Journal of affective disorders
April 1, 2023
Otto Simonsson, Peter S Hendricks, Richard Chambers et al.
124 citations
Using nationally representative US adult data (N = 2822), most people who have used classic psychedelics (59.1%) never had a challenging, difficult, or distressing experience. However, 8.9% reported functional impairment lasting more than one day from such an experience, and 2.6% sought medical, psychiatric, or psychological help afterward. Co-use of lithium or other mood stabilizers, and certain set and setting factors—including no preparation, disagreeable physical environment, negative mindset, no psychological support, a dose perceived as too large, and a major life event prior—were associated with greater difficulty. Negative mindset, no psychological support, and a major life event prior were also linked to overall risk of harm.
Frontiers in psychology
January 1, 2021
Larissa Bartlett, Marie-Jeanne Buscot, Aidan Bindoff et al.
50 citations
In a large sample of adults from 130 countries, higher mindfulness was linked to lower perceived stress and slightly higher work engagement. Each standard deviation increase in mindfulness corresponded to a 0.52 standard deviation decrease in stress and a 0.06 standard deviation increase in engagement. After a six-week mindfulness MOOC, participants reported substantially higher mindfulness, reduced stress, and a small improvement in work engagement. The findings suggest mindfulness is a modifiable personal resource that may protect against stress and support engagement, and that online courses can deliver these benefits affordably to many people.
PloS one
January 1, 2021
Naomi Kakoschke, Craig Hassed, Richard Chambers et al.
49 citations
A 5-week mindfulness-based lifestyle course for first-year medical students was associated with improvements in mental health, perceived stress, study engagement, and dispositional mindfulness. Among 205 students who completed questionnaires before and after the program, all measured outcomes improved. Improvements were interrelated: reductions in perceived stress correlated with gains in other areas, and increases in mindfulness correlated with better mental health and study engagement. The amount of informal mindfulness practice (e.g., integrating mindfulness into daily activities) was positively related to all improvements, whereas formal practice (e.g., seated meditation) was only linked to increased mindfulness scores. The findings suggest that even a brief mindfulness program can benefit medical student wellbeing, especially when students engage in informal practice.
Psychopharmacology
July 1, 2025
Otto Simonsson, Simon B Goldberg, Richard Chambers et al.
33 citations
In a US-representative sample of 2,822 adults, lifetime naturalistic psychedelic use was associated with more unusual visual experiences but not with psychotic symptoms in the past two weeks. Among those who had used psychedelics, 1.3% reported a diagnosis of hallucinogen persisting perception disorder. An interaction emerged: individuals with a family history of psychotic or bipolar disorders who used psychedelics reported more psychotic symptoms, while those without such a family history reported fewer. The findings suggest that family history may modify the association between psychedelic use and psychotic symptoms.
Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology
January 1, 2022
Otto Simonsson, Peter S Hendricks, Richard Chambers et al.
26 citations
In a US-representative sample of 2822 adults, lifetime use of classic psychedelics was linked to healthier tobacco-related and diet-related behaviors. Among the 613 who had used psychedelics, greater psychological insight during their most insightful experience was associated with healthier exercise habits, a healthy body mass index, and diet improvements. Psychological insight was also tied to self-reported health behavior improvements attributed to the psychedelic experience, including alcohol-related changes. The findings suggest that psychological insight during a classic psychedelic experience may promote positive health behavior change and better physical health, especially in weight management, though causality cannot be established.
Psychological assessment
February 1, 2022
César González-blanch, Leonardo A Medrano, Shaunagh O'Sullivan et al.
20 citations
The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) is a valid and reliable tool for measuring mindfulness in people who have recovered from a first episode of psychosis. In a sample of 150 individuals, the scale showed a single-factor structure that remained stable over time, excellent internal consistency, and expected relationships with measures of well-being, depression, and positive symptoms. These psychometric properties match those found in other populations, supporting the MAAS's use for assessing present-moment attention and awareness in this group.
Drug and alcohol dependence
October 1, 2022
Otto Simonsson, Simon B Goldberg, Richard Chambers et al.
