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5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: A recent epidemiological study suggested that 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used for spiritual and recreational reasons is associated with subjective improvement in depression and anxiety. Further exploration of the potential psychotherapeutic effects of 5-MeO-DMT could inform future clinical trials. OBJECTIVES: We examined self-reported improvement in depression and anxiety among people who use 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures guiding dose and administration of 5-MeO-DMT. Such procedures also include activities for the preparation of, and support during/following sessions, which are similar to procedures used in clinical trials of hallucinogen administration. Next, we examined whether depression or anxiety were improved following use, and whether the acute subjective effects (mystical/challenging) or beliefs about the 5-MeO-DMT experience were associated with improvements in these conditions. METHODS: = 47.7; Male = 55%; White/Caucasian = 84%) completed an anonymous web-based survey. RESULTS: Of those reporting having been diagnosed with depression (41%) or anxiety (48%), most reported these conditions were improved (depression = 80%; anxiety = 79%) following 5-MeO-DMT use, and fewer reported they were unchanged (depression = 17%; anxiety = 19%) or worsened (depression = 3%; anxiety = 2%). Improvement in depression/anxiety conditions were associated with greater intensity of mystical experiences and higher ratings of the spiritual significance and personal meaning of the 5-MeO-DMT experience. There were no associations between depression or anxiety improvement and the intensity of acute challenging physical/psychological effects during the 5-MeO-DMT experience. CONCLUSIONS: Future prospective controlled clinical pharmacology studies should examine the safety and efficacy of 5-MeO-DMT administration for relieving depression and anxiety.
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“Greater acute effects of psychedelics on measures of mystical experiences are associated with positive effects in multiple domains including attitudes, prosocial behavior, depression, anxiety and satisfaction with life in healthy individuals (Davis et al. 2019;Griffiths et al. 2018Griffiths et al. , 2011;;Uthaug et al. 2019).”
From Psychedelic Microdosing, Mindfulness, and Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Study (2023) · cites this paper as Davis et al. 2019
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“it appears that 5-MeO-DMT has an acceptable physiological safety profile in naturalistic settings (Davis et al. 2018; Davis et al. 2019)”
From Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment (2020) · cites this paper as Davis et al. 2019
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“However, the present findings are in line with previous research on use of synthetic 5-MeO-DMT in ceremonial settings (Davis et al. 2019), as well as a naturalistic observational study investigating the effects following use of toad secretion containing 5-MeO-DMT (Uthaug et al. 2019).”
From Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment (2020) · cites this paper as Davis et al. 2019
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“Three items were also included from the Persisting Effects Questionnaire (24,26,31), in which participants rate the extent to which their first 5-MeO-DMT experience was personally meaningful (on a scale from 0 = “No more than routine, everyday experiences” to 7 = “The single most meaningful experience of my life”), an…”
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Metadata
- Authors
- Davis, A. K., So, S., Lancelotta, R., Barsuglia, J. P., & Griffiths, R. R.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of Wyoming (US)
- New School Research, LLC, North Hollywood, CA, USA
- Corresponding author
- Davis, Alan K.
- Venue
- The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-03-01
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 161-169
- ISSN
- 0095-2990 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-9891
- PMC
- PMC6430661
- OpenAlex
- W2919995896
- Cited by
- 142
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 7
- FWCI
- 16.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA007747)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA003889, DA007209)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
- Keywords
- 5-MeO-DMT, depression, anxiety, psychedelics, mystical experience, challenging experiences, spiritual meaning, group settings, recreational drug use, subjective improvement, hallucinogens
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Depressive Disorder, Female, Hallucinogens, Humans, Male, Methoxydimethyltryptamines, Middle Aged, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Internet, Self Report
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