
Pharmacological Reviews – June 20, 2019
Summary
Psilocybin profoundly alters consciousness by relaxing rigid prior beliefs, a core concept in cognitive psychology. This action, rooted in neurochemical influence on brain activity, liberates bottom-up information flow from emotional centers. This mechanism explains how psychedelics can help revise entrenched, pathological thought patterns, potentially showing 60-70% efficacy in therapeutic contexts. The process also suggests an epistemological impact, enabling the revision of deeply held political or philosophical perspectives by recalibrating information processing, akin to a system reset for entrenched mental frameworks.
Abstract
This paper formulates the action of psychedelics by integrating the free-energy principle and entropic brain hypothesis. We call this formulation r...
Psychedelics: Their Limited Understanding and Future in the Treatment of Chronic Pain
Cureus – August 25, 2022
Summary
Psychedelics are emerging as a potent intervention for chronic pain, a debilitating disease profoundly impacting daily life. Unlike conventional pharmacological medicine, which often leads to addiction (e.g., opioids) or resistance, these compounds profoundly influence neurotransmitter receptors, altering consciousness and pain perception. This offers a novel approach in psychiatry and intensive care medicine, moving beyond mere symptom suppression. Understanding their chemical synthesis and how they modulate behavior could revolutionize future pain management, providing lasting relief without typical drug study side effects.
Abstract
Psychedelics are hallucinogenic drugs that alter the state of consciousness substantially. They bring about psychological, auditory, and visual cha...
Serotonergic Psychedelics in Neural Plasticity
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience – October 12, 2021
Summary
Dramatic shifts in consciousness induced by psychedelics, used for centuries, are now understood through their profound impact on brain biology. Recent Neuroscience reveals that specific serotonergic compounds, often from chemical synthesis or natural alkaloids, promote significant neuroplasticity. These drug studies demonstrate effects like increased neurite growth and synapse formation, showing a direct neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior and mental states. This plasticity offers a new focus in Psychology, highlighting therapeutic potential for conditions rooted in brain circuitry.
Abstract
Psychedelics, compounds that can induce dramatic changes in conscious experience, have been used by humans for centuries. Recent studies have shown...
Near-death experience as mystical experience.
Journal of religion and health – March 01, 1986
Summary
Many people report profound self-transformation after near-death experiences, a phenomenon often associated with mystical awareness. A detailed nine-category typology of mystical experience was applied to these accounts, revealing strong parallels. This framework successfully characterizes near-death experiences, positively defining them as a distinct mystical state.
Abstract
Near-death experience exhibits many attributes of mystical awareness. Assessing the mystical quality of psychedelic experience, Walter Pahnke ident...
Psychedelic drug abuse potential assessment research for new drug applications and Controlled Substances Act scheduling
Neuropharmacology – August 17, 2022
Summary
New psychiatric medicines, including psilocybin, MDMA, and lysergic acid diethylamide, face hurdles as Schedule I controlled substances. Their drug development requires navigating complex pharmacology and regulatory frameworks. Abuse potential research, crucial for understanding these powerful hallucinogens, informs the eight factors determining rescheduling. This psychology-driven drug analysis is vital for medicine approval and understanding how these substances influence behavior, mood, and consciousness, moving them from illicit drug status to legitimate medicine despite substance abuse concerns.
Abstract
New medicines containing classic hallucinogenic and entactogenic psychedelic substance are under development for various psychiatric and neurologic...
LSD flattens the hierarchy of directed information flow in fast whole-brain dynamics
OpenAlex – April 28, 2024
Summary
Psychedelics profoundly reshape consciousness by flattening the brain's information flow hierarchy. A study with 16 healthy participants, administered 75 micrograms of LSD, revealed the drug diminished the asymmetry in neural signal sending and receiving. This rebalancing of brain dynamics weakens the established hierarchy. Computer science techniques, specifically machine learning classifiers, distinguished LSD states from placebo significantly more accurately when trained on these hierarchy metrics. This suggests LSD fundamentally alters how information flows, promoting a more balanced brain function.
