Journal of Psychopharmacology
April 1, 2021
Ari Brouwer, Robin Lester Carhart-Harris
147 citations
A new construct called the 'pivotal mental state' is defined as a hyper-plastic state that enables rapid and deep learning, potentially mediating psychological transformation. These states are argued to serve an evolutionary function, aiding adaptation when environmental pressures demand change. Chronic stress and neurotic traits are identified as primers, while acute stress can trigger the state. Activity at the serotonin 2A receptor, as seen with psychedelics, can robustly induce pivotal mental states, but the capacity for such states is proposed as an inherent property of the human brain. The model links increased serotonin 2A receptor signaling to a hyper-plastic brain state, enhanced associative learning, and psychological transformation.
J Psychopharmacol
August 1, 2022
Victoria Amalie Nygart, Lis Marie Pommerencke, Eline Haijen et al.
73 citations
Depressive symptoms decreased two and four weeks after a psychedelic experience in a naturalistic, non-clinical setting. The study tracked a large group of people who planned to use psychedelics outside a lab or clinic, including only those with depressive symptoms at the start. A medicinal motive, prior psychedelic use, drug dose, and having an emotional breakthrough during the experience were all linked to greater symptom reductions. The authors note potential sample and attrition biases and call for further controlled and observational studies to confirm the findings.
Health Psychol Open
July 1, 2020
Sam Gandy, Matthias Forstmann, Robin Lester Carhart-Harris et al.
64 citations
Contact with nature and psychedelic administration may work together to improve mental health. The authors suggest that these two experiences share psychological mechanisms—such as awe, connectedness, and reduced ego—that could amplify each other's positive effects. The paper reviews existing evidence and proposes that combining psychedelic therapy with nature-based interventions might enhance therapeutic outcomes. This synergistic approach could offer new avenues for treating mental health conditions, though the authors call for further empirical research to test these ideas directly.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 1, 2013
Robin Lester Carhart-Harris, David John Nutt
55 citations
Experienced drug users who have personally used 11 different illicit drugs rank alcohol and tobacco as the most harmful substances, while MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, and cannabis are ranked as the four least harmful. When asked about potential benefits, these same four drugs are ranked highest, and users cite therapeutic applications—such as tools to assist psychotherapy—rather than just pleasure. The findings offer insight from a rare sample of 93 users with intimate knowledge of multiple drugs.
Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry
June 7, 2024
Nadhrah Izmi, Robin Lester Carhart-Harris, Hannes Kettner
23 citations
Adolescents aged 16–24 who self-initiated a psychedelic experience showed significant improvements in psychological well-being four weeks later, with a clinically meaningful average increase of 3.3 points on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale—similar to changes seen in adults aged 25 and older. However, adolescents reported more challenging acute effects and ego-dissolution, and a higher prevalence of visual symptoms resembling hallucinogen persisting perceptual disorder (73.5% vs. 34.2% in adults), though only one adolescent found these distressing. These findings suggest psychedelic interventions could benefit adolescents but require special attention to risks and treatment design.
Sebastian Hübner, Eline Haijen, Mendel Kaelen et al.
2 citations
Younger age, lower educational levels, lower conscientiousness, and higher extraversion predict dropout in web-based prospective studies of psychedelic use. Baseline attitudes toward psychedelics and the intensity of acute challenging experiences do not predict attrition. These demographic and personality predictors align with those found in longitudinal research in other fields, suggesting that concerns about bias from psychedelic advocacy or negative drug experiences may be less problematic than previously thought.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
July 1, 2022
Drummond E-Wen Mcculloch, Gitte Moos Knudsen, Frederick Streeter Barrett et al.
A large group of psychedelic imaging researchers reviewed 42 articles from 17 unique studies that used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine psychedelic effects. They found that nearly all studies varied in data processing and analysis methods, two datasets underpin over half of the published literature, and key outcome terms are used ambiguously. The authors recommend guidelines to improve consistency and replicability in future research, arguing that the field must balance novel methods with standardized approaches to reliably understand the neural mechanisms of psychedelics.