Qualitative and Quantitative Features of Music Reported to Support Peak Mystical Experiences during Psychedelic Therapy Sessions
Frontiers in Psychology July 25, 2017 Hollis Robbins, David Smooke, Frederick S. Barrett et al. 62 citations
Music chosen to support psilocybin sessions tends to be regular, predictable, and slowly building, with lower perceptual brightness during peak mystical experiences compared to the pre-peak period. An expert survey of therapists and researchers yielded 24 musical recommendations for peak effects and 24 for the pre-peak period. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of 22 stimuli revealed that peak-period music features formulaic phrase structure, continuous forward motion, and less brightness. These findings provide a basis for standardizing music selection in psychedelic research and therapy.