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.
Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening
December 1, 2025
Bjørn Holmøy, Kristoffer Andreas Aamodt Andersen
3 citations
Psychedelic substance use is increasing, but most research focuses on therapeutic benefits in controlled settings, leaving persistent negative effects from naturalistic use poorly understood. This paper offers a clinically relevant overview of enduring mental health problems after psychedelic use, drawing on clinical work and a narrative literature review. Three broad domains of post-psychedelic difficulties are presented: anxiety and feelings of unreality, persistent changes in perception, and existential distress. These groupings are suggestive rather than authoritative. Challenges and recommendations for psychotherapeutic work with this subgroup are discussed within an evidence-based practice framework.
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.
Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening
December 1, 2025
Bjørn Holmøy, Kristoffer Andreas Aamodt Andersen
1 citation
Interest in and use of psychedelic substances is growing in the population. Research has primarily focused on therapeutic applications in formal treatment settings, and there is little knowledge about persistent negative effects from naturalistic use. The article provides a clinically relevant overview of the phenomenology and symptom picture of long-term mental distress after psychedelic use. Three central problem areas are presented, based on clinical work with a subgroup and a narrative literature review: 1) anxiety and derealization, 2) lasting changes in perception, and 3) existential distress. These categories are broad and intended as suggestions for frameworks, not as an authoritative division of complications from recreational use.
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.