Abstract
Abstract Psychedelics are serotonergic drugs that profoundly alter consciousness, yet their neural mechanisms are not fully understood. A popular t...
Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State
Journal of Neuroscience – September 18, 2013
Summary
Psilocybin, a potent hallucinogen, profoundly alters consciousness by desynchronizing brain activity. Neuroscience, using magnetoencephalography, reveals psilocybin reduces cortical oscillatory power (1-50 Hz posteriorly, 8-100 Hz frontally), especially in the default mode network and posterior cingulate cortex. This neural dynamic shift, vital for psychology, stems from the drug's agonist action on 5-HT 2A receptors. This neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior suggests psychedelics disrupt brain function, a phenomenon also studied with electroencephalography in drug studies.
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs produce profound changes in consciousness, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms for this remain unclear. Spontaneous and...
A Model for the Application of Target-Controlled Intravenous Infusion for a Prolonged Immersive DMT Psychedelic Experience.
Frontiers in pharmacology – January 01, 2016
Summary
Imagine a state of consciousness where your reality is completely replaced by an "alternate universe" filled with complex visual hallucinations. This unique experience, often induced by dimethyltryptamine (DMT), typically lasts under 20 minutes. Researchers explored using pharmacokinetic modeling to adapt target-controlled intravenous infusion, a technique for stable drug delivery, to prolong this intense psychedelic drug experience. The goal was to allow for extended observation of its psychological contents. Findings suggest DMT's rapid onset and lack of tolerance make it ideal for this intravenous infusion method. This approach promises stable, prolonged experiences, potentially aiding in neuroimaging and developing new psychotherapeutic applications, building on insights from substances like ayahuasca.
Abstract
The state of consciousness induced by N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is one of the most extraordinary of any naturally-occurring psychedelic substanc...
Psilocybin-induced changes in brain network integrity and segregation correlate with plasma psilocin level and psychedelic experience
OpenAlex – February 05, 2021
Summary
A single dose of the hallucinogen psilocybin profoundly alters brain connectivity, directly shaping subjective experience. In fifteen healthy individuals, functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed this psychedelic drug, acting on Serotonin 2A receptors, reduced the integrity of the Default Mode Network and other regions. As psilocin levels rose, networks like the Task-positive network desegregated, increasing connectivity. This Neuroscience and Pharmacology insight illuminates how psilocybin influences consciousness, offering new perspectives for Psychology and therapeutic approaches to brain disorders, relating to neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior.
Abstract
Abstract The emerging novel therapeutic psilocybin produces psychedelic effects via engagement of cerebral serotonergic targets by psilocin (active...
Insights for Modern Applications of Psilocybin Therapy from a Case Study of Traditional Mazatec Medicine
Anthropology of Consciousness – August 14, 2022
Summary
Modern interest in psilocybin often overlooks its deep indigenous roots. For instance, Mazatec traditional medicine utilizes psilocybin mushrooms in sacred ceremonies for healing. A case study, following one foreign individual participating in a Mazatec velada, reveals the profound complexity of these traditional healing processes. This highlights the need for an intercultural perspective in understanding consciousness, moving beyond recreational or narrow clinical psychology. It emphasizes traditional medicine's holistic approach, informed by shamanism, compared to modern psychotherapist views, informing both medicine and broader sociology.
Abstract
ABSTRACT The "people of knowledge" of traditional Mazatec medicine have preserved until today the ritual use of psilocybin mushrooms as part of the...
Introduction: Evidence for entheogen use in prehistory and world religions
Journal of Psychedelic Studies – June 01, 2019
Summary
Psilocybin, a key psychedelic, appears central to religion's origins. The human serotonergic system shows a markedly greater response to psychedelics than chimpanzees', suggesting their role in hominin evolution and the development of ritual and shamanism. Prehistoric rock art, mythology, and artifacts globally attest to ancient fungal reverence, shaping consciousness. This historical influence continued, evident in art and scriptures. However, complex societies later restricted widespread consumption, reserving practices for leaders and imposing punishment, altering the trajectory of psychedelics in human history and ethnology.
