Update of the Altered States Database (ASDB): 2023-12-31
Kasey Devitt, Johanna Prugger, Tim Hirschfeld, Timo Torsten Schmidt
May 3, 2024 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/ge93w via OpenAlex
Summary
The Altered States Database (ASDB) now includes data from 13 journal articles published in 2023, contributing to a total of 198 articles and 847 datasets. This update features various psychometric tools assessing altered states of consciousness, including the 11-Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale, the 5D-ASC, the Mystical Experience Questionnaire, and the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory. The database provides access to information on 22 substances and 13 techniques for inducing altered states.
Study at a glance
| Design | systematic review |
|---|---|
| Population | psychometric questionnaire data related to altered states of consciousness |
| Key finding | The ASDB has been updated to include data from 13 new journal articles and now contains a total of 198 articles and 847 datasets. |
Abstract
The open data initiative Altered States Database (ASDB) collects psychometric questionnaire data on the subjective experiences of pharmacologically and non-pharmacologically induced altered states of consciousness. The ASDB is updated yearly and can be utilized by both researchers and non-scientists to access information or undertake further work on the data. The current update adds data published in the year 2023, taken from a systematic literature review adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 454 items were screened, resulting in 13 included journal articles, of which ten report on the 11-Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (11-ASC), eight on the 5D-ASC, six on the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30), and one on the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI). Cumulatively, the ASDB now contains data on 22 substances and 13 techniques to induce altered states (plus control substances/techniques), incorporating 198 journal articles and 847 single datasets. The ASDB can be accessed on www.asdb.info and on Open Science Framework (OSF; https://osf.io/8mbru).