Scientific Reports
November 3, 2017
Will Lawn, Jaime E. C. Hallak, José Alexandre S. Crippa et al.
78 citations
Ayahuasca users reported greater well-being than both classic psychedelic users and non-psychedelic drug users, and less problematic drinking than classic psychedelic users, though both psychedelic groups reported more problematic drinking than non-psychedelic users. Ayahuasca's acute subjective effects typically lasted six hours, peaking one hour after consumption. These findings come from a large online survey of nearly 97,000 respondents, including 527 ayahuasca users. The authors call for longitudinal studies and randomized trials to further investigate ayahuasca's effects on well-being and alcohol use.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
May 1, 2017
Daniel Martins, Monica J. Barratt, Cristiana Vale Pires et al.
76 citations
At the 2014 Boom Festival in Portugal, a drug-checking service analyzed 245 samples that users believed to be LSD. Only 67.3% actually contained LSD alone; 24.1% contained another psychoactive substance instead, including 11.4% that were DOx derivatives and 9.8% that were 25x-NBOMe derivatives. Among users who received unexpected results, 74.2% said they did not intend to consume the drug they actually had. After alerts were disseminated on the second day, a larger proportion of all tests conducted were for LSD compared to the 2012 festival, where no such alert was issued. The authors suggest these findings support integrated drug-checking services in party settings.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 8, 2020
Rotem Petranker, Thomas Anderson, Larissa J. Maier et al.
57 citations
In a large online survey of 6,753 people who had microdosed psychedelics in the past year, most reported enhanced mood, creativity, focus, and sociability, and the most common challenge was 'None'. Contrary to expectations, having an approach-intention—microdosing to achieve a specific goal—predicted fewer rather than more benefits. Most participants did not test their substances. The perceived benefits greatly outweighed the challenges, but double-blind, placebo-controlled experiments are needed to confirm these self-reported effects.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
May 1, 2017
Leigh Coney, Larissa J. Maier, Jason Ferris et al.
18 citations
Most people who use LSD analogues (AL-LAD, 1P-LSD, ETH-LAD) have also tried LSD, and in the UK and US a higher proportion reported using analogues in the past year than LSD alone. Users described the effects as psychedelic, obtained the drugs online, and took them orally. The time to peak effect (2 hours) and duration (8 hours) were similar to LSD, but ratings for pleasurable high, strength, comedown, urge to use more drugs, value for money, and risk of harm were all significantly lower for the analogues compared with LSD. The authors suggest future studies should confirm these findings with chemical testing and dose measurement.
April 12, 2020
Rotem Petranker, Thomas Anderson, Larissa J. Maier et al.
14 citations
preprint
A large survey of 6,753 people who microdosed LSD or psilocybin at least once in the past year found that the most commonly reported benefits were enhanced mood, creativity, focus, and sociability, partially replicating earlier findings. Most participants reported no challenges from microdosing, and the majority did not test their substances for purity. Contrary to expectations, microdosing with the intention of approaching a desired goal predicted fewer rather than more benefits. The authors conclude that the reported benefits outweigh the challenges, but emphasize that double-blind, placebo-controlled experiments are needed to confirm these self-reported effects.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
August 19, 2023
Liam Engel, Monica J. Barratt, Jason Ferris et al.
7 citations
Among 284 people who used mescaline in the past year, 20% had consumed wild-harvested Peyote. Those who preferred Peyote most often cited indigenous cultural traditions (57.8%), availability (40.0%), and environmental sustainability (33.3%) as motivations. San Pedro was the most common mescaline source (56.1%), and those who preferred it cited availability (54.7%), potency (45.3%), and indigenous cultural traditions (44.2%). Price and potency were significantly more important for San Pedro preferrers. Fewer than 7% of San Pedro users had consumed it from native habitats. The findings suggest that promoting cultivated San Pedro could reduce unsustainable wild Peyote consumption.
Scientific Reports
February 28, 2018
Will Lawn, Jaime E. C. Hallak, J.a.s. Crippa et al.
3 citations
A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions. The error has not been fixed in the paper.
Drugs Education Prevention and Policy
March 22, 2026
Jordan J. Negrine, Stephen Bright, Monica J. Barratt et al.
In interviews, twenty Australian psychologists expressed that a therapist's own lived or living experience with psychedelics could enhance empathy, confidence, and therapeutic rapport in psychedelic-assisted therapy, especially given lingering stigma. They noted that the intense, altered states of PAT demand deeper therapist familiarity, which lived experience may uniquely improve beyond standard training. Most supported optional, safe, and structured inclusion of such experience in formal training, respecting ethical considerations. The findings indicate growing professional openness to experiential learning as a valuable, though not mandatory, component of preparing psychedelic therapists.