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Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)

3 papers in the library · publishing 2026

Papers

Integrating the Mystical Experience Questionnaire Into a Broader Psychometric Framework: English Validation of the Psychedelic Experience Scale and Comparison of Psilocybin and LSD Sessions Across Two Controlled Settings

Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) April 30, 2026 Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.

The Psychedelic Experience Scale (PES48) has an eight-factor structure that includes the well-validated Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) plus four additional factors: paradoxicality, connectedness, visual experience, and distressing experience. This study tested whether the full eight-factor structure is valid in English, using data from 280 PES measurements from 145 healthy participants in four placebo-controlled psilocybin studies. Six of the eight subscales showed high internal consistency, one good, and one acceptable. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable to good model fits for the MEQ30 and MEQ40, with English data showing better fits than the German validation sample. The findings suggest the PES48 is a valid psychometric tool in English, enabling broader measurement of mystical and non-mystical aspects of psychedelic experience.

DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000799490 Psilocybin Mysticism Scale ratio German +8

Mystical dynamics: renewal, luminous light, and ego disintegration as key features associated with mystical oneness-a psychometric analysis using the PES100 in controlled psychedelic 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.

DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000798382 Mysticism Experiential learning Religious experience Dynamics music +2

Global increases in brain glucose metabolism following acute N,N-dimethyltryptamine and harmine administration in healthy volunteers: A randomised [¹⁸F]FDG-PET study

Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) January 1, 2026 Klemens Egger, Robert Bozsak, Helena D. Aicher et al.

A psychedelic dose of DMT combined with harmine, mimicking ayahuasca, globally increased cerebral glucose metabolism by 12.5% in 14 healthy males, as measured by PET scans during peak drug effects. This increase was widespread across the cortex, particularly in higher-order brain networks, and positively correlated with harmine plasma levels but not with DMT levels or subjective intensity. The finding recapitulates a classic effect seen with psilocybin, suggesting a potential metabolic signature of the psychedelic state.

DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000801722 Harmine Placebo Neuroimaging Metabolite +12