328 results for "Phenomenology"
Emerging strategies and clinical recommendations for the management of novel depression subtypes.
Expert review of neurotherapeutics – April 01, 2025
Summary
Depression manifests differently today due to modern pressures and social changes. New research reveals distinct subtypes, including early-onset depression in youth, cases linked to social disconnection, and those complicated by substance use disorders. Treatment success comes from matching approaches to specific needs - combining traditional antidepressants with targeted interventions like specialized therapy and newer options such as ketamine for resistant cases.
Abstract
The phenomenology of depression is characterized by a wide array of emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms that significantly disrupt an indiv...
"This is you teaching you:" Exploring providers' perspectives on experiential learning and enhancing patient safety and outcomes in ketamine-assisted therapy.
PloS one – January 01, 2024
Summary
Personal experience with psychedelics significantly enhances therapists' ability to support patients during ketamine therapy, according to healthcare providers at leading wellness clinics. Through in-depth interviews with eight trained therapists, researchers found that firsthand psychedelic experience helped practitioners better understand their clients' journeys and build stronger therapeutic relationships. Providers emphasized that formal experiential training would improve patient safety and treatment outcomes.
Abstract
This study explores therapists' perspectives on experiential learning, competencies, and training in ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT), a form of psy...
Amazonian Ayahuasca and Mental Health Outcomes
CORE – June 17, 2024
Summary
Traditional Amazonian plant medicine shows promising effects on mental well-being and personal growth. Analysis of retreat participants revealed significant improvements in depression, anxiety, and stress levels after ceremonial use. The brew's unique combination of natural compounds appears to promote positive personality changes and deeper connection to nature, while participants reported meaningful psychological insights during sessions. Results suggest careful, traditional administration may offer therapeutic benefits.
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic plant brew originating from the Amazon Rainforest. It is formed from two basic components, the Banisteriopsis caapi vine...
Psychotherapists’ altered states of consciousness
Consciousness, Spirituality & Transpersonal Psychology – October 15, 2020
Summary
During therapy sessions, practitioners sometimes experience profound shifts in consciousness while deeply connecting with clients. These powerful moments occur when therapists remain fully present and open to their clients' essence. Research with both experienced therapists and advanced students found these altered states enhanced healing outcomes and fostered professional growth. The intense experiences strengthened therapeutic relationships and improved treatment effectiveness.
Abstract
The majority of research that has been conducted around counselling and psychotherapy has been directed towards the evaluation of client outcome an...
Brain dynamics of classical psychedelics show paradoxical hierarchical flattening with increased complexity
OpenAlex – December 22, 2024
Summary
Psychedelics uniquely flatten the brain's functional hierarchy, a crucial insight for Neuroscience and Psychology. Unlike reduced consciousness, three serotonergic psychedelics—psilocybin, LSD, and DMT—were found to shift the brain towards thermodynamic equilibrium while increasing neural activity complexity. This discovery, vital for Cognitive science and Cognitive psychology, and Psychedelics and Drug Studies, suggests a distinct mechanism. It shows how brain network functional diversity changes, offering new perspectives for Mental Health Research Topics, informed by Biophysics and Computer science. This work refines our understanding of consciousness.
Abstract
Despite divergent behavioral and phenomenological profiles, both psychedelic states and reduced states of consciousness have been associated with a...
Out of body experiences: Scoping review.
Explore (New York, N.Y.) – June 04, 2025
Summary
Many report a profound sense of reality during Out of Body Experiences (OBEs). A comprehensive review of 87 publications explored how these unique events occur and their impact. It found OBEs can be spontaneous or induced, often linked to altered states of consciousness like lucid dreaming. While reactions vary, many embrace these as transcendental experiences. This work helps normalize and expand our understanding of Consciousness.
Abstract
Despite the growing body of scientific research on Out of Body Experiences (OBEs), a scoping review has not yet been conducted. A search was conduc...
Effects of psychedelics on human oscillatory brain activity.
International review of neurobiology – January 01, 2025
Summary
Psychedelic compounds profoundly reorganize brain activity. Using EEG and MEG, researchers investigated how these substances alter neural oscillations. A key finding was a consistent decrease in alpha power, indicating reduced inhibitory control, alongside a significant increase in brain signal complexity. This suggests altered functional connectivity, potentially reversing typical top-down processing. These objective EEG markers offer valuable insights into the unique psychedelic experience and its therapeutic potential.
