Psilocybin and Spiritual Practice

Summary

This study will investigate the effects of psilocybin dose and the frequency and intensity of support activities for spiritual practice (e.g., meditation) on a battery of attitudinal and behavioral outcome measures in 75 healthy volunteers who are interested in pursuing a program of spiritual practices with the intention applying spiritual insights and knowledge to everyday life. After screening and study enrollment, each volunteer will be assigned to one of five groups that vary in dose, frequency and intensity of support for spiritual practice, and number of psilocybin sessions (either 2 or 3 sessions). The psilocybin dose manipulation will be double-blind. Volunteers will be told that in each of sessions 1, 2, and 3, he/she could receive a very low, low, moderate, moderately high, or high dose of psilocybin. They will be told that each participant will receive 2 or more dose levels of psilocybin over the 2 or 3 sessions, and all participants will have one or more sessions in which he or she receives a moderately high or high dose of psilocybin. The duration of each volunteer's participation will be approximately 6 to 8 months. Each volunteer will receive several hours of preparation with the study guides in the month prior to the first psilocybin session; the first two sessions will be separated by one month. Various measures will be assessed before, during and immediately after sessions. A battery of longitudinal measures will be evaluated immediately after study enrollment, 3 weeks after the second psilocybin session, and 4 months after the second psilocybin session (6 months after study enrollment). For purposes of controlling expectancies through the 6 month follow-up evaluation, volunteers and guides will not know which volunteers or how many volunteers will be scheduled for a third session.

Timeline

Start

2009-08

Primary completion

2014-02

Completion

2014-05

Publications

• Background Griffiths RR, Richards WA, McCann U, Jesse R. Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006 Aug;187(3):268-83; discussion 284-92. doi: 10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5. Epub 2006 Jul 7.
• Background Griffiths R, Richards W, Johnson M, McCann U, Jesse R. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later. J Psychopharmacol. 2008 Aug;22(6):621-32. doi: 10.1177/0269881108094300. Epub 2008 Jul 1.
• Background Johnson M, Richards W, Griffiths R. Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. J Psychopharmacol. 2008 Aug;22(6):603-20. doi: 10.1177/0269881108093587. Epub 2008 Jul 1.
• Griffiths RR, Johnson MW, Richards WA, Richards BD, Jesse R, MacLean KA, Barrett FS, Cosimano MP, Klinedinst MA. Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors. J Psychopharmacol. 2018 Jan;32(1):49-69. doi: 10.1177/0269881117731279. Epub 2017 Oct 11.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.