Set and Setting: A Randomized Study of Different Musical Genres in Supporting Psychedelic Therapy.
Justin C. Strickland, A. Garcia-Romeu, Matthew W. Johnson
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science December 29, 2020 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00187.s001 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsilocybin, a serotonin 2A receptor agonist, shows promise as a psychiatric treatment, but little is known about how session context ("set and setting") affects outcomes. In a study on smoking cessation, ten participants received psilocybin (20–30 mg/70 kg) in two sessions, each with a different musical genre—Western classical or overtone-based—in counterbalanced order. Mystical experience scores tended to be higher during overtone-based sessions. Six of ten participants chose overtone-based music for a third session. Biologically confirmed smoking abstinence was similar between groups, with a slight benefit for those choosing overtone-based music (66.7% versus 50%). The findings question whether Western classical music typically used in psychedelic therapy is uniquely beneficial.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Within-subjects experimental study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Participants in a psilocybin study for tobacco smoking cessation |
| Interventions | Psilocybin Western classical music overtone-based music |
| Dose | 20-30 mg/70 kg |
| Duration | Two sessions (plus a third session for those who chose) |
| Keywords | Psychology Medicine |
| Key finding | Mystical experience scores tended to be higher in overtone-based music sessions than in Western classical music sessions, and smoking abstinence rates were similar with a slight benefit for those choosing overtone-based music (66.7% versus 50%). |
Abstract
Mounting evidence supports the serotonin 2A receptor agonist psilocybin as a psychiatric pharmacotherapy. Little research has experimentally examined how session "set and setting" impacts subjective and therapeutic effects. We analyzed the effects of the musical genre played during sessions of a psilocybin study for tobacco smoking cessation. Participants (N = 10) received psilocybin (20-30 mg/70 kg) in two sessions, each with a different musical genre (Western classical versus overtone-based), with the order counterbalanced. Participants chose one genre for a third session (30 mg/70 kg). Mystical experiences scores tended to be higher in overtone-based sessions than in Western classical sessions. Six of ten participants chose the overtone-based music for a third session. Biologically confirmed smoking abstinence was similar based on musical choice, with a slight benefit for participants choosing the overtone-based playlist (66.7% versus 50%). These data call into question whether Western classical music typically used in psychedelic therapy holds a unique benefit. Broadly, we call for experimentally examining session components toward optimizing psychedelic therapeutic protocols.