Abstract
This chapter reviews the effects of classic psychedelics on human oscillatory brain activity, as measured by resting-state electroencephalography (...
Human neuroimaging: fMRI.
International review of neurobiology – January 01, 2025
Summary
The human brain's connectivity profoundly shifts under psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT, revealing insights into their unique effects. Neuroimaging, specifically functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), shows these substances acutely disrupt normal resting-state patterns. This neuropsychopharmacology research suggests these fMRI-observed changes are closely linked to both the characteristic subjective experiences and positive long-term emotional impacts. This deepens our understanding of psychedelics and aids in developing new treatments.
Abstract
Human neuroimaging with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging has been a key feature of the current wave of psychedelic research, in both healthy a...
Should we skip the trip? Clinical implications of psychedelic-associated subjective effects and the potential role of non-hallucinogenic alternatives.
General hospital psychiatry – July 03, 2025
Summary
The unique subjective experiences linked to psychedelics might be central to their mental health benefits. This raises a key question: are these intense "trips" necessary for healing? Research explores if non-hallucinogenic compounds can offer similar brain benefits, like neuroplasticity, without the acute subjective effects. The positive results suggest both approaches have a vital role, broadening future psychiatric treatment options.
Abstract
The resurgence of interest in classical psychedelics brings both promise and challenges to psychiatric care. Increasing evidence supports the thera...
‘Mind-Revealing’ Psychedelic States: Psychological Processes in Subjective Experiences That Drive Positive Change
Psychoactives – September 27, 2024
Summary
Beyond chemical effects, it's the *experience* during altered states of consciousness that truly drives healing. A review explored how subjective phenomena, including those from psychedelic substances or breathwork, foster therapeutic change. Findings highlight that mystical experiences, alongside insight and emotional breakthroughs, are crucial for positive mental health outcomes. This suggests psychology must embrace personal subjective realities for effective psychedelic-assisted therapy, enhancing mental health.
Abstract
This narrative review explores the utilization of psychedelic states in therapeutic contexts, deliberately shifting the focus from psychedelic subs...
What motivates spiritual health practitioners in psychedelic-assisted therapy? A qualitative study and implications for facilitator training practices
Psychedelics – April 29, 2025
Summary
Intriguingly, spiritual care providers in psychedelic therapy are often driven by profound personal experiences. A qualitative investigation of 15 practitioners revealed that direct encounters with psychedelics frequently sparked their initial interest. They find deep fulfillment and personal growth by witnessing patient healing. This personal insight is invaluable, and robust facilitator training emphasizing self-reflection ensures objective, high-quality spiritual care for patient well-being.
Abstract
Spiritual health practitioners (SHPs), also known as healthcare chaplains, are increasingly involved in facilitating psychedelic-assisted therapies...
Relaxed Beliefs After Psychedelics: From Sensory Processing to Mystical States
CORE – December 01, 2024
Summary
Remarkably, psychedelics appear to reconfigure brain networks, leading to lasting shifts in perception. Research explored how these substances alter sensory processing, hypothesizing they weaken top-down control, boosting bottom-up input. Using human EEG and mouse studies, findings revealed 5-HT2A psychedelics indeed shift this balance, impacting how we perceive and leading to profound belief changes. These positive results contribute to their therapeutic effects. Distinct brain network changes were observed with 5-MeO-DMT. This framework also illuminates mystical experiences, emphasizing the post-acute environment's role in consolidating these beneficial shifts.
Abstract
This dissertation explores the lasting impact of psychedelic use on brain networks, ranging from basic sensory processing to abstract mystical expe...
Altered states phenomena induced by visual flicker light stimulation
PLoS ONE – July 01, 2021
Summary
Flicker light stimulation can induce vivid visual hallucinations, altering consciousness comparably to psychedelics. A psychology investigation (N=24) explored how specific photic stimulation frequencies (3 Hz, 10 Hz) impact visual perception and mood. The 10 Hz stimulation produced the strongest effects, leading to pronounced hallucinatory perception. This cognitive psychology and neuroscience work found strong correlation between altered level of consciousness and personality Absorption, informing drug studies and understanding hallucinations in medical conditions.
Abstract
Flicker light stimulation can induce short-term alterations in consciousness including hallucinatory color perception and geometric patterns. In th...
