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Bjørn Holmøy

Division of Clinical Mental Health and Addiction, Akershus University Hospital, Norway.

3 papers in the library · 14 citations · publishing 2021-2025

Papers

Have Norwegians tried psilocybin, and do they accept it as a medicine?

Journal of Psychedelic Studies April 16, 2021 Henrik Børsting Jacobsen, Audun Stubhaug, Bjørn Holmøy et al. 10 citations

In a representative sample of the Norwegian population (1,078 respondents), 8% reported having tried psilocybin, and 51% were willing to try it as part of medical treatment. These findings suggest that psilocybin use is more common in Norway than hypothesized, and the public is relatively open to its medical use, which is promising for conducting rigorous clinical trials on psilocybin-assisted treatment in the country.

Adverse reactions among psychedelic users: Norwegian validation of the Challenging Experience Questionnaire

Journal of Psychiatric Research May 26, 2025 Bjørn Holmøy, Tor-Morten Kvam, Kristoffer Andreas Aamodt Andersen et al. 3 citations

A Norwegian translation of the Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) shows strong reliability and validity for assessing adverse psychedelic experiences. An online survey of 729 Norwegian recreational psychedelic users, mostly male (73%) and aged 26–35 (41%), with 90% having used LSD or psilocybin, confirmed the original 7-factor structure. The translated CEQ demonstrated excellent internal consistency (alpha = 0.94) and good overall model fit. The tool also showed factorial invariance across gender and psychiatric status, and convergent validity through relationships between reported difficulty and factors like fear, grief, insanity, and death. This provides Norwegian researchers with a culturally adapted, psychometrically valid tool for evaluating complex adverse reactions to psychedelic use.

Assessment of psychedelic--induced states: Norwegian translation and adaptation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30)

Journal of Psychedelic Studies July 12, 2024 Kristoffer Andreas Aamodt Andersen, Bjørn Holmøy, Lowan H. Stewart 1 citation

A Norwegian version of the Revised Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ30) has been developed through rigorous translation and cultural adaptation methods, including two independent forward translations, one back-translation, pilot testing on six psychedelic users, and cognitive debriefing with six experts. The MEQ30 measures mystical-type experiences induced by classic psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, which may underlie therapeutic effects for mental disorders. The Norwegian MEQ30 is ready for use in future trials in Norway, though its psychometric properties have not yet been assessed.