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Journal of Humanistic Psychology

22 Papers Indexed in Blossom

Published Papers

Open Accessindividual

Participant Experiences of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in a 6-Week Randomised Controlled Trial

In the first qualitative study embedded in a randomised, placebo‑controlled trial, interviews with 40 healthy males who microdosed 10 µg LSD every third day for six weeks identified effects across mood, social life, mindfulness, cognition/creativity and physiology, with overarching themes of increased openness and bidirectional (positive and negative) effects. These findings highlight clinically relevant signals (notably changes in anxiety) that bear on patient and dose selection for mood‑disorder trials and emphasise set, setting and placebo‑related uncertainty as key considerations for psychedelic trial design.

Published
Journal
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Authors
Murphy, R. J., Wardlaw, M., Smith, T., Noorani, T., Evans, W., Reynolds, L., Menkes, D. B., Sumner, R. L., Muthukumaraswamy, S. D.
Open Accessindividual

Increases in Aesthetic Experience Following Ayahuasca Use: A Prospective, Naturalistic Study

In a prospective naturalistic study of 54 retreat attendees, participants showed increased aesthetic experience at one week and one month after an ayahuasca ceremony compared with baseline. These increases were not predicted by acute drug effects (mystical-type experiences, awe, ego dissolution), though the open‑label design limits causal conclusions.

Published
Journal
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Authors
Aday, J. S., Bloesch, E. K., Davis, A. K., Domoff, S. E., Scherr, K., Woolley, J. D., Davoli, C. C., Aesthetic, A.
Open Accessmeta

Dosing and Therapeutic Conduct in Administration Sessions in Substance-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Systematized Review

This systematised review of 82 sources synthesised published guidance on substances, dosages, session structure, music and in-session therapeutic conduct for administration sessions with serotonergic psychedelics and entactogens. It concludes that evidence is largely anecdotal and non-rigorous, leaving essential components of therapeutic interventions tentative and in need of systematic empirical investigation.

Published
Journal
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Authors
Thal, S. B., Wieberneit, M., Sharbanee, J. M., Skeffington, P. M., Bruno, R., Wenge, T., Bright, S. J.
Paywallindividual

Self-Actualization and the Integration of Psychedelic Experience: The Mediating Role of Perceived Benefits to Narrative Self-Functioning

Using cross-sectional data from roughly 750 participants, the study found that perceived benefits to narrative self‑functioning (self‑insight and personal development) mediated the relationship between extent of post‑psychedelic integration and optimal well‑being (self‑actualisation) across clinical and non‑clinical groups, with self‑referential integration techniques showing the strongest indirect effects. These results offer a preliminary eudaimonic model linking integration to well‑being but are correlational and require longitudinal testing to establish causality.

Published
Journal
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Authors
Amada, N., Shane, J.
Paywallindividual

Integration in Psychedelic-Assisted Treatments: Recurring Themes in Current Providers’ Definitions, Challenges, and Concerns

Interviews with 30 integration therapists identified 19 reliably coded themes showing providers view integration as an ongoing, personalised bridge between the psychedelic experience and daily life, alongside common concerns about nonresponsive clients, unrealistic expectations, power differentials and commercialisation. These findings point to needs for standardisation of integration therapy, clearer public expectations, and formalised peer support for practitioners.

Published
Journal
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Authors
Earleywine, M., Low, F., Lau, C., De Leo, J.
Paywallindividual

Presence, Trust, and Empathy: Preferred Characteristics of Psychedelic Carers

Analysing 403 forum posts, the study found that people who use psychedelics outside clinical settings prefer carers who demonstrate presence, trust and empathy. These user-derived insights largely support existing PAP guidelines but highlight “holding space” as a central practice and suggest nonclinical experience can help triangulate and extend treatment principles.

Published
Journal
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Authors
Thal, S., Engels, L. B., Bright, S. J.

Quick Facts

Papers Indexed
22
h-Index
48
Open Access
No
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Country
United States
Website
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