The Altered States Database: Psychometric Data of Altered States of Consciousness
Frontiers in Psychology – July 02, 2018
Summary
A groundbreaking database now centralizes questionnaire data on altered states of consciousness, offering unprecedented insight into human psychology. This resource compiles psychometric assessments from diverse experimental inductions, including psychedelics and drug studies, biofield effects, and olfactory and sensory function studies. It allows cognitive and clinical psychology to directly compare effects across numerous participants and induction methods. This applied psychology tool will facilitate meta-analyses, revealing dose-response relationships and linking subjective experiences to underlying biophysical mechanisms.
Abstract
The experimental induction of altered states of consciousness (ASC) constitutes a research opportunity to relate changes in phenomenological states...
What fMRI studies say about the nature of the psychedelic effect: a scoping review
Frontiers in Neuroscience – July 01, 2025
Summary
Psychedelics like psilocybin profoundly reshape brain function, showing promise for mental health. A comprehensive review of dozens of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in neuroscience reveals consistent patterns. These serotonergic compounds induce a "de-differentiation" of brain networks, notably impacting the default mode network, thalamus, and amygdala. This insight from cognitive psychology, leveraging diverse fMRI approaches, highlights ego dissolution's importance, advancing our understanding of how these serotonergic substances influence behavior in drug studies through biochemical analysis.
Abstract
Research on psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, LSD or DMT, is a burgeoning field, with an increasing number of studies showing their promise in...
Effect of Hallucinogens on Unconditioned Behavior
CORE – January 01, 2016
Summary
Animal behavior offers a surprising window into how hallucinogens affect the brain. Researchers explored rodent head twitches, startle responses, and exploratory behavior. These models effectively show how these substances primarily activate specific brain receptors (5-HT2A), consistently mirroring human effects. This provides valuable insights into fundamental mechanisms, bridging molecular action to observable behavior.
Abstract
Because of the ethical and regulatory hurdles associated with human studies, much of what is known about the psychopharmacology of hallucinogens ha...
Ibogaine and Subjective Experience: Transformative States and Psychopharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder.
Journal of psychoactive drugs – January 01, 2019
Summary
Many people seeking help for opioid use disorder experience profound spiritual transformation during a unique oneiric psychedelic drug treatment. This approach explores how the powerful hallucinogen, ibogaine, impacts subjective experience. Researchers observed 44 participants, finding ibogaine often induced "complete mystical experiences" with vivid visions. These led to confronting past actions but also offered release from guilt and worthlessness, highlighting ibogaine's distinct healing capacity beyond mere withdrawal reduction from opioids.
Abstract
This article examines the therapeutic potential of ibogaine, a powerful oneiric alkaloid derived from Tabernanthe iboga, through exploring the subj...
Psychedelics as medicines for substance abuse rehabilitation: evaluating treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca.
Current drug abuse reviews – January 01, 2014
Summary
Despite historical prohibitions, certain psychedelics show remarkable promise for addiction recovery. Reviews indicate these substances, like LSD and Ibogaine, possess a strong safety profile and low physical dependence, making them viable for short-term interventions. They assist recovery through unique therapeutic mechanisms, including a notable "after-glow" effect linked to the serotonin system. This offers a compelling new avenue for addiction treatment.
Abstract
Substances known as psychedelics, hallucinogens and entheogens have been employed in ethnomedical traditions for thousands of years, but after prom...
Dynamic brain states underlying advanced concentrative absorption meditation: A 7-T fMRI-intensive case study.
Network neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) – January 01, 2025
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Advanced meditation consists of states and stages of practice that unfold with mastery and time. Dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) analysis of ...
Traumatic Psychedelic Experiences.
Current topics in behavioral neurosciences – April 29, 2025
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Psychedelic experiences involving extreme feelings of horror, helplessness, and perceived threats can be traumatizing. Traumatic psychedelic experi...
The Persistent Paradox of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REMS): Brain Waves and Dreaming.
Brain sciences – June 21, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
The original conceptualization of REM sleep as paradoxical sleep was based on its EEG resembling wakefulness and its association with dreaming. Ove...
Out-of-body experiences in relation to lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis: A theoretical review and conceptual model.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews – August 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are characterized by the subjective experience of being located outside the physical body. Little is known about the...
Sleep and dream disturbances associated with dissociative experiences.
Consciousness and cognition – July 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Some dissociative experiences may be related, in part, to REM intrusion into waking consciousness. If so, some aspects of dream content may be asso...
Neuropsychopharmacological Induction of (Lucid) Dreams: A Narrative Review.
Brain sciences – April 25, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Lucid dreaming (LD) is a physiological state of consciousness that occurs when dreamers become aware that they are dreaming, and may also control t...
