Journal of Consciousness Studies
June 1, 2022
Lena Lindström, Petri Kajonius, Etzel Cardeña
25 citations
In-depth interviews with ten people who had self-transcendent experiences—where the usual sense of self is lost—reveal that while all reported losing a sense of separateness and identification with their body and narrative self, other aspects of self varied. Bodily awareness, spatial self-location, sense of agency, perspectival ownership, thoughts, emotions, sensory impressions, metacognition, and personal identity were sometimes lost and sometimes retained. Participants often singled out the absence of one of these optional aspects as key to their feeling of selflessness. The authors conclude that what people experience as lost differs greatly, and recommend avoiding broad terms like 'ego-dissolution' in favor of more precise descriptions.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 2, 2025
Petri Kajonius, David Sjöström, Emma Claesdotter‐knutsson
5 citations
A majority of Swedish psychedelic users rank their experience among the most meaningful events of their lives: 58% placed it among the top 5 most meaningful, and 85% among the top 10. Most participants (94%) reported positive life improvements, and factors like a personal growth motive and supportive social networks were linked to better well-being. The findings align with previous international research, though the study's self-selected sample, self-reported measures, and cross-sectional design limit generalizability.
December 31, 2023
Petri Kajonius, David Sjöström
1 citation
preprint
Most users rate a psychedelic experience as among the most meaningful events in their lives. In a survey of Swedish psychedelic users, 58% ranked the experience among the top 5 most meaningful events, 85% among the top 10, and 94% reported that it improved their life. Experiences were often challenging, and 4.5% reported negative effects. Factors such as high openness to experience, a personal growth motive, and support from family and friends were associated with more positive outcomes. The authors caution that self-report and cross-sectional design limit certainty about the impact of psychedelics on well-being.
PLoS One
June 30, 2026
David Sjöström, Olea Schau Rybäck, Emma Claesdotter Knutsson et al.
This protocol outlines a planned study to examine the safety and therapeutic potential of psilocybin for treating anorexia nervosa in adolescents and young adults. It describes the rationale, design, and methods for a clinical trial that will assess whether psilocybin-assisted therapy can be safely administered to this population and whether it may help reduce eating disorder symptoms. The protocol specifies participant eligibility criteria, intervention procedures, outcome measures, and safety monitoring. No results are reported as the study has not yet been conducted.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 18, 2026
Jonathan Bendz, Linus Schäfer, David Sjöström et al.
People who are enthusiastic about psychedelics report greater improvements in quality of life from their experiences compared to a general population sample, even after accounting for differences in mindset, setting, motivation, and personality. The study surveyed 1,182 participants (583 enthusiasts and 599 general population) with prior psychedelic use. Enthusiasts scored higher on openness, extraversion, and agreeableness, had more favorable mindsets and settings, and were more motivated by personal growth. Sample membership was the strongest predictor of reported quality-of-life impact, followed by setting, motivation, openness, and mindset. These results clarify how recruiting enthusiasts can inflate reported benefits and highlight the need for representative sampling in psychedelic research.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 9, 2026
Alicia Cohorst, Petri Kajonius
A meta-analysis and systematic review found that psychedelic substances are associated with moderate-to-large reductions in death anxiety, with a significant overall effect size (Cohen's d = 0.70). Stronger effects were observed in clinically controlled settings than in the general population, and mystical experiences were positively linked to these reductions. The qualitative review identified themes of ego dissolution, emotional catharsis, and living in the present moment. The findings suggest psychedelic-assisted interventions may be effective for reducing death anxiety, especially in end-of-life care, though limitations include a small number of studies, potential publication bias, and high heterogeneity in outcome measurement.
Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health
February 24, 2026
David Sjöström, Emma Claesdotter-Knutsson, Petri Kajonius
Adolescents aged 18–24 who use classical psychedelics report more adverse outcomes—including confusion, fear, and negative personality change—than adults aged 25 and older, even after accounting for personality traits. Positive effects such as meaningfulness, mystical-type experiences, and relationship improvements do not differ between age groups. Neuroticism explains more of the variation in adverse outcomes than age does. The findings suggest that while adolescents may gain similar positive benefits from psychedelics as adults, they may be more vulnerable to negative effects, highlighting the need for further longitudinal research on developmental stage and individual differences.
Research Square
December 13, 2023
David K. Sjöström, Emma Claesdotter‐knutsson, Petri Kajonius
In a national Swedish sample, people who have used psychedelics at least once report lower depression scores (effect size d = -0.29) but substantially more drug use (d = 1.27) compared to matched non-users. The largest personality difference is openness to experience (d = 1.72), and the lower depression in users is partly explained by lower neuroticism. The findings suggest that personality traits, especially neuroticism and openness, help account for both the mental health differences and the higher drug use seen in psychedelic users.