Journal of Psychopharmacology
November 30, 2016
Annie Umbricht, Mary P Cosimano, Roland R. Griffiths et al.
2,174 citations
In cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression or anxiety, a high dose of psilocybin (22 or 30 mg/70 kg) produced large decreases in depressed mood and anxiety, along with increases in quality of life, life meaning, and optimism, and decreases in death anxiety, compared with a very low placebo-like dose (1 or 3 mg/70 kg). At 6-month follow-up, about 80% of participants continued to show clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety. Participants attributed improvements in attitudes about life, mood, relationships, and spirituality to the high-dose experience, with over 80% endorsing moderately or greater increased well-being or life satisfaction. The mystical-type experience during the session mediated the effect of dose on therapeutic outcomes.
Psychopharmacology
July 7, 2006
Roland R. Griffiths, William A. Richards, U. Mccann et al.
1,684 citations
A high dose of psilocybin, given under supportive conditions to hallucinogen-naïve adults who regularly participate in religious or spiritual activities, produced acute perceptual changes, subjective experiences, and labile moods including anxiety. It also increased measures of mystical experience. Two months later, volunteers rated the psilocybin experience as having substantial personal meaning and spiritual significance and attributed sustained positive changes in attitudes and behavior to it, consistent with ratings by community observers. The ability to prospectively occasion such experiences allows rigorous scientific investigation of their causes and consequences.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 11, 2017
Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson, William A. Richards et al.
528 citations
A double-blind trial compared a high dose of psilocybin (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) with a very low dose (1 mg/70 kg) in healthy adults who also undertook a program of meditation and spiritual practices. At six months, the high-dose groups, compared with the low-dose group, showed large, significant positive changes in interpersonal closeness, gratitude, life meaning, forgiveness, death transcendence, daily spiritual experiences, religious faith and coping, and community observer ratings. The enduring trait-level increases in prosocial attitudes and healthy psychological functioning were linked to the mystical-type experience occasioned by psilocybin and the rate of meditation or spiritual practices.
International Pharmacopsychiatry
January 1, 1973
S Grof, L. Goodman, William A. Richards et al.
212 citations
A psychotherapeutic program using psychedelic compounds (LSD and DPT) was tested in 60 cancer patients to reduce emotional and physical suffering. Ratings by physicians, nurses, family members, and therapists showed significant improvement in depression, anxiety, fear of death, pain, and psychological isolation after treatment. Narcotic use decreased but not significantly. Global distress indexes indicated dramatic improvement in about 29% of patients, moderate improvement in 41.9%, no change in 22.6%, and worsening in 6.4%.
International Review of Psychiatry
July 4, 2018
Albert Garcia-Romeu, William A. Richards
186 citations
Serotonergic hallucinogens (psychedelics) have been used for millennia, but their integration into Western therapeutic practice is relatively new. Mid-20th-century work developed therapeutic models using both low (psycholytic) and high (psychedelic) doses, often combined with psychoanalytic concepts, and established the importance of set (mindset) and setting (environment) for safe, effective use. Recent clinical and pharmacological research has revisited these substances' therapeutic potential. This article reviews past and present models of psychedelic therapy and discusses key considerations for future research and clinical applications.
December 8, 2015
William A. Richards
114 citations
No Summary
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs
January 1, 1977
William A. Richards, John Rhead, Francesco B. Dileo et al.
95 citations
In a 1977 study of dipropyltryptamine (DPT)-assisted psychotherapy with cancer patients, the occurrence of a peak experience during a drug session was associated with better therapeutic outcomes. Among 128 patients, those who had a peak experience showed greater reductions in anxiety, depression, and pain, and improved quality of life compared to those who did not. The authors suggest that the peak experience may be a key variable in the effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapy for this population.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
February 3, 2021
Sara Tai, Elizabeth M. Nielson, Molly Lennard-Jones et al.
87 citations
A therapist training program for psilocybin therapy, developed for a phase IIb international, multicenter, randomized controlled study of treatment-resistant depression, is described. The manualized approach, based on evidence-based psychotherapeutic methods and approved by the FDA, includes online learning, in-person training, applied clinical training, and ongoing mentoring. After training 65 health care professionals across the US, Canada, and Europe, feedback indicated that didactic and experiential learning helped build conceptual understanding and skills. Clinical training and participant care under experienced therapists were most beneficial and challenging. Rigorous, scalable training requires collaboration among public, academic, and industry partners.
Cancer
December 18, 2023
Manish Agrawal, Yvan Beaussant, Sarah Shnayder et al.