Clarifying and measuring the characteristics of experiences that involve a loss of self or a dissolution of its boundaries.
Consciousness and cognition – March 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Mystical experience, non-dual awareness, selflessness, self-transcendent experience, and ego-dissolution have become increasingly prominent constru...
Touching and being touched: where knowing and feeling meet.
Frontiers in psychology – January 01, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Philosophers maintain that touch confers a sense of reality or grounding to perceptual experience. In touching oneself, one is simultaneously both ...
Ecstatic or Mystical Experience through Epilepsy
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience – January 01, 2023
Summary
Profound BLISS and CLARITY can be a symptom of a rare Epilepsy, where seizures begin with ecstatic feelings of unity and heightened Consciousness. Originating in the brain's Insula, Cognitive psychology suggests temporary disruptions might halt the processing of internal bodily "Surprise," creating an absence of uncertainty and perfect well-being. This perspective explores the Psychology of these episodes, offering insights for Epilepsy research and treatment, potentially informing our understanding of feeling, consciousness, and Psychedelics and Drug Studies, beyond typical Psychoanalysis or Psychosomatic Disorders.
Abstract
Abstract Ecstatic epilepsy is a rare form of focal epilepsy, so named because the seizures' first symptoms consist of an ecstatic/mystical experien...
Visual perspective, distance, and felt presence of others in dreams.
Consciousness and cognition – August 01, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
The peripersonal space, that is, the limited space surrounding the body, involves multisensory coding and representation of the self in space. Prev...
Psychedelic unselfing: self-transcendence and change of values in psychedelic experiences
Frontiers in Psychology – June 14, 2023
Summary
Psychedelics reliably shift personal values, often fostering self-transcendence. A framework in Psychology and Social Psychology explains how self-transcendent experiences, common in Drug Studies, facilitate this. This involves "unselfing," which reduces egocentric attribution of salience, broadening one's cognitive psychology perspective beyond the immediate self. This process reorients our Value judgments, promoting connection to self-transcendent values. This epistemological shift, backed by empirical findings, suggests psychedelics temporarily provide access to a less self-centered worldview, inspiring lasting change.
Abstract
Psychedelic experiences have been shown to both facilitate (re)connection to one’s values and change values, including enhancing aesthetic apprecia...
Awake or Sleeping? Maybe Both… A Review of Sleep-Related Dissociative States.
Journal of clinical medicine – June 06, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Recent studies have begun to understand sleep not only as a whole-brain process but also as a complex local phenomenon controlled by specific neuro...
Benefits and concerns of seeking and experiencing lucid dreams: benefits are tied to successful induction and dream control.
Sleep advances : a journal of the Sleep Research Society – January 01, 2022
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Therapies focused on lucid dreaming could be useful for treating various sleep disorders and other conditions. Still, one major roadblock is the pa...
Topographic-dynamic reorganisation model of dreams (TRoD) - A spatiotemporal approach.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews – May 01, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Dreams are one of the most bizarre and least understood states of consciousness. Bridging the gap between brain and phenomenology of (un)conscious ...
First few seconds for flow: A comprehensive proposal of the neurobiology and neurodynamics of state onset.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews – December 01, 2022
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Flow is a cognitive state that manifests when there is complete attentional absorption while performing a task. Flow occurs when certain internal a...
Psychosis and psychedelics: Historical entanglements and contemporary contrasts.
Transcultural psychiatry – October 01, 2022
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Experiences of psychedelics and psychosis were deeply entangled in scientific practices in the mid-20th century, from uses of psychedelic drugs tha...
Predictive coding, multisensory integration, and attentional control: A multicomponent framework for lucid dreaming.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America – November 01, 2022
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Lucid dreaming (LD) is a mental state in which we realize not being awake but are dreaming while asleep. It often involves vivid, perceptually inte...
Linkages between Psychedelics and Meditation in a Population-Based Sample in the United States.
Journal of psychoactive drugs – January 01, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
There are neurophysiological and phenomenological overlaps between psychedelic and meditative states, but there is little evidence on how exposure ...
Do animals dream?
Consciousness and cognition – October 01, 2021
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
The understanding of biological functions of sleep has improved recently, including an understanding of the deep evolutionary roots of sleep among ...
Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep.
Current biology : CB – April 12, 2021
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Dreams take us to a different reality, a hallucinatory world that feels as real as any waking experience. These often-bizarre episodes are emblemat...
