People who suffer damage to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) report markedly more mystical experiences—subjectively believed encounters with a supernatural world—than healthy controls. In a study of 116 Vietnam veterans with penetrating traumatic brain injury and 32 matched controls, lesions to frontal and temporal brain regions, especially the dlPFC and middle/superior temporal cortex, were linked with greater mysticism. Pre-injury data on general intelligence and executive performance rule out individual differences as an explanation. The findings indicate that executive functioning in the dlPFC causally helps down-regulate mystical experiences, supporting earlier speculation that executive brain functions underpin such experiences.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, people are using psychedelic substances without clinical supervision to address health and wellbeing issues, often after other treatments have failed. Interviews with 34 individuals who self-administered psychedelics for health reasons revealed personalized strategies aimed at improving efficacy and reducing harm. Participants reported positive outcomes, including symptom remission for various clinical disorders and general psychological improvements. The phenomenon raises concerns for clinical practice and suggests aspects of naturalistic use that future clinical trials could explore more systematically.