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Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors

In a randomised, double-blind trial, high-dose psilocybin administered within a meditation and spiritual-practice programme produced enduring (six-month) increases in prosocial attitudes and behaviours and in healthy psychological functioning (e.g. interpersonal closeness, gratitude, meaning, forgiveness, daily spiritual experiences). Lasting change was predicted by the intensity of the psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience and by participants' continued rates of meditation/spiritual practice.

Authors

  • Roland Griffiths
  • Matthew Johnson
  • Frederick Barrett

Published

Journal of Psychopharmacology
individual Study

Abstract

Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences with participant-attributed increases in well-being. However, little research has examined enduring changes in traits. This study administered psilocybin to participants who undertook a program of meditation/spiritual practices. Healthy participants were randomized to three groups (25 each): (1) very low-dose (1 mg/70 kg on sessions 1 and 2) with moderate-level (“standard”) support for spiritual-practice (LD-SS); (2) high-dose (20 and 30 mg/70 kg on sessions 1 and 2, respectively) with standard support (HD-SS); and (3) high-dose (20 and 30 mg/70kg on sessions 1 and 2, respectively) with high support for spiritual practice (HD-HS). Psilocybin was administered double-blind and instructions to participants/staff minimized expectancy confounds. Psilocybin was administered 1 and 2 months after spiritual-practice initiation. Outcomes at 6 months included rates of spiritual practice and persisting effects of psilocybin. Compared with low-dose, high-dose psilocybin produced greater acute and persisting effects. At 6 months, compared with LD-SS, both high-dose groups showed large significant positive changes on longitudinal measures of interpersonal closeness, gratitude, life meaning/purpose, forgiveness, death transcendence, daily spiritual experiences, religious faith and coping, and community observer ratings. Determinants of enduring effects were psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience and rates of meditation/spiritual practices. Psilocybin can occasion enduring trait-level increases in prosocial attitudes/behaviors and in healthy psychological functioning.

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Research Summary of 'Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors'

Introduction

Quantum change experiences are described as sudden, deeply meaningful events that can produce broad, lasting changes in emotions, cognition and behaviour. Earlier experimental work has shown that under supportive conditions psilocybin reliably occasions mystical-type experiences that participants often attribute to enduring improvements in well-being, but prior controlled studies in healthy volunteers have provided limited evidence for persistent changes on well-validated trait measures. The authors note that older clinical reports and recent therapeutic trials (for example in cancer-related distress) suggest potential for longer-term benefits, but systematic, prospective investigation of enduring trait-level changes in healthy people has been sparse. This study sought to test whether psilocybin dose and the intensity of support for a structured programme of meditation and other spiritual practices produce enduring positive changes in prosocial attitudes, behaviours, and psychological functioning. Griffiths and colleagues randomised healthy participants into three groups (very low-dose with standard support; high-dose with standard support; high-dose with high support), administered two double-blind psilocybin sessions about one month apart after initiation of spiritual practices, and assessed acute effects, participant attributions, engagement with spiritual practice, and a battery of longitudinal trait measures up to 6 months after baseline. The design therefore aimed to examine both pharmacological and contextual (practice/support) determinants of lasting change.

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Study Details

References (13)

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