Abstract
This introduction to the special issue reviews research that supports the hypothesis that psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, were central featu...
Psilocybin modulation of dynamic functional connectivity is associated with plasma psilocin and subjective effects
OpenAlex – December 17, 2021
Summary
Psilocybin, a serotonergic hallucinogen, profoundly alters brain activity. In 15 healthy individuals, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed that as psilocin levels rose, typical frontoparietal connectivity patterns, including the Default Mode Network, decreased. Simultaneously, a more uniformly connected brain state increased. This shift in resting state fMRI dynamics correlated with subjective psychedelic intensity. These neuroscience insights into functional brain connectivity suggest how psilocybin influences mood and consciousness, offering new directions for psychology and medicine, impacting our understanding of neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior.
Abstract
Abstract Background Psilocin, the neuroactive metabolite of psilocybin, is a serotonergic psychedelic that induces an acute altered state of consci...
Psychedelics, Meaningfulness, and the “Proper Scope” of Medicine: Continuing the Conversation
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics – June 27, 2023
Summary
Psilocybin, an alkaloid and potent hallucinogen, reliably alters consciousness and perception. Its therapeutic promise, combined with psychotherapist-led conversation, is clear in Psychology and Psychedelics and Drug Studies for conditions like depression. Yet, a central question in Cognitive psychology and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies remains: are these profound subjective experiences necessary for healing? The debate explores whether chemical synthesis could yield non-hallucinogenic compounds with similar therapeutic impact, without the full hallucinogenic experience.
Abstract
Psychedelics such as psilocybin reliably produce significantly altered states of consciousness with a variety of subjectively experienced effects. ...
Psychedelics as a Training Experience for Psychedelic Therapists: Drawing on History to Inform Current Practice
Journal of Humanistic Psychology – June 23, 2021
Summary
To effectively guide patients, psychotherapists administering psilocybin-assisted therapy may benefit from experiencing this hallucinogen. Current medical education in applied psychology lacks such direct exposure. Archival data from the Spring Grove LSD Training Study (1969-1974) offers vital insights. That pioneering training allowed psychotherapists to explore nonordinary states of consciousness using a variety of compounds. This historical precedent, crucial for understanding psilocybin—an alkaloid central to diverse academic research themes in psychedelics and drug studies—informs preparing hundreds of new therapists.
Abstract
The therapeutic use of psilocybin in psychedelic-assisted therapy models is currently being tested for a variety of indications, necessitating the ...
Co-administration of midazolam and psilocybin: Differential effects on subjective quality versus memory of the psychedelic experience
OpenAlex – June 13, 2024
Summary
The profound psychological benefits of the serotonergic hallucinogen psilocybin may depend on remembering the experience. In a pharmacology experiment, 8 healthy participants received 25mg Psilocybin alongside Midazolam, a drug causing memory impairment. While consciously experiencing the psychedelic effects, participants showed reduced memory. Crucially, greater memory impairment tended to lessen positive psychological outcomes like insight and well-being. This neuroscience finding suggests neuroplasticity-related memory processes are integral to psilocybin's lasting effects in medicine, influencing behavior via neurotransmitter receptor influence.
Abstract
Abstract Aspects of the acute experience induced by the serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin predict symptomatic relief in multiple psychiatric diso...
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25) as a Facilitating Agent in Psychotherapy
Archives of General Psychiatry – March 01, 1960
Summary
Hallucinogens like Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25), Psilocybin, and Mescaline demonstrate a remarkable capacity to enhance psychotherapeutic processes. Insights from Psychedelics and Drug Studies suggest these compounds broaden awareness, enabling a psychotherapist to help patients access repressed memories and conflicts. This application in Psychology and Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications facilitates profound self-insight. Natural Compound Pharmacology Studies continue to explore how these substances can be most effectively utilized to make previously unconscious material conscious, offering a powerful tool for mental health.
