Low-dose LSD and the stream of thought: Increased Discontinuity of Mind, Deep Thoughts and abstract flow.
Isabel Wießner, Marcelo Falchi, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Amanda Feilding, Sidarta Ribeiro, Natália Bezerra Mota, Draulio B Araujo, Luís Fernando Tófoli
Psychopharmacology June 1, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-06006-3 via PubMed
Summary
LSD significantly alters the stream of thought, enhancing mind-wandering and free association in various ways. In a study with 24 participants, LSD increased chaos in thinking, meaning, and abstract flow, particularly between 2 to 6 hours post-administration. The effects were measured using specific tasks assessing mind-wandering and free association. Notably, the increase in abstract flow was observed at 4 hours after taking LSD, suggesting potential therapeutic benefits during this timeframe.
Study at a glance
| Design | randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | healthy participants |
| Key finding | LSD enhances different facets of mind-wandering and free association, with notable increases in chaos, meaning, and abstract flow observed from 2 to 6 hours after administration. |
Abstract
Stream of thought describes the nature of the mind when it is freely roaming, a mental state that is continuous and highly dynamic as in mind-wandering or free association. Classic serotonergic psychedelics are known to profoundly impact perception, cognition and language, yet their influence on the stream of thought remains largely unexplored. To elucidate the effects of LSD on the stream of thought. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 24 healthy participants received 50 μg lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or inactive placebo. Mind-wandering was measured by the Amsterdam Resting State Questionnaire (ARSQ), free association by the Forward Flow Task (FFT) for three seed word types (animals, objects, abstract words). ARSQ and FFT were assessed at +0 h, +2 h, +4 h, +6 h, +8 h and +24 h after drug administration, respectively. LSD, compared to placebo, induced different facets of mind-wandering we conceptualized as "chaos" (Discontinuity of Mind, decreased Sleepiness, Planning, Thoughts under Control, Thoughts about Work and Thoughts about Past), "meaning" (Deep Thoughts, Not Sharing Thoughts) and "sensation" (Thoughts about Odours, Thoughts about Sounds). LSD increased the FFT for abstract words reflecting an "abstract flow" under free association. Overall, chaos was strongest pronounced (+2 h to +6 h), followed by meaning (+2 h to +4 h), sensation (+2 h) and abstract flow (+4 h). LSD affects the stream of thought within several levels (active, passive), facets (chaos, meaning, sensation, abstractness) and time points (from +2 h to +6 h). Increased chaos, meaning and abstract flow at +4 h indicate the utility of a late therapeutic window in psycholytic therapy.