The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics Are Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects
This perspective paper (2020) argues that the subjective experience of psychedelics is necessary for enduring therapeutic outcomes.
Authors
- Roland Griffiths
- David Yaden
Published
Abstract
Classic psychedelics produce altered states of consciousness that individuals often interpret as meaningful experiences. Across a number of human studies, when the participant-rated intensity of the overall drug effects are statistically controlled for, certain subjective effects predict therapeutic and other desirable outcomes. Underlying neurobiological mechanisms are likely necessary but not sufficient to confer full and enduring beneficial effects. We propose that the subjective effects of psychedelics are necessary for their enduring beneficial effects and that these subjective effects account for the majority of their benefit.
Research Summary of 'The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics Are Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects'
Introduction
Classic psychedelics are a chemically diverse group of compounds that act as partial agonists at 5-HT2A serotonin receptors and elicit distinctive subjective effects. The authors note that substances such as psilocybin, DMT (as in ayahuasca), mescaline and LSD have low toxicity and limited abuse liability, and that several recent clinical studies have reported favourable outcomes when these drugs are given under supportive conditions. A central unresolved question is the mechanism of therapeutic action: whether underlying neurobiological changes (for example, enhanced neural plasticity or brain network reorganisation) are sufficient, or whether the first-person subjective experiences engendered by moderate-to-high doses are necessary to produce enduring benefit in humans. Yaden and colleagues set out to argue that certain acute subjective effects are necessary for the full and lasting therapeutic and otherwise beneficial outcomes of psychedelics in humans. They frame this position against an alternative view that regards subjective effects as epiphenomena, summarise psychometric and clinical evidence bearing on the question, and propose a critical experimental test (a thought experiment involving administration under deep anaesthesia) to adjudicate whether subjective experience is essential for durable therapeutic benefit.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Full Text PDF
Full Paper PDF
Create a free account to open full-text PDFs.
Study Details
- Study Typemeta
- Journal
- Topic
- Authors
- APA Citation
Yaden, D. B., & Griffiths, R. R. (2021). The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics Are Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, 4(2), 568-572. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00194
References (23)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Nichols, D. E. · Pharmacological Reviews (2016)
Vollenweider, F. X., Vollenweider-Scherpenhuyzen, M. F. I., Bäbler, A. et al. · NeuroReport (1998)
Johnson, M. W., Hendricks, P. S., Barrett, F. S. et al. · Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2019)
Bogenschutz, M. P., Forcehimes, A. A., Pommy, J. A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Ross, S., Bossis, A. P., Guss, J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, M., Rucker, J. et al. · Lancet Psychiatry (2016)
Johnson, M. W., Garcia-Romeu, A., Cosimano, M. P. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2014)
Ly, C., Greb, A. C., Cameron, L. P. et al. · Cell Reports (2018)
Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Neuropharmacology (2018)
Show all 23 referencesShow fewer
Belser, A. B., Agin-Liebes, G. I., Swift, T. C. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2017)
Noorani, T., Garcia-Romeu, A., Swift, T. C. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2018)
Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., Mccann, U. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2006)
Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2011)
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)
Barrett, F. S., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2015)
Roseman, L., Nutt, D. J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
Carbonaro, T. M., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Psychopharmacology (2020)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Davis, A. K., Fire Erowid et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2019)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Davis, A. K., Griffiths, R. R. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2020)
Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (2020)
Cited By (119)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Mallevays, M., Fuet, L., Danon, M. et al. · MedRvix (2026)