73 citations
A single 25-mg dose of psilocybin, administered alongside one-to-one and group therapeutic support, was safe and feasible for patients with curable and noncurable cancer who also had major depressive disorder. In a phase 2 open-label trial with 30 participants, no serious adverse events or suicidality occurred, and mild side effects like nausea and headache were as expected. Depression severity scores dropped by an average of 19.1 points from baseline to eight weeks after treatment. Eighty percent of participants showed a sustained response, and half achieved full remission of depressive symptoms by week one that lasted for eight weeks. The group-oriented format and compact delivery in a community cancer center may add to therapeutic gains.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
September 29, 2016
William A. Richards
70 citations
After a dormant period of more than two decades, investigations with psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, DMT, LSD, and MMDA have resumed in the United States and Europe. Drawing on 25 years of clinical research experience, the author discusses the cartography of inner space, the therapeutic potential of transcendental states of consciousness, the entelechy of the interpersonally grounded psyche, the importance of integration in drug-free therapy sessions, the roles of expectation, religious education and faith, the role of music, and future research directions.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
October 1, 1976
Richard Yensen, Francesco B. Di Leo, John Rhead et al.
51 citations
Ten neurotic outpatients (five men, five women) received up to 75 hours of psychotherapy over 2 to 6 months, with 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) administered as an adjunct in two to four sessions. The drug was well tolerated with no serious side effects. Pre- and post-treatment psychometric assessments, including the MMPI, Wittenborn Psychiatric Rating Scales, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, showed significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive traits, along with improvements in well-being and self-actualization. No patient worsened. A 6-month follow-up using the same measures plus a Social History Questionnaire supported these improvements.
JAMA Oncology
April 13, 2023
Manish Agrawal, Ezekiel Emanuel, Brian D. Richards et al.
48 citations
In a nonrandomized controlled trial, psilocybin was administered to groups of patients with cancer who also had major depressive disorder, using a one-to-one therapist-to-patient ratio. The aim was to develop a scalable, rapidly effective depression treatment. The trial suggests that this approach may offer a feasible model for delivering psilocybin therapy to larger numbers of patients while maintaining therapeutic support.
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs
September 1, 1970
Walter N. Pahnke, William A. Richards
43 citations
The paper explores the implications of LSD-induced mystical experiences, arguing that such states can provide insights into the nature of consciousness and reality, challenging conventional psychological and philosophical frameworks. It suggests that these experiences often share core features with spontaneously occurring mystical states, including unity, transcendence of time and space, and a sense of sacredness, and may have therapeutic potential. The authors caution against simplistic interpretations and emphasize the need for careful integration of these experiences into personal and cultural contexts.
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs
October 1, 1977
John Rhead, Robert A. Soskin, Ibrahim Turek et al.
25 citations
In a controlled trial, dipropyltryptamine (DPT)-assisted psychotherapy was compared to conventional group therapy for alcoholics. The DPT group received a single high-dose session plus preparatory and follow-up psychotherapy, while the control group received standard group therapy. At 6-month follow-up, the DPT group showed significantly greater improvement on measures of alcohol abstinence and psychosocial adjustment. The authors suggest that a single DPT session combined with psychotherapy may enhance treatment outcomes for alcoholism, though the small sample size limits generalizability.
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying
February 1, 1980
William A. Richards, John C. Rhead, Stanislav Grof et al.
20 citations
A pilot project with thirty cancer patients experiencing psychological distress combined about twelve hours of conventional verbal psychotherapy over four weeks with a single intensive drug-assisted therapy session using dipropyltryptamine (DPT), a short-acting psychedelic. Analysis of psychological tests and independent ratings before and after the intervention suggests the total therapeutic approach enhances quality of life. The text discusses the relative merits of DPT compared to LSD and the need for a controlled study.
Archive for the Psychology of Religion
January 1, 2008
William A. Richards
19 citations
Psilocybin, a psychedelic drug, produces a range of conscious states including both mystical and nonmystical experiences. The text surveys and defines these states, discusses how to facilitate mystical experiences based on research experience, and notes their potential religious significance. Such states may help recognize spiritual reality, understand the biochemistry of revelation, and contribute positively to psychological treatment.
Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science
September 2, 2014
William A. Richards
17 citations
Recent research with entheogens (psychedelic substances) can reliably induce mystical forms of consciousness in healthy volunteers. This article discusses the definition of mystical consciousness used in such studies, distinguishing it from visionary or archetypal states and other altered mental states. It also considers how entheogens can be used skillfully and safely, and explores implications for clarifying confusion within the academic study of mysticism, offering suggestions for future religious research.
