Depressive DisordersAnxiety DisordersTobacco/Nicotine Use Disorder (TUD)Substance Use Disorders (SUD)Healthy Volunteers5-MeO-DMTPsilocybin

Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT and Comparison With a Prior Psilocybin Study

This naturalistic study (n=20) found that the mystical experience (MEQ) of smoking 5-MeO-DMT was comparable to 30mg/70kg of psilocybin (but not 20mg/70kg) from an earlier study.

Authors

  • Alan Davis
  • Rafaelle Lancelotta
  • Joseph Barsuglia

Published

Frontiers in Psychology
individual Study

Abstract

5-MeO-DMT is a psychoactive substance found in high concentrations in the bufotoxin of the Colorado River Toad (Bufo alvarius). Emerging evidence suggests that vaporized 5-MeO-DMT may occasion mystical experiences of comparable intensity to those occasioned by more widely studied psychedelics such as psilocybin, but no empirical study has tested this hypothesis. Data was obtained from 20 individuals (Mage = 38.9, ± 10.7; male = 55%, Caucasian = 85%) who were administered 5-MeO-DMT as part of a psychospiritual retreat program in Mexico. All participants received 50 mg of inhaled vaporized toad bufotoxin which contains 5-MeO-DMT and completed the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) approximately 4-6 h after their session. Administration of 5-MeO-DMT occasioned strong mystical experiences (MEQ30 Overall Mintensity = 4.17, ± 0.64, range 0-5) and the majority (n = 15, 75%) had “a complete mystical experience” (≥60% on all MEQ30 subscales). Compared to a prior laboratory-based psilocybin study, there were no differences in the intensity of mystical effects between 5-MeO-DMT and a high dose (30 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin, but the intensity of mystical effects was significantly higher in the 5-MeO-DMT sample compared to moderate/high dose (20 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin (MEQ30 Total Score: p = 0.02, d = 0.81). Administration of vaporized 5-MeO-DMT reliably occasioned complete mystical experiences in 75% of individuals and was similar in intensity to high dose psilocybin administered in a laboratory setting. The short duration of action may be advantageous for clinical interventions and for studying mystical-type experiences.

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Research Summary of 'Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT and Comparison With a Prior Psilocybin Study'

Introduction

5-MeO-DMT is a psychoactive indolealkylamine found in high concentrations in the bufotoxin of the Colorado River toad (Bufo alvarius), in various plants, and can be synthesised. Earlier work and survey reports have suggested that inhaled 5-MeO-DMT can occasion profound mystical-type experiences that are similar in quality to those produced by better-studied psychedelics such as psilocybin, but with a markedly shorter duration of action. Because mystical experiences occasioned by psilocybin have been linked to therapeutic outcomes in conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance use disorders, understanding the intensity and character of mystical effects induced by 5-MeO-DMT bears on its potential clinical usefulness. Gallimore and colleagues set out to address two primary gaps. First, they aimed to quantify the intensity of acute mystical effects following administration of vaporised bufotoxin containing 5-MeO-DMT in participants attending a residential psychospiritual retreat. Second, they sought to compare those effects with previously reported mystical-effect ratings from a laboratory study in which healthy volunteers received moderate/high and high doses of psilocybin. The authors hypothesised that 5-MeO-DMT would produce moderate-to-strong mystical effects, comparable to high-dose psilocybin and greater than moderate/high-dose psilocybin.

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Study Details

References (13)

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