Henningfield, J. E., Barrett, F. S., Evans, S. M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2026)
Schlomberg, J. T. T., Meling, D., Grylka, R. et al. · Scientific Reports (2026)
Jacobs, E., Zahid, Z., Hinkle, J. et al. · BMJ (2026)
Goldy, S. P., Sepeda, N. D., Hilbert, S. N. et al. · Psychiatry Research (2026)
Lewis-Healey, E., Pallavicini, C., Cavanna, F. et al. · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (2025)
Perkins, D., Halman, A., Urokohara, A. et al. · Scientific Reports (2025)
Ermakova, A. O., Dunbar, F., Seynaeve, M. et al. · Scientific Reports (2025)
Aarrestad, I. K., Cameron, L. P., Fenton, E. M. et al. · Nature Neuroscience (2025)
Calnan, M., Blest-Hopley, G., Busch, C. et al. · Brain and Behavior (2025)
Show all 119 papersShow fewer
Brudner, R. M., Kaczmarek, E., Blainey, M. G. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2025)
Reckweg, J. T., Mason, N. L., Theunissen, E. L. et al. · Frontiers in Psychology (2025)
Stoliker, D., Novelli, L., Khajehnejad, M. et al. · Biorxiv (2025)
Brouwer, A., Brown, J., Erowid, E. et al. · npj Mental Health Research (2025)
Hinkle, J. T., Graziosi, M., Nayak, S. et al. · JAMA Psychiatry (2024)
McAlpine, R., Kamboj, S. K. · Scientific Reports (2024)
Fleury, S., Nautiyal, K. M. · Biorxiv (2024)
Petridis, P. D., Grinband, J., Agin-Liebes, G. et al. · Nature Mental Health (2024)
Stroud, J., Rice, C., Orsini, A. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2024)
Bonnelle, V., Feilding, A., Rosas, F. E. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2024)
Calder, A. E., Rausch, B., Liechti, M. E. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2024)
Nicholas, C. R., Banks, M. I., Lennertz, R. L. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)
Yaden, D. B., Goldy, S. P., Weiss, B. et al. · Nature Reviews Psychology (2024)
McGovern, H., Grimmer, H. J., Doss, M. K. et al. · Communications Psychology (2024)
Stoliker, D., Novelli, L., Vollenweider, F. X. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2024)
Neitzke-Spruill, L., Beit, C., Robinson, J. et al. · Neuroethics (2024)
Aday, J. S., Boehnke, K. F., Herberholz, M. et al. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2024)
Letheby, C. · Neuroethics (2024)
Juliani, A., Chelu, V., Graesser, L. et al. · Biorxiv (2024)
Cherniak, A. D., Mikulincer, M., Brulin, J. G. et al. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2024)
Tap, S. C. · Addiction Biology (2024)
Erritzoe, D., Barba, T., Spriggs, M. J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2024)
Levin, A. W., Lancelotta, R., Sepeda, N. D. et al. · PLOS ONE (2024)
Weiss, B., Leor Roseman, •., Giribaldi, B. et al. · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2024)
Gründer, G., Brand, M., Mertens, L. J. et al. · Lancet Psychiatry (2024)
Pasquini, L., Simon, A. J., Gallen, C. L. et al. · Biorxiv (2024)
Timmermann, C., Zeifman, R. J., Erritzoe, D. et al. · Scientific Reports (2024)
Palmisano, V. F., Agnorelli, C., Fagiolini, A. et al. · Biochemistry (2024)
Borkel, L. F., Rojas-Hernández, J., Henríquez-Hernández, L. A. et al. · Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology (2023)
David, J., Bouso, J. C., Kohek, M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2023)
Cruz, L., Tófoli, L.F., Araújo, D. B. et al. · Scientific Reports (2023)
Cameron, L. P., Benetatos, J., Lewis, V. et al. · Journal of Neuroscience (2023)
Luan, L. X., Eckernäs, E., Ashton, M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)
Haikazian, S., Chen-Li, D., Johnson, D. et al. · Psychiatry Research (2023)
Jaster, A. M., González-Maeso, J. · Molecular Psychiatry (2023)
Eckernäs, E., Koomen, J., Timmermann, |. C. et al. · Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology (2023)
Pereira, L. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
Heifets, B. D., Olson, D. E. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
Lawrence, D. W., Timmermann, C. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2023)
Tiwari, P., Sayali, C., Doss, M. K. et al. · Psychedelic Medicine (2023)
Moliner, R., Girych, M., Brunello, C. A. et al. · Nature Neuroscience (2023)
Newton, K., Moreton, S. G. · Ecopsychology (2023)
Prugger, J., Hirschfeld, T., Majic, T. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
Sjöstedt-Hughes, P. · Frontiers in Psychology (2023)
Kopra, E., Ferris, J. A., Winstock, A. R. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)
Lewis, V., Bonniwell, E. M., Lanham, J. K. et al. · Cell Reports (2023)
Kaup, K. K., Vasser, M., Tulver, K. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2023)
Nikolaidis, A., Lancelotta, R., Gukasyan, N. et al. · Journal of Affective Disorders (2023)
Ponomarenko, P., Seragnoli, F., Calder, A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)