LSD, madness and healing: Mystical experiences as possible link between psychosis model and therapy model.
Psychological medicine – March 01, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
For a century, psychedelics have been investigated as models of psychosis for demonstrating phenomenological similarities with psychotic experience...
Psilocybin-induced changes in brain network integrity and segregation correlate with plasma psilocin level and psychedelic experience.
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology – September 01, 2021
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
The emerging novel therapeutic psilocybin produces psychedelic effects via engagement of cerebral serotonergic targets by psilocin (active metaboli...
Near-Death Experience among Iranian Muslim Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Survivors.
Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research – January 01, 2020
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Near-Death Experience (NDE) refers to a broad range of subjective experiences associated with forthcoming death. The majority of Cardiopulmonary Re...
LSD alters dynamic integration and segregation in the human brain.
NeuroImage – February 15, 2021
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Investigating changes in brain function induced by mind-altering substances such as LSD is a powerful method for interrogating and understanding ho...
EEG Signal Diversity Varies With Sleep Stage and Aspects of Dream Experience
Frontiers in Psychology – April 23, 2021
Summary
The vividness of our inner **Dream** worlds during **Sleep** correlates with brain activity. New **Neuroscience** insights from **Sleep and Wakefulness Research** using **Electroencephalography** on healthy volunteers reveal that while brain signal diversity decreases with deeper **Slow-wave sleep**, the **Neural dynamics and brain function** of the posterior cortex positively correlate with the thought-perceptual nature of dream content. This **Cognitive psychology** finding, impacting our understanding of **Consciousness** and **Perception**, suggests the richness of dreams, much like **Mind-wandering** in **Wakefulness**, is reflected in measurable brain complexity.
Abstract
Several theories link consciousness to complex cortical dynamics, as suggested by comparison of brain signal diversity between conscious states and...
The Dream of God: How Do Religion and Science See Lucid Dreaming and Other Conscious States During Sleep?
Frontiers in psychology – January 01, 2020
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Lucid dreaming (LD) began to be scientifically studied in the last century, but various religions have highlighted the importance of LD in their do...
Dissociation of the subjective and objective bodies: Out-of-body experiences following the development of a posterior cingulate lesion.
Journal of neuropsychology – March 01, 2020
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
An out-of-body experience (OBE) is a phenomenon whereby an individual views his/her body and the world from a location outside the physical body. P...
Flying dreams stimulated by an immersive virtual reality task.
Consciousness and cognition – August 01, 2020
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Despite a high prevalence and broad interest in flying dreams, these exceptional experiences remain infrequent. Our study aimed to (1) induce flyin...
How Psychedelics Modulate Multiple Memory Mechanisms in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Drugs – November 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder with defining abnormalities in memory, and psychedelics may be promising candidates ...
EEG signature of near-death-like experiences during syncope-induced periods of unresponsiveness.
NeuroImage – September 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
During fainting, disconnected consciousness may emerge in the form of dream-like experiences. Characterized by extra-ordinary and mystical features...
Breathwork-induced psychedelic experiences modulate neural dynamics.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) – August 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Breathwork is an understudied school of practices involving intentional respiratory modulation to induce an altered state of consciousness (ASC). W...
Changes in high-order interaction measures of synergy and redundancy during non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by meditation, hypnosis, and auto-induced cognitive trance.
NeuroImage – June 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
High-order interactions are required across brain regions to accomplish specific cognitive functions. These functional interdependencies are reflec...
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...
Personality traits and pattern of beliefs of near-death(-like) experiencers
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience – April 28, 2023
Summary
A compelling finding in psychology reveals that specific personality traits predict near-death experiences (NDEs). Among 181 participants, including 63 NDE experiencers, Openness to experience and Fantasy proneness were linked to NDE recall. Spiritual beliefs, often explored in social psychology, predicted near-death-like experiences. While Big Five personality traits like Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion/introversion were assessed, Openness emerged as a key factor. These insights, relevant to clinical psychology, help classify such phenomena with 35% accuracy, shedding light on the psychological underpinnings of paranormal experiences and beliefs.
Abstract
Introduction Little is known about the potential personality and psychological predictors of near-death experiences (NDEs), and fewer yet those of ...
The living experience of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and spiritual meaning making.
Nursing open – August 01, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
To understand the meaning of surviving out of hospital cardiac arrest and its aftereffects among Greek-speaking survivors. Hermeneutical phenomenol...
