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Joanna Kuc

Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK.

2 papers in the library · publishing 2026

Papers

Speech markers of psychological change following a psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT retreat.

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.

Digital Intervention for Psychedelic Preparation (DIPP): protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial comparing meditation- and music-based programmes in healthy volunteers.

BMJ open March 12, 2026 Rosalind McAlpine, Magdalena Jaglinska, Krisztina Jedlovszky et al.

A 21-day mobile-accessible programme called the Digital Intervention for Psychedelic Preparation (DIPP) is being tested for feasibility and preliminary efficacy in a randomised controlled trial. The study will recruit 40 non-treatment-seeking adults without a clinical diagnosis, randomly assigning them to either a guided meditation with music condition or a music-only condition. After the digital intervention, all participants will attend an in-person supervised psilocybin session with a standardised 25 mg dose. Primary outcomes include recruitment efficiency, retention, and adherence; secondary outcomes assess preparedness, quality of the psychedelic experience, and wellbeing, with follow-ups up to 9 months. The trial is registered as NCT06815653.