Frontiers in Pharmacology
October 1, 2021
Maggie Kiraga, Natasha L. Mason, Malin V. Uthaug et al.
83 citations
A single ayahuasca ceremony is associated with lasting improvements in cognitive empathy, satisfaction with life, and the ability to take a non-judgmental stance toward oneself (decentering), while decreasing neuroticism and divergent thinking. In a naturalistic study of 43 ceremony attendees, 20 completed the morning-after assessment and 19 completed the one-week follow-up. Compared to baseline, cognitive empathy, satisfaction with life, and decentering increased at both one day and one week post-ceremony; implicit emotional empathy increased only at one week; and trait neuroticism decreased. Divergent thinking (fluency corrected for originality) decreased. The findings suggest ayahuasca may enhance well-being and social cognition, but clinical trials are needed to confirm therapeutic potential.
Scientific Reports
June 30, 2022
Joseph M. Rootman, Maggie Kiraga, Pamela Kryskow et al.
53 citations
A naturalistic observational study followed 953 people who microdosed psilocybin (taking small, non-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelic mushrooms) and 180 non-microdosers for about 30 days. Small to medium improvements in mood and mental health were observed among microdosers, consistent across gender, age, and pre-existing mental health concerns. Older adults showed specific improvements in psychomotor performance. Combining psilocybin with lion's mane mushrooms and niacin did not affect mood or mental health changes, but among older microdosers, this combination was linked to greater psychomotor improvements than psilocybin alone or with lion's mane. These findings add controlled evidence to the growing research on psychedelic microdosing.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
July 7, 2022
Maggie Kiraga, Kim P. C. Kuypers, Malin V. Uthaug et al.
24 citations
A single dose of psilocybin-containing truffles, taken in a supportive group setting, produced rapid and lasting reductions in both state and trait anxiety among self-reported healthy volunteers. Medium reductions in anxiety were observed the morning after the ceremony and persisted for at least one week. At one week, participants also showed increased non-judging mindfulness and decreased neuroticism. The acute experience of ego dissolution and changes in neuroticism were the strongest predictors of anxiety reduction. Average psilocin consumption was 27.1 mg. Results suggest potential anxiolytic effects for sub-clinical anxiety and support further research in clinical populations.
medRxiv
March 2, 2022
Maggie Kiraga, Kim P. C. Kuypers, Malin V. Uthaug et al.
preprint
In a group of 52 healthy volunteers attending psilocybin ceremonies, consuming an average of 27.1 mg of psilocin led to medium to large reductions in both state and trait anxiety that persisted for at least one week. One week after the ceremony, participants showed increased non-judging mindfulness and decreased neuroticism. The strongest predictors of reduced trait anxiety were lower neuroticism, and for state anxiety, higher ego dissolution during the experience. The findings suggest rapid and lasting anxiolytic effects of psilocybin in a supportive setting, but further research is needed to confirm these effects in clinical populations.