Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
March 16, 2020
Jacob S. Aday, Cayla M. Mitzkovitz, Emily K. Bloesch et al.
260 citations
A systematic review of 34 experimental studies on classic psychedelics with follow-up periods of at least two weeks found lasting changes in personality, attitudes, depression, spirituality, anxiety, wellbeing, substance misuse, meditative practices, and mindfulness. Psilocybin was the most commonly administered drug. Mystical experiences, connectedness, emotional breakthrough, and increased neural entropy were linked to these long-term psychological changes. With proper screening, preparation, supervision, and integration, participants reported few aversive side effects. The review calls for larger, more diverse samples, longer longitudinal designs, stronger control conditions, and standardized dosages in future research.
ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci
March 5, 2021
Jacob S. Aday, Alan K. Davis, Cayla M. Mitzkovitz et al.
228 citations
People who are more open, accepting, and prone to absorption, as well as those who enter a psychedelic session with a mindset of surrender, are more likely to have positive, mystical-type experiences. Conversely, individuals who are low in openness or surrender, or who arrive in a preoccupied, apprehensive, or confused state, are more likely to experience adverse reactions. A systematic review of 14 studies found that sex is not a robust predictor of drug effects, but certain brain-based measures—such as 5-HT2AR binding potential, executive network node diversity, and rACC volume—may serve as biomarkers. Older age and prior experience with psychedelics are linked to less intense effects, suggesting users may become slightly less sensitive after repeated use.
Ther Adv Psychopharmacol
August 14, 2020
Jacob S. Aday, Christopher C. Davoli, Emily K. Bloesch
50 citations
Psychedelic drugs and virtual reality (VR) both disrupt the rigidity of typical conscious experience. They alter sensory experience and evoke awe, and each is used alongside traditional therapies to treat mood disorders by transiently shifting perspective and disrupting rigid mental patterns. Recreational users already combine psychedelics and VR to enhance their experience. The authors propose VR could prepare hallucinogen-naïve clinical trial participants for the sensory distortions of psychedelic states and optimize the environment in psychedelic sessions. The article outlines connections between psychedelics and VR, reflecting growing scientific interest in technology, psychopharmacology, and mental health.
Drug Science Policy and Law
January 1, 2019
Jacob S. Aday, Christopher C. Davoli, Emily K. Bloesch
30 citations
Interest in psychedelic drug research grew over the last decade, but 2018 marked a true turning point for the field, especially in the United States. That year saw substantive advances in scientific, public, and regulatory communities. Scientific progress came from impactful research applications and acknowledgment in top journals. Michael Pollan's book "How to Change Your Mind" became a commercial hit and spurred positive media coverage. Unprecedented psychedelic ballot initiatives reflected shifting public interest. Regulatory bodies began acknowledging psychedelic science in earnest, highlighted by the FDA granting psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy "breakthrough therapy" status for treatment-resistant depression. 2018 was a seminal year for psychedelic science.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 6, 2019
Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, Christopher C. Davoli
19 citations
The surge in psychedelic research during the 1950s and 1960s is often attributed primarily to the discovery of LSD's psychoactive effects in 1943. This article argues that such a 'Great Person' or 'Great Chemical' historiographical lens overlooks other crucial factors. Mescaline was already being studied for psychotherapy and as a psychosis model before LSD. Psilocybin and other psychedelics were also discovered by Western researchers around the same time. Furthermore, dominant zeitgeists in psychology—pharmacological, psychoanalytic, and humanistic—were congruent with psychedelic research. While LSD's discovery may have been a catalyst, a broader psychedelic zeitgeist deserves recognition for setting the stage.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
February 27, 2024
Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, Alan K. Davis et al.
5 citations
People who attended an ayahuasca retreat showed increased appreciation of art and beauty one week and one month later, according to a survey of 54 participants. Contrary to expectations, intense drug effects such as mystical experiences, awe, or ego dissolution did not predict these changes. The open-label design limits certainty, but the findings align with anecdotal reports of lasting shifts in aesthetic attitudes after psychedelic use. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms behind these changes.
May 15, 2023
Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, Alan K. Davis et al.
3 citations
preprint
People who attended an ayahuasca retreat showed increased engagement with aesthetic experiences—such as appreciation of art, nature, and beauty—one week and one month afterward, compared to before the retreat. The study followed 54 participants and measured aesthetic experience using a validated questionnaire. Although participants reported strong mystical-type experiences, awe, and ego dissolution during their ayahuasca sessions, none of these acute effects predicted the long-term increase in aesthetic engagement. The open-label design limits certainty, but the findings support anecdotal reports that psychedelics can enhance aesthetic appreciation and point to a new area for future research.
June 7, 2023
Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, Alan K. Davis et al.
1 citation
preprint
People who attended an ayahuasca retreat showed increased gratitude, nature relatedness, and nature appreciation one week and one month afterward, compared with before the retreat. Mystical-type experiences and feelings of awe during the retreat were weakly to moderately linked to these increases, while ego dissolution was not. The findings suggest that the mystical and awe-inducing aspects of ayahuasca may lead to personality changes that benefit mental health and prosocial attitudes, though more research is needed to confirm the results.