Joëlle Dornbierer

Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

3 papers in the library · 29 citations · publishing 2024-2026

Papers

Meditating on psychedelics. A randomized placebo-controlled study of DMT and harmine in a mindfulness retreat

Journal of Psychopharmacology September 27, 2024 Daniel Meling, Klemens Egger, Jovin Mueller et al. 15 citations

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study over a 3-day meditation retreat, 40 experienced meditators received either DMT-harmine or a placebo. Those who took DMT-harmine reported greater mystical-type experiences, non-dual awareness, and emotional breakthrough during the acute substance effects, and greater psychological insight one day later after adjusting for baseline differences. Mindfulness and compassion did not differ significantly between groups. At one-month follow-up, the DMT-harmine group rated their experience as more personally meaningful, spiritually significant, and well-being-enhancing than the placebo group. The findings suggest specific synergistic effects of DMT-harmine during meditation.

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241282637 Ayahuasca Meditation Mindfulness Psilocybin +5

Examining the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interaction of N,N-dimethyltryptamine and harmine in healthy volunteers: Α factorial dose-escalation study.

Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie March 1, 2025 Klemens Egger, Javier Jareño Redondo, Jovin Müller et al. 14 citations

Ayahuasca contains DMT and harmine, but their interactions are not fully understood. In a single-blind, randomized, two-arm, factorial dose-finding study with 16 healthy participants, each received six dose combinations of DMT (0-120 mg) and harmine (0-180 mg) via a transmucosal delivery system. All combinations produced dose-dependent subjective effects lasting 4-5 hours, with peak DMT and harmine levels reaching 33 ng/mL and 49 ng/mL, respectively. The interaction was bidirectional: harmine reduced DMT metabolism, while DMT altered harmine pharmacokinetics. The formulation had a favorable safety profile, supporting further testing for affective disorders.

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2025.117908 Full text DMT Ayahuasca pharmahuasca Harmine Pharmacokinetics +5

Combined DMT-harmine formulation reduces negative self-referential emotions during social self-evaluation: a randomized placebo-controlled trial in healthy volunteers.

Psychopharmacology July 14, 2026 Helena D Aicher, Joëlle Dornbierer, Luzia Caflisch et al.

A combination of harmine and DMT, the active ingredients in ayahuasca, reduces feelings of embarrassment and shame in healthy men. In a randomized trial with 28 participants, those who received the combination reported significantly less embarrassment when listening to recordings of their own singing compared to those who received a placebo. The treatment also lowered overall shame scores. Harmine alone did not produce these effects. The findings suggest that this compound may help treat psychiatric disorders where negative self-focused emotions play a key role.

DOI: 10.1007/s00213-026-07118-4 Full text Embarrassment Hallucinogens Harmine N,N-Dimethyltryptamine +3