Psychedelics and autobiographical memory - six open questions.
Psychopharmacology March 17, 2025 Samuli Kangaslampi, Morten Lietz 10 citations
Psychedelics have long been thought to enhance autobiographical memory, and revisiting personal memories may be key to their therapeutic effects, yet modern research has largely overlooked this topic. This paper presents six open questions: whether psychedelics boost autobiographical recall, whether recalling significant or traumatic memories commonly occurs during psychedelic experiences, whether they can produce false or inaccurate memories, how memories change when recalled and reconsolidated under their influence, what memories of psychedelic experiences are like, and whether autobiographical experiences under psychedelics are especially important for therapeutic outcomes. The authors review limited evidence for each question and suggest how future studies could address them, emphasizing relevance for developing effective and safe psychedelic-assisted therapies.