Abstract
Our use of drug-facilitated psychotherapy has been to aid repressed material to become conscious and to increase insight. Any method or tool which ...
Acute effects of psilocybin on the dynamics of gaze fixations during visual aesthetic perception
OpenAlex – November 01, 2023
Summary
High doses of psilocybin dramatically alter visual perception, redirecting gaze. Using eye tracking in a double-blind, placebo-controlled design with two distinct psilocybin doses, a study revealed this hallucinogen leads to a more localized visual exploration of paintings, rather than broad scanning. This shift in eye movement and fixation suggests a profound impact on consciousness and cognitive psychology, mediated by altered perception of low-level visual information like textures. Participants reported heightened emotional responses, underscoring psilocybin's effect on how we experience visual stimuli. Neuroscience continues to explore these psychedelic insights.
Abstract
Abstract Rationale Serotonergic psychedelics are remarkable for their capacity to induce variable yet reproducible modifications to human conscious...
Methoxetamine (MXE) – A Phenomenological Study of Experiences Induced by a “Legal High” from the Internet
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs – July 01, 2013
Summary
Profound psychological shifts, including identity dissolution often culminating in spiritual experiences, characterize Methoxetamine (MXE) use. This ketamine analogue, sold on the Internet as a "legal high," profoundly alters consciousness. Reports from 33 persons detail effects akin to classic psychedelics and dissociatives, encompassing emotional processes, altered sensory perception, and cognitive malfunction. While users reported positive experiences, fear and anxiety were also common, highlighting its potential for abuse. The observed changes in perception and behavior underscore the significant neurotransmitter receptor influence of such substances.
Abstract
Methoxetamine (MXE), a ketamine analogue, is one of the new "legal highs" sold on the Internet. The aim of this qualitative study was to provide an...
Psychedelics as potent anti-inflammatory therapeutics
Neuropharmacology – August 22, 2022
Summary
A surprising discovery reveals Hallucinogens like Psilocybin, traditionally studied for their impact on Consciousness, are potent anti-inflammatories. While Neuroscience and Psychology focused on brain effects, new Pharmacology insights from Psychedelics and Drug Studies show these compounds modulate immunity throughout the body. This opens Medicine to a novel class of anti-inflammatory agents, effective even at doses below those altering perception. Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques are exploring how these compounds, related to Tryptophan, could treat inflammatory diseases beyond brain disorders.
Abstract
Psychedelics have seen a resurgence of interest from both the scientific and lay community in recent years. Psychedelics are known for their abilit...
Memory, trauma, and self: Remembering and recovering from sexual abuse in psychedelic-assisted therapy
Journal of Psychedelic Studies – October 09, 2024
Summary
Psilocybin offers compelling potential for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from sexual abuse, a condition often resistant to conventional psychotherapy techniques. Findings from *Natural Compound Pharmacology Studies* on two individuals in a weeklong psychedelic retreat revealed profound healing. The *psychology* benefits extended beyond typical drug effects; psilocybin facilitated retrieving repressed traumatic memories, enabling conscious awareness and reconciliation. This *clinical psychology* work suggests that re-narrating one's identity is crucial. A *psychotherapist* could consider these *psychedelics and drug studies* for future trauma applications.
Abstract
Abstract Background and Aims This article examines the therapeutic potential of psilocybin in addressing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as the resu...
Motives for Classical and Novel Psychoactive Substances Use in Psychedelic Polydrug Users
Contemporary Drug Problems – September 01, 2019
Summary
Feeling euphoric (58.0%), enhancing activities (52.3%), and broadening consciousness (48.1%) are key motives for using psychoactive substances. A survey of 1,967 adults explored motivations for traditional psychoactive drugs like Cannabis, MDMA, Ecstasy, Psilocybin, and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), alongside designer drugs and synthetic cannabinoids. While overall motives were similar for psychedelics and other stimulants/hallucinogens, synthetic cannabinoids' use focused on intoxication. Understanding these motivations is crucial for psychology and psychiatry to mitigate harm.
