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Recent findings in psychedelic science, upcoming studies, and all the podcasts and articles to keep you up to date $$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
Strides in Psychedelic ScienceIt’s a new year and the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research is feeling optimistic for what’s ahead! We recently resumed many of our ongoing studies, including our studies of psilocybin on anorexia nervosa, smoking cessation, and Alzheimer’s Disease. We also have several online survey studies, for which every response helps us further understand the effects of psychedelics. If you or someone you know (1) has used psilocybin while on antidepressant medication or within two years of stopping, (2) has felt a change in beliefs after having a psychedelic experience, (3) is a Spanish speaker and has taken a psychedelic substance, or (4) intends to take psilocybin and is interested in contributing to our scientific understanding, please consider taking one of these surveys. In the year ahead, we are gearing up to begin new studies. Stay tuned to learn more by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and the CPCR website. Last year, CPCR researchers made their way to the big screen! In the first episode of the Horizons film series, Drs. Griffiths, Johnson, Richards, Doss, and Gukasyan described the history and ongoing psychedelic research at Johns Hopkins. If you missed it, you can catch the film again on Feb 25th followed by a live discussion with Drs. Johnson, Doss, and Gukasyan. Click here to learn more and register for the event. Another highlight of last year was our publication of the first randomized clinical trial on the effects of psilocybin in major depressive disorder in JAMA Psychiatry, and we wanted to give a huge thanks for all the support we received! The results of the study were covered by over 200 media outlets, including The Washington Post, Scientific American, NPR, Forbes, and many more. Further research is needed to understand the effects of psilocybin in treating depression, but we are off to a great start.
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In addition to these results, our team has recently published several papers including guidance on optimal dosing practices, pieces that discuss trends and the future of psychedelic medicine, thoughtful guidance on ethical considerations, exploration on set and setting and the impact music has on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, the development of the psychological insight questionnaire, and a study on the effects of psychedelics on symptoms of racial trauma. Learn more about these findings below.
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Participate in Our ResearchWe are currently recruiting for multiple studies and surveys involving psychedelics. Click on a link below to find out more regarding the application process.
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Lex Fridman Podcast: Episode #145 Dr. Matthew Johnson was a guest on the Lex Fridman Podcast. The Lex Fridman Podcast is one of the most prominent scientific podcasts in the world and has featured Nobel Prize winners including Roger Penrose and Daniel Kahneman, and technology leaders such as Elon Musk. |
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There’s No Good Evidence That Psychedelics Can Change Your Politics or Religion Drs. David Yaden and Matthew Johnson published an article in Scientific American refuting recent speculation that psychedelics can reliably change political and religious beliefs. The authors stress that existing data does not support this conclusion, and worry that these assumptions could lead to alarmist reactions. |
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Could the Embrace of Psychedelics Lead to a Mental-Health Revolution? Vogue reached out to Dr. Frederick Barrett about the mental-health revolution sparked by 21st century psychedelic research. Dr. Barrett spoke on the possibility of psychedelics being used to treat anxiety and depression. |
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What Happened when Psychedelics Make you see God? Several CPCR team members, including Roland Griffiths, Bill Richards, Alan Davis, Fred Barrett, and Ian Geithner were interviewed by Popular Science and spoke about how mystical experiences contribute to the success of psychedelic therapies. The article highlighted the Center’s “God Encounter” survey, and discussed the validity of mystical experiences in clinical settings. |
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What Psychedelic Research Can Learn from Science, and What It can Teach In his article for Harvard Law’s Bill of Health, Dr. Manoj Doss critiques the tendency of the psychedelic field to make lofty claims regarding drug effects. He argues that psychedelic compounds teach us relatively little about consciousness and more about how these drugs alter brain dynamics. |
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Psilocybin Treatment for Mental Health Gets Legal Framework Scientific American featured Dr. Roland Griffiths in an article about psychedelic legal restrictions. He cautioned against a rushed expansion of access to psychedelics, but upheld their potential for treating certain mental health conditions. |
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Psychedelics Weren't As Common in Ancient Cultures As We Think Dr. Sandeep Nayak was featured in an article by Vice concerning the misappropriation of shamanic rituals in psychedelic science. He discouraged the spread of unfounded narratives conflating shamanic use of psychedelics with western clinical trials. |
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Shrooming at the Symphony: How Does Music Affect the Psychedelic Experience? Dr. Matthew Johnson spoke to Double Blind about the influence of music in psychedelic therapy and the role genre plays in facilitating successful outcomes. He advocates for further research into how music can be personalized for individual patients, and how specific genres influence the set and setting of a psychedelic session. |
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A First Look at How the Drug Salvinorin A Works in the Brain The Johns Hopkins Newsroom spoke with Dr. Manoj Doss about his recent findings concerning Salvinorin A and brain functionality. Dr. Doss found that Salvinorin A causes decreased synchronization within the default mode network, a region implicated in passive activities. |
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Psilocybin may Help Treat Depression: A Small Study Finds Dr. Roland Griffiths spoke to Science News about the Center’s recent psilocybin and depression publication in JAMA Psychiatry. He noted that psilocybin showed dramatic reductions in depressive symptoms compared to conventional antidepressants. |
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Psychedelic Drugs and Depression CBS Milwaukee highlighted the findings of our recent paper on the effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on depression. Dr. Alan Davis was interviewed, and spoke to the primