The DOI matches its Crossref record; 38 of the 38 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects
Open accessAbstract
RationaleThis dose-effect study extends previous observations showing that psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior.ObjectivesThis double-blind study evaluated psilocybin (0, 5, 10, 20, 30 mg/70 kg, p.o.) administered under supportive conditions.MethodsParticipants were 18 adults (17 hallucinogen-naïve). Five 8-h sessions were conducted individually for each participant at 1-month intervals. Participants were randomized to receive the four active doses in either ascending or descending order (nine participants each). Placebo was scheduled quasi-randomly. During sessions, volunteers used eyeshades and were instructed to direct their attention inward. Volunteers completed questionnaires assessing effects immediately after and 1 month after each session, and at 14 months follow-up.ResultsPsilocybin produced acute perceptual and subjective effects including, at 20 and/or 30 mg/70 kg, extreme anxiety/fear (39% of volunteers) and/or mystical-type experience (72% of volunteers). One month after sessions at the two highest doses, volunteers rated the psilocybin experience as having substantial personal and spiritual significance, and attributed to the experience sustained positive changes in attitudes, mood, and behavior, with the ascending dose sequence showing greater positive effects. At 14 months, ratings were undiminished and were consistent with changes rated by community observers. Both the acute and persisting effects of psilocybin were generally a monotonically increasing function of dose, with the lowest dose showing significant effects.ConclusionsUnder supportive conditions, 20 and 30 mg/70 kg psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior. Implications for therapeutic trials are discussed.
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“High MEQ-30 scores have also been found to predict changes in personality-trait openness (MacLean et al., 2012) and positive changes in attitudes, mood, and behavior (Griffiths et al., 2011).”
From Assessment of the acute subjective psychedelic experience: A review of patient-reported outcome measures in clinical research on classical psychedelics (2024) · cites this paper as Griffiths et al., 2011
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“it has been repeatedly found that psychedelic-induced mystical-type experiences and ego dissolution, the latter a phenomenon characterized by the reduction in self-referential awareness, disruption self-world boundaries, and increased feelings of unity with one’s surroundings (55), correlates with long-term (positive) outcomes (23, 52–54, 56–58).”
From Decreases in State and Trait Anxiety Post-psilocybin: A Naturalistic, Observational Study Among Retreat Attendees (2022) · cites this paper as [57]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“Compared to the active placebo group, both groups which received a high dose of psilocybin reported significantly higher enhancements in mood, well-being and life satisfaction, as assessed by the Persisting Effects Questionnaire (87).”
From Examining the Potential Synergistic Effects Between Mindfulness Training and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (2021) · cites this paper as [87]
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“phase I and II studies suggest a dose-dependent effect on the quality of the psychedelic experience [54, 76]”
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“5 mg of psilocybin was shown to induce subjective changes significantly greater than those of an inert placebo; [76]”
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“with high mystical experience scores associated with 30 mg/70 kg of psilocybin [76]”
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“Undergoing a mystical-type experience during the acute effects of a psychedelic has been associated with healthy volunteers reporting an improvement in their wellbeing [51, 52], and reductions in depression symptoms in participants with life-threatening cancer [19, 20].”
From The psychological processes of classic psychedelics in the treatment of depression: a systematic review protocol (2022) · cites this paper as [51]
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“Mindfulness meditation and mindfulness-based interventions can augment positive affect in healthy and clinical populations acutely and long-term (10, 88) and a similar mood-enhancing potential has been demonstrated for psychedelics such as psilocybin (29, 38, 60, 83, 87).”
From Examining the Potential Synergistic Effects Between Mindfulness Training and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (2021) · cites this paper as [87]
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“Controlled studies where subjects achieved mystical experiences under the effects of psilocybin showed personal long-term benefits (Griffiths et al., 2008; Griffiths et al., 2011).”
From Psychological variables implied in the therapeutic effect of ayahuasca: A contextual approach (2018) · cites this paper as Griffiths et al., 2011
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In the citing paper
“Importantly, previous studies utilising psychedelic-administration outside of a mindfulness-enhancing context have failed to show such positive trait changes (83, 87, 133), with the exception of trait openness (74, 134).”
From Examining the Potential Synergistic Effects Between Mindfulness Training and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (2021) · cites this paper as [87]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“and a dose-response study in healthy volunteers suggested that optimum psilocybin dosing for eliciting a well-tolerated yet transcendent experience may be between 0·29 mg/kg and 0·43 mg/kg [32].”
From Psilocybin-assisted group therapy for demoralized older long-term AIDS survivor men: an open-label safety and feasibility pilot study. (2020) · cites this paper as [32]
In the citing paper
“Self-reported increases in interpersonal closeness and positive/altruistic social effects were reported 1, 2, 6, and 14 months after one and two administrations of psilocybin (89–92).”
From Modulation of Social Cognition via Hallucinogens and “Entactogens” (2019) · cites this paper as [91]
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Citations
Cites
Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5 · Cited by 1,684 · cited 23×
“The questionnaire included three additional questions (see Griffiths et al. 2006 for more specific wording): (1) How personally meaningful was the experience?”
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Self-citationEvidence for 5-HT2 involvement in the mechanism of action of hallucinogenic agents
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Carducci, M. A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., Cosimano, M. P., & Klinedinst, M. A. (2016) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/0269881116675513 · Cited by 2,201
“The structured interview (Community Observer Questionnaire) consisted of asking the rater to rate the participant’s behavior and attitudes using a 10-point scale (from 1 = not at all, to 10 = extremely) on 13 items reflecting healthy psychosocial functioning: inner peace; patience; good-natured humor/playfulness; ment…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationNichols, D. E. (2016) · Pharmacological Reviews · doi:10.1124/pr.115.011478 · Cited by 1,762
Ross, S., Bossis, A., Guss, J., Agin-Liebes, G., Malone, T., Cohen, B., Mennenga, S. E., Belser, A., Kalliontzi, K., Babb, J., et al. (2016) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/0269881116675512 · Cited by 1,698
Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., May, D. G., Cosimano, M. P., Sepeda, N. D., Johnson, M. W., Finan, P. H., & Griffiths, R. R. (2021) · JAMA Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285 · Cited by 1,301
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Metadata
- Authors
- Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., McCann, U., & Jesse, R.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Griffiths, Roland R.
- Venue
- Psychopharmacology
- Published
- 2011-06-15
- Volume
- 218
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 649-665
- ISSN
- 0033-3158 (ISSN-L)
- 1432-2072
- PMC
- PMC3308357
- OpenAlex
- W2001101493
- Semantic Scholar
- b6a466d47ff14211f273622e5d0b584d06253237
- Cited by
- 932
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 59 · 2025: 97 · 2024: 115 · 2023: 110 · 2022: 107 · 2021: 94 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 51 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 20.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Psychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA003889, R01DA03889)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- psilocybin, dose-response relationship, fear and anxiety, long-term psychological effects, psychedelic therapy
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Attitude, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Double-Blind Method, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Hallucinogens, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psilocybin, Surveys and Questionnaires, Time Factors, Cross-Over Studies, Spirituality
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