Self-Care Practices with Psychedelics - A Qualitative Study of Users' Perspectives.
Journal of psychoactive drugs – January 01, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
This article explores the psychedelic experience from the users' point of view and through the lens of self-care, a concept within the domain of he...
Ancient psychoactive plants in a global village: The ritual use of cannabis in a self-managed community in Catalonia.
The International journal on drug policy – December 01, 2021
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Cannabis is a plant with a rich history of medical, recreational, industrial and spiritual uses. This paper aims to explore drug use rituals as met...
N,N‐dimethyltryptamine and Amazonian ayahuasca plant medicine
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental – February 17, 2022
Summary
Ayahuasca, a potent hallucinogen, shows promise in Medicine for psychological conditions like depression and anxiety. Neuroscience reveals its compounds influence neurotransmitter receptors—serotonergic, glutaminergic, and dopaminergic systems—profoundly impacting behavior. Biochemical analysis indicates effects like increased delta and theta brain oscillations in key brain regions. Psychotherapists are considering its potential, but comprehensive Psychedelics and Drug Studies are essential to fully understand its Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior and integrate this plant medicine into healthcare.
Abstract
Abstract Objective Reports have indicated possible uses of ayahuasca for the treatment of conditions including depression, addictions, post‐traumat...
Electrodynamics of the Psychedelic Experience
Preprints.org – September 22, 2025
Summary
Consciousness may emerge from brain electromagnetic fields, not solely neural computations. Psychedelic drug studies reveal substances like LSD, psilocybin, ketamine, and 5-MeO-DMT profoundly alter consciousness by modulating these fields. Evidence suggests these chemicals act as "field resonance enhancers." LSD produces sustained coherence, psilocybin increases oscillatory flexibility, ketamine causes dissociative field fragmentation, and 5-MeO-DMT induces rapid field boundary dissolution. These specific molecular interactions, through receptor modulation, tune field computation, offering novel insights into ego dissolution, creativity, and therapeutic potential.
Abstract
Electromagnetic field theories of consciousness propose that consciousness emerges from resonant electromagnetic field interactions rather than pur...
Unfolding States of Mind: A Dissociative-Psychedelic Model of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Palliative Care.
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) – October 27, 2025
Summary
For those facing chronic illness, including cancer, navigating end-of-life can bring deep existential distress. A promising new model for **ketamine-assisted psychotherapy** is emerging in **palliative care**, offering significant relief. Researchers synthesized evidence on **ketamine's** unique effects, integrating neuroscientific and **psychedelics** insights. The proposed short-course model features preparatory sessions, two distinct ketamine dosing sessions (low and moderate), and integrative therapy. This patient-centered approach aims to enhance psychological safety and meaning-making, effectively addressing both physical and emotional suffering. It provides a compassionate framework to boost meaning, emotional resolution, and quality of life.
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Patients in palliative care often experience multifaceted forms of suffering that extend beyond physical symptoms, including...
A reappraisal of Teresa of Avila's supposed hysteria.
Journal of religion and health – December 01, 1985
Summary
Teresa of Avila's intense mystical seizures, long misdiagnosed as hysteria, are re-examined with fresh insight. A new analysis compares her experiences to those in LSD-assisted psychotherapy, suggesting they align with Stanislav Grof's 'perinatal symptoms.' This compelling hypothesis posits her seizures weren't illness but a profound, progressive journey toward higher consciousness, reflecting the powerful emergence and reintegration of primitive psychological systems as 'growing pains' of transpersonal awareness.
Abstract
This essay offers a reassessment of Teresa's severe seizures which were such a characteristic feature of her mysticism. The diagnosis of hysteria i...
Survey of subjective "God encounter experiences": Comparisons among naturally occurring experiences and those occasioned by the classic psychedelics psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, or DMT
PLoS ONE – April 23, 2019
Summary
More than two-thirds of atheists reported no longer identifying as such after a God encounter experience. A survey of over 4300 individuals, including those using psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ayahuasca, and other hallucinogens, explored these profound events. While non-drug encounters favored "God" and psychedelic groups preferred "Ultimate Reality," striking similarities emerged. Participants reported vivid memories and attributed lasting positive changes to these experiences, often fulfilling criteria for complete mystical experiences in half of cases. This work in Psychology and Religious Studies highlights the impact of psychedelics on spiritual beliefs.
Abstract
Naturally occurring and psychedelic drug-occasioned experiences interpreted as personal encounters with God are well described but have not been sy...