Psychedelic Medicine
May 16, 2025
Roland R. Griffiths, William A. Richards, Robert L. Jesse et al.
14 citations
In clergy from various world religions who had never used psychedelics, two supported psilocybin sessions (20 mg/70 kg, then 20 or 30 mg/70 kg) led to sustained positive changes in religious practices, attitudes about their religion, and effectiveness as a religious leader, as well as in non-religious attitudes, moods, and behavior, compared with a waitlist control group. At 16‑month follow‑up, 96% rated at least one experience among the top five most spiritually significant of their lives, 42% rated it the single most profound, and 79% reported positive effects on daily sense of the sacred. No serious adverse events occurred, though 46% rated an experience among the top five most psychologically challenging of their lives.
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
July 20, 2017
David Erritzøe, William A. Richards
14 citations
Psychedelic therapies are being re-evaluated for treating conditions like major depression, cancer-related anxiety and depression, and alcohol use disorder. The research examines their effects and safety, suggesting potential benefits for these psychopathologies.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 31, 2025
Tomislav Majić, Timo Torsten Schmidt, Anna Gröticke et al.
4 citations
A new questionnaire called the Afterglow Inventory (AGI) reliably measures pleasant psychological effects that can occur days after a psychedelic experience, such as with psilocybin or LSD. The AGI captures five distinct dimensions: vitality, transpersonal aspects, inspiration/creativity, interpersonal relationships, and relationship to nature. In an international online survey of 1,323 people who had recently used a psychedelic and 157 controls, the AGI successfully distinguished between the two groups. Stronger and more positive acute psychedelic experiences were associated with higher afterglow scores. This tool may help researchers understand how short-term afterglow effects connect to longer-term therapeutic outcomes.
October 22, 2024
Tomislav Majić, Timo Torsten Schmidt, Anna Gröticke et al.
1 citation
preprint
A new questionnaire called the Afterglow Inventory (AGI) was developed and validated to measure the pleasant, temporary psychological effects that sometimes follow the acute phase of a psychedelic experience. An international online survey of 1,323 people who had taken a psychedelic and 157 who had taken a non-psychedelic substance in the past four weeks identified five key factors: vitality, transpersonal aspects, inspiration/creativity, interpersonal relationships, and relationship to nature. The 24-item AGI successfully distinguished psychedelic users from controls, and its overall score was positively correlated with the intensity and positive valence of the acute effects. The AGI may help researchers better understand how acute, subacute, and long-term effects of psychedelics relate to each other.
Columbia University Press eBooks
December 8, 2015
William A. Richards, G. William Barnard
1 citation
The abstract discusses the concepts of Internal Unity and External Unity, referencing the works of Walter Stace, Walter Pahnke, Kierkegaard, and Aldous Huxley. It suggests that these thinkers explore different forms of unity experience, possibly related to consciousness and mystical or paranormal states. The text implies a distinction between internal, subjective unity and external, objective unity, drawing on philosophical and psychological perspectives. However, as the abstract is brief and lacks a clear finding or argument, it primarily indicates a theoretical or philosophical analysis of these concepts within health psychology.
January 1, 2015
William A. Richards
1 citation
No Summary
Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
April 30, 2026
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
The Psychedelic Experience Scale (PES48) has an eight-factor structure that includes the well-validated Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) plus four additional factors: paradoxicality, connectedness, visual experience, and distressing experience. This study tested whether the full eight-factor structure is valid in English, using data from 280 PES measurements from 145 healthy participants in four placebo-controlled psilocybin studies. Six of the eight subscales showed high internal consistency, one good, and one acceptable. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable to good model fits for the MEQ30 and MEQ40, with English data showing better fits than the German validation sample. The findings suggest the PES48 is a valid psychometric tool in English, enabling broader measurement of mystical and non-mystical aspects of psychedelic experience.
Journal of the Association for Music and Imagery
January 1, 2021
William A. Richards
Music serves as a dynamic presence during psychedelic psychotherapy sessions, enhancing the therapeutic experience. Drawing from the book Sacred Knowledge, this lecture traces the early history of combining music with psychedelic drugs for psychotherapeutic purposes, a lineage shared with Guided Imagery and Music (GIM). It describes playlists designed for 7-hour psychedelic sessions and the specific qualities of music selected for them, illustrating how music can guide and deepen the psychedelic journey.