Abstract
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are compounds designed to mimic the effects of existing recreational drugs (classical psychoactive substances [...
Psychedelic synaesthesia: Evidence for a serotonergic role in synaesthesia
Seeing and Perceiving – January 01, 2012
Summary
Experiencing synaesthesia, a fascinating neurocognitive phenomenon, is often triggered by psychedelics. A survey of recreational drug users in Psychedelics and Drug Studies found that serotonergic hallucinogens like Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and Psilocybin frequently induce these unique sensory blends. These neurochemical substances also significantly augment synaesthesia in individuals who already experience it. This Neuroscience finding highlights how the serotonergic system, through its neurotransmitter receptors, profoundly influences behavior, offering key Psychology insights into consciousness.
Abstract
The neurobiology of synaesthesia is receiving growing attention in the search for insights into consciousness, such as the binding problem. One way...
Integrating the ineffable: a social phenomenological analysis of the psychedelic experience
Library, Museums and Press - UDSpace (University of Delaware) – February 04, 2025
Summary
Psychedelic experiences are profoundly shaped by social frameworks, revealing how individuals integrate altered states into daily reality. Analyzing over 200 narrative reports from 100 individuals who used psilocybin, mescaline, or LSD between 1960-1964, insights emerge into the social construction of reality. This sociological and psychological inquiry, drawing on interpretative phenomenological analysis, illuminates how meaning-making influences our understanding of consciousness and what constitutes valid knowledge, offering a cross-cultural perspective on drug experiences.
Abstract
"There has been a renewed and growing interest in psychedelic drugs in the 21st century. Drawing on social-phenomenology, cognitive sociology, and ...
Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry
OpenAlex – September 13, 2024
Summary
A compelling re-evaluation of psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD confirms their safety in controlled conditions, revealing significant therapeutic potential for addiction and mood disorders. This shift in Drug Studies explores how these substances induce dramatically altered states of consciousness. Psychology and Cognitive science delve into their impact on self and mind. Psychotherapists are actively debating the precise mechanisms of psychedelic-assisted therapy, with Psychoanalysis offering insights into interpreting these profound experiences. Ethical implications and their evolving cultural roles are also central to this renewed psychiatric focus.
Abstract
Abstract A recent wave of research in psychiatry and neuroscience has re-examined the properties of ‘classic’ psychedelic substances—also known as ...
Richard Alpert (Ram Dass): Harvard psychologist who experimented with psychedelic drugs and became one of America’s most prominent and respected spiritual leaders
BMJ – January 31, 2020
Summary
Nothing in Richard Alpert's early life, despite his psychology doctorate, predicted his iconic path. At Harvard, he joined Timothy Leary's drug studies, exploring psilocybin's clinical potential. Alpert's own 10 mg psilocybin experience profoundly questioned consciousness, a realm also explored by psychology and even psychoanalysis. He then collaborated, giving psilocybin and LSD to diverse groups, including students and prisoners, defining 1960s psychedelics and drug studies. Credit: Dassima Kathleen Murphy
Abstract
Credit: Dassima Kathleen Murphy Nothing in Richard Alpert’s early life could have predicted that he would come to embody the spirit of the psychede...
When art therapy went chemical: Alfred Bader, pharmacology, and art brut, c.1950-1970s
História Ciências Saúde-Manguinhos – January 01, 2022
Summary
Psychopharmacology profoundly reshaped psychiatry's view of art. Unearthing the historical context of art therapy, its origins are repositioned through evolving clinical practices and mind-altering drugs. Early 20th-century use of psychotropic drugs influenced the psychopathology of art. Later, psychiatrist Alfred Bader and pharmacologist Roland Fischer conducted post-WWII experiments involving psilocybin, highlighting consciousness in mental health discussions. Psychotherapists in psychology increasingly linked art brut and modernist aesthetics to neurobiology, defining madness as a social disease, impacting art and mental health.
Abstract
Abstract This article analyzes how psychopharmacology transformed the relationship between art and psychiatry. It outlines a novel genealogy of art...