Religion Brain & Behavior
March 31, 2026
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
After administration of LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, or DMT, mystical oneness—the core of mystical experience—showed dose-sensitive strong correlations with luminous light and renewal, and a moderate-to-strong correlation with ego disintegration. These findings from 386 healthy participants across 15 studies support a broader, dynamic model of mystical experience, where mystical oneness unfolds with ego disintegration, renewal, and luminous light. The results offer insights for psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Translational Psychiatry
March 27, 2026
Livio Erne, Lorenz Mueller, Isabelle Straumann et al.
Bolus injections of DMT produce very strong subjective effects that peak within 2 minutes and subside completely within 12–30 minutes, consistent with a short elimination half-life of about 6–7 minutes. A ceiling effect for peak subjective effects occurred at the 15 mg dose, and no tolerance developed to the acute effects. Tolerability markedly improved when doses were escalated openly rather than given double-blind, and at equivalent doses the subjective effects were rated as less intense. These results indicate that blinding and expectancy influence the subjective experience and that individual dose-escalation may improve tolerability and guide dose selection in future DMT studies.
Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
January 1, 2026
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
Mystical oneness after psychedelics is linked to ego disintegration, renewal, and luminous light, and these connections intensify with higher doses. Analyzing 816 measurements from 386 healthy participants given LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, or DMT across 15 studies, researchers found dose-sensitive strong correlations between mystical oneness and luminous light and renewal, and a moderate-to-strong correlation with ego disintegration. The results support a dynamic model of mystical experience and suggest relevance for psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Repository for Publications and Research Data
January 1, 2025
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Schmid, Yasmin et al.
The Altered States of Consciousness Scale (ASC), commonly used in psychedelic research, has two incompatible scoring systems: a three-dimensional model (3D-ASC) and an eleven-subscale model (11-ASC). Analyzing data from 901 questionnaires across 16 psychedelic studies, researchers found that ten of the eleven subscales could be reorganized into three higher-order dimensions—Positive, Distressing, and Perceptual effects—that closely mirror the original three dimensions but with improved statistical fit. This revised version, called the 3D-ASCr, retains the Anxiety subscale separately due to floor effects. The 3D-ASCr is recommended for use with classic serotonergic psychedelics in clinical practice and research.