Scientific reports
February 8, 2024
Rosalind G McAlpine, George Blackburne, Sunjeev K Kamboj
24 citations
A new 20-item Psychedelic Preparedness Scale (PPS) was developed and validated to measure how well participants are prepared for psychedelic experiences. Using an iterative Delphi-focus group method and input from clinicians, researchers, and psychedelic users, the scale identifies four factors: Knowledge-Expectations, Intention-Preparation, Psychophysical-Readiness, and Support-Planning. In two large online samples (N = 516 and N = 716) and a psilocybin retreat group (N = 46), the PPS showed excellent reliability and evidence for convergent, divergent, and discriminant validity. People scoring higher on preparedness before a psychedelic experience had better mental health and wellbeing outcomes afterward, indicating the scale can predict who may benefit or be less likely to experience harm.
April 28, 2023
Rosalind McAlpine, George Blackburne, Sunjeev K. Kamboj
22 citations
preprint
A new 20-item Psychedelic Preparedness Scale (PPS) measures how well participants are prepared for psychedelic experiences, addressing a gap in available assessment tools. Developed using an iterative Delphi-focus group method and validated in two large online samples (N = 516 and N = 716) plus a psilocybin retreat group (N = 46), the scale identifies four factors: Knowledge-Expectations, Intention-Preparation, Psychophysical-Readiness, and Support-Planning. It shows excellent reliability (ω = 0.954) and evidence of convergent, divergent, and discriminant validity. Higher pre-experience preparedness scores predicted better mental health and wellbeing outcomes after the experience, indicating the scale's predictive utility for assessing participants' psychological 'set' and potential benefit or reduced harm.
Cell reports
July 22, 2025
George Blackburne, Rosalind G McAlpine, Marco Fabus et al.
10 citations
Inhaling a high dose of vaporized synthetic 5-MeO-DMT radically reorganizes low-frequency brain oscillations, making them heterogeneous, viscous, and nonrecurring, and halting their typical forward and backward travel across the cortex. This reorganization also causes broadband neural activity to become more stable and low-dimensional, with increased energy barriers for rapid global shifts. These findings, based on EEG data from 29 healthy individuals, provide a detailed account of how the drug sculpts human brain dynamics and reveal atypical cortical slow-wave behaviors relevant to neuroscientific models of serotonergic psychedelics.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
October 7, 2024
George Blackburne, Rosalind McAlpine, Marco S. Fabus et al.
8 citations
preprint
A high dose of the psychedelic drug 5-MeO-DMT radically reorganizes low-frequency brain activity in 29 healthy individuals. Inhaling 12 mg of vaporized synthetic 5-MeO-DMT caused neural activity flows to become incoherent, heterogeneous, viscous, fleeting, and nonrecurring, ceasing typical traveling waves across the cortex. This reorganization led to slower, more stable, low-dimensional broadband activity with increased energy barriers to rapid global shifts. The findings provide the first detailed empirical account of how 5-MeO-DMT alters human brain dynamics, revealing novel cortical slow wave behaviors.
February 9, 2024
Rosalind McAlpine, George Blackburne
3 citations
preprint
Group psychedelic therapies may help address suicidality by enhancing social connectedness, a key factor in suicide risk. The paper reviews psychosocial theories of suicide, emphasizing the role of perceived social support and interpersonal relationships. It proposes that psychedelic experiences in group settings can foster belonging and interconnectedness, potentially reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Drawing on qualitative insights from participants in psychedelic retreats and existing literature, the paper explores theoretical foundations, historical context, and the need for rigorous research on efficacy and safety. Ethical considerations and the importance of nuanced approaches to psychedelics in suicide prevention are also discussed.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
May 23, 2026
Joanna Kuc, Rosalind G McAlpine, Amelia Sellers et al.
A short-acting psychedelic, 5-MeO-DMT, shifts speech from external focus to introspection. In 29 participants who kept daily voice journals two weeks before and after a single 12 mg dose, language analysis showed increased cognitive words and fewer social words, while vocal quality changed with more jitter and shimmer. Baseline speech patterns predicted how prepared people felt, the intensity of emotional breakthrough, and later well-being. This is the first longitudinal study showing that vocal journaling can track and predict psychological transformation around a psychedelic retreat, offering a framework for monitoring preparation and integration periods.