Journal of Music Therapy
January 1, 2020
Clare O’callaghan, Daniel John Hubik, Justin Dwyer et al.
50 citations
Music is considered integral to meaningful emotional and imagery experiences during psychedelic therapy, according to a rapid review of 10 studies involving 180 participants aged 18–69. Music in this context can convey love, carry listeners to other realms, be something to “hold,” inspire, and elicit a deep sense of embodied transformation. Its therapeutic influence is especially evident in dichotomous elicitations: music can simultaneously anchor and propel. Participant openness to music and participant-centered music selection are associated with optimal immediate and longer-term outcomes. Many studies reported scarce details about the music used and incidental findings of music experienced.
General Hospital Psychiatry
August 12, 2025
Margaret Ross, Ravi Iyer, M.l. Williams et al.
13 citations
Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy appears safe and may provide lasting relief from depression and anxiety for people facing a life-threatening illness.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2025
Justin Dwyer, Robert B Johnston, Clare O'Callaghan et al.
5 citations
Music in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is not merely a predictable amplifier of the experience but undergoes a profound transformation for participants. In a trial of PAP at end of life, participants described music as becoming internally generated, multisensory, deeply personal experiences that arrive fully formed and are instantly known. Some of these experiences become actors that collaborate with the participant and therapist in ongoing psychotherapy. This contrasts sharply with the everyday properties of music reported by the placebo group. The findings suggest that music should not be viewed as something simply administered, with major implications for PAP practice and research.
General Hospital Psychiatry
December 10, 2025
Justin Dwyer, Robert B. Johnston, Clare O'Callaghan et al.
3 citations
Terminally ill people with extreme death anxiety can feel displaced from their own lives, afraid and alone in an all-encompassing present. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) can enable them to fully inhabit their life in a more abundant and joyful present, even in the face of death. The psilocybin component is necessary but not sufficient for this outcome. These findings expand the conceptualization of death anxiety and the personal transformation that constitutes successful PAP.
Front Psychiatry
August 15, 2025
Yvonne A. Bonomo, Amanda F. Norman, Lisa Collins et al.
1 citation
Three Acacia-based formulations of DMT and harmala alkaloids were safe and well tolerated in 9 healthy volunteers who had previously used ayahuasca. No serious adverse events occurred, and physical exams, vital signs, and lab tests showed no clinically significant changes. Participants rated the subjective experience of all formulations as generally similar to ayahuasca, and one formulation (ACL-010) was rated as similar or more beneficial. Four-week follow-up measures of psychological wellbeing and perceptual effects showed little difference between formulations. The small sample and open-label design limit generalizability, but the results suggest Acacia-derived DMT formulations are a feasible alternative for future clinical trials.
The Ballarat naturalist.
May 1, 2023
Margaret Ross, Justin Dwyer
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