Psychol Med
March 31, 2025
Otto Simonsson, Simon B. Goldberg, Walter Osika et al.
16 citations
In a large online survey of over 12,000 participants followed for two months, people who used psychedelics outside of medical supervision reported increases in psychotic and manic symptoms. These increases occurred only among those who used psychedelics in an illegal context. The severity of psychotic symptoms rose with more frequent use and more intense challenging experiences, while manic symptoms increased more in individuals with a history of schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder and those who reported a strong sense of insight during their psychedelic experience. The findings suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use in illegal settings may pose risks for certain individuals.
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.
J Psychiatr Res
March 17, 2025
Otto Simonsson, Sankalp Chaturvedi, Peter S. Hendricks et al.
2 citations
Psychedelic use is linked to increases in weekly mindfulness and loving-kindness or compassion meditation practice, especially among people new to psychedelics or meditation. In a longitudinal study of 13,012 US adults aged 18–50, with 7,484 completing follow-up and 336 reporting psychedelic use during the two-month study, those who used psychedelics showed greater gains in meditation days. Among psychedelic users, higher baseline trait mindfulness and self-compassion predicted less severe challenging experiences and lower odds of psychedelic-related thoughts or attempts of self- or other-harm. However, for those already meditating, psychedelic use was associated with more meditation-related difficulties and impairments.
Research square
May 19, 2026
Sunjuri Sun, Claudia Hanson, Peter S Hendricks et al.
The evidence on child and maternal outcomes after exposure to classic psychedelics during pregnancy is very sparse and of very low certainty. A systematic review of 42 studies, mostly case reports from high-income countries, found that LSD was the most commonly reported substance. Outcomes reported included spontaneous abortions (2 studies), stillbirth (1 study), neonatal mortality (16 studies), preterm birth (17 studies), birthweight (15 studies), and congenital malformations (26 studies). No maternal deaths were reported. Because of small sample sizes and varied study designs, no meta-analysis was possible. The authors conclude that methodologically rigorous research on psychedelic use during pregnancy is urgently needed.