Mystical experiences during magnesium-Ibogaine are associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms in veterans.

Among 30 male Veterans with traumatic brain injury from repeated blast/combat exposures, those who reported more intense mystical experiences during magnesium-ibogaine therapy showed larger reductions in PTSD severity both immediately and one month after treatment. Greater mystical experience intensity was also linked to larger reductions in peak alpha frequency one month later. The findings suggest that mystical experiences may contribute to improvements in PTSD following magnesium-ibogaine and may relate to persisting decreases in peak alpha frequency.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Ibogaine is an atypical psychedelic that evokes unique subjective effects, including mystical experiences. Mystical experiences have shown a mediating effect on clinical improvements following treatment with several psychedelic substances; however, the relationship between mystical experiences and clinical outcomes following ibogaine remains unclear. We examined the association between mystical experiences during ibogaine and subsequent changes in PTSD severity. We also explored the relationship between mystical experiences and several electroencephalography (EEG) measures found to underlie some of ibogaine's therapeutic effects. Our study included 30 male Veterans with traumatic brain injury from repeated blast/combat exposures who underwent magnesium-ibogaine therapy. We assessed mystical experiences post-treatment using the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ30). PTSD severity and resting-state EEG assessments occurred at baseline and immediately and 1-month post-treatment. In linear mixed models, we used the time by MEQ30 interaction to assess the relationship between MEQ30 and changes in PTSD severity and EEG measures after treatment. Participants reporting greater intensity of mystical experiences following magnesium-ibogaine exhibited larger reductions in PTSD both immediately and one month after treatment (time by MEQ30 interaction for change from baseline: immediate post-treatment Badj = -5.89, padj < 0.001; 1-month post-treatment Badj = -4.45, padj = 0.007). Greater intensity of mystical experiences was also associated with larger reductions in peak alpha frequency one month after treatment (Badj = -0.38, padj = 0.006). These findings suggest that mystical experiences may contribute to improvements in PTSD following magnesium-ibogaine. Greater mystical experiences during ibogaine treatment may also be related to persisting decreases in peak alpha frequency.