16 citations
Among a US-representative sample of 2,822 adults, 613 reported lifetime classic psychedelic use, and 1.5% of those users reported having a seizure while using a classic psychedelic—a rate similar to epilepsy prevalence in the general population. Nearly half of those who had a seizure were also taking antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or opioid replacement therapies at the time. Seizures were more common among respondents with a personal or family history of epilepsy. The findings suggest that classic psychedelic use may elevate seizure risk in certain people, especially those with a personal or family history of epilepsy.
Mindfulness
April 1, 2023
Charlotta Simonsson, Richard Chambers, Peter S Hendricks et al.
15 citations
People who have used classic psychedelics report meditating more often, specifically mindfulness meditation, but not loving-kindness or compassion meditation. Among those who had a psychedelic experience, both psychological insight and ego dissolution were linked to more frequent practice of both types of meditation. However, when both factors were considered together, only psychological insight predicted higher meditation frequency. These findings, from a survey of 2,822 U.S. adults, suggest that psychedelic experiences—especially those that produce psychological insight—may encourage regular meditation, though causality cannot be established.
Mindfulness
September 1, 2023
Richard Chambers, Devon Stoliker, Otto Simonsson
10 citations
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) may be a valuable complement to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, potentially offering advantages over Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This narrative review demonstrates that MBCT targets core processes such as acceptance, being present, concentration, decentering, and embracing difficulties. Strengthening these capacities through systematic meditation training may prove invaluable during the preparation, dosing, and integration phases of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. MBCT's emphasis on systematic mindfulness training and nonjudgmental presence aligns with psychedelic-induced states of consciousness, suggesting it may enhance navigation of challenging experiences during and after psychedelic sessions in ways ACT may not fully address.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
March 11, 2025
Devon Stoliker, Leonardo Novelli, Moein Khajehnejad et al.
8 citations
preprint
Psychedelics like psilocybin alter consciousness by reorganizing brain connectivity in a context-sensitive way. In the largest psychedelic neuroimaging dataset to date, 62 adults underwent functional MRI and EEG before and after ingesting 19 mg of psilocybin, during rest and naturalistic stimuli. Under psilocybin, brain signals during eyes-closed conditions became similar to those during eyes-open conditions, with increased global functional connectivity in associative regions and decreased connectivity in sensory areas. Machine learning linked subjective effects to structured neural activity patterns. Stronger self-dissolving effects were associated with more distinct neural representations and next-day mindset changes, revealing a state of 'embeddedness' where networks that usually segregate internal and external processing integrate coherently, aligning neural dynamics with context.
JMIR formative research
October 5, 2022
Muskan Yadav, Sandra Neate, Craig Hassed et al.
8 citations
Participants in an online mindfulness course who completed at least 90% of the program reported that a virtual community, appealing content, enablers like free access and variety, and noticeable benefits to physical and mental well-being helped them finish the course and apply its teachings. Novel findings included growing together as a group, repeating the course, evidence-based teaching, and immediate well-being improvements. These elements may guide the design of future digital health interventions to support positive behavior change.
Mindfulness
May 29, 2023
Otto Simonsson, Christine Bergljottsdotter, Jayanth Narayanan et al.
7 citations
Mindfulness training helped British politicians better cope with the demands and stresses of political work, reconnect with themselves, and relate to other politicians more constructively, especially in group settings. Interviews with 18 politicians and 4 mindfulness facilitators revealed two main themes: mindfulness approaches addressing particular challenges in political work, and the role of group dynamics in training. The findings suggest mindfulness can be beneficial personally and professionally for those in political contexts, supporting the case for government mindfulness programs.
Frontiers in public health
January 1, 2022
Sandra L Neate, Jeanette C Reece, Craig Hassed et al.
4 citations
Participants in a 4-week online mindfulness course described developing mindfulness through paying attention to the present moment, letting go, acceptance, gentleness, and a sense of belonging. They reported translating mindfulness into daily life as a support to mental wellbeing, dealing with uncertainty and adversity, living more consciously, connecting with self and others, and channeling attention into productivity. These insights from 527 respondents (16% of 3,335 course completers) suggest how online mindfulness programs can be designed to foster beneficial outcomes.