Mathai, D. S., Nayak, S., Yaden, D. B. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2023)
Moreton, S. G., Arena, A. F., Foy, Y. et al. · Death Studies (2023)
Timmermann, C., Vollenweider, F. X. · Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2023)
Modlin, N. L., Miller, T. M., Rucker, J. J. et al. · Journal of Affective Disorders (2023)
Cameron, L. P., Patel, S. D., Vargas, M. V. et al. · ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2023)
Peterson, A., Largent, E. A., Sisti, D. et al. · AJOB Neuroscience (2022)
Rodríguez-Cano, B. J., Kohek, M., Ona, G. et al. · Drug and Alcohol Review (2022)
Aqil, M., Roseman, L. · Neuropharmacology (2022)
Glazer', J., Murray, C. H., Nusslock', R. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Kwan, A. C., Olson, D. E., Preller, K. H. et al. · Nature Medicine (2022)
Gattuso, J. J., Perkins, D., Ruffell, S. G. D. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Thal, S. B., Wieberneit, M., Sharbanee, J. M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Cruzat, J., Perl, Y. S., Escrichs, A. et al. · Network Neuroscience (2022)
Bogenschutz, M. P., Ross, S., Bhatt, S. R. et al. · JAMA Psychiatry (2022)
Eckernäs, E., Timmermann, C., Carhart-Harris, R. et al. · Clinical and Translational Science (2022)
Kałużna, A., Schlosser, M., Gulliksen Craste, E. et al. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2022)
Herrmann, Z., Earleywine, M., De Leo, J. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2022)
Calder, A. E., Hasler, G. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Lerer, L. B., Varia, J. · Frontiers in Space Travel (2022)
Stoliker, D., Egan, G. F., Friston, K. J. et al. · Pharmacological Reviews (2022)
Swee, M. B., Nayak, S., Hurwitz, E. et al. · PLOS ONE (2022)
Watts, R., Kettner, H., Gandy, S. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2022)
Moreton, S. G., Burden-Hill, A., Menzies, R. E. · Clinical Psychologist (2022)
Hipólito, I., Mago, J., Rosas, F. E. et al. · Psyarxiv (2022)
Knight, G., Rucker, J., Cleare, A. J. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2022)
Friedman, S. F., Ballentine, G. · Biorxiv (2022)
Belser, A. B. · Frontiers in Psychology (2022)
Doss, M. K., de Wit, H., Gallo, D. A. · Psyarxiv (2022)
Whitney, S., Yaden, D. B., Lipson, J. et al. · Frontiers in Psychology (2022)
Orłowski, P., Ruban, A., Szczypiński, J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Murphy, R., Murphy-Beiner, A., Kettner, H. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022)
Madrid-Gambin, F., Gomez-Gomez, A., Busquets-Garcia, A. et al. · Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (2022)
McCulloch, D. E-W., Madsen, M. K., Jensen, P. S. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022)
Reckweg, J., Uthaug, M. V., Szabo, A. et al. · Journal of Neurochemistry (2022)
Barker, S. A. · Psychopharmacology (2022)
Olson, D. E. · Biochemistry (2022)
Glynos, N. G., Pierce, J., Davis, A. K. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2022)
Strickland, J. C., Johnson, M. W. · Advances in Pharmacology (2022)
Stoliker, D., Novelli, L., Vollenweider, F. X. et al. · MedRvix (2021)
Dursun, S. M., Kelly, J. R., Gillan, C. M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Olson, D. E. · Journal of Neurochemistry (2021)
Aday, J. S., Heifets, B. D., Pratscher, S. D. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2021)
Yaden, D. B., Berghella, A. P., Regier, P. S. et al. · International Journal of Drug Policy (2021)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Darcy, S., Jackson, H. et al. · Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences (2021)
Nichols, C. D., Wiatr, K., Figiel, M. et al. · Journal of Neurochemistry (2021)
van Oorsouw, K., Uthaug, M. V., Mason, N. L. et al. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2021)
De La, M., Revenga, F., Zhu, B. et al. · Cell Reports (2021)
Rodríguez Arce, J. M., Winkelman, M. J. · Frontiers in Psychology (2021)
Yehuda, R., Lepow, L., Morishita, H. · Frontiers in Neuroscience (2021)
Earp, B. D., Repantis, D., Langlitz, N. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Kočárová, C., Horacek, J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Shao, L-X,, Liao, C., Gregg, I. et al. · Neuron (2021)
Corrigan, K., Haran, M., Mccandliss, C. et al. · Irish Journal of Medical Science (2021)
Lewis-Healey, E., Laukkonen, R., Van Elk, M. · Psyarxiv (2021)
Gründer, G., Jungaberle, H., Gründer, G. · Pharmacopsychiatry (2021)
Dong, C., Ly, C., Dunlap, L. E. et al. · Cell (2021)
Hesselgrave, N., Troppoli, T. A., Wulff, A. B. et al. · PNAS (2021)
Olson, D. E. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2021)
Aday, J. S., Davis, A. K., Mitzkovitz, C. M. et al. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2021)
Olson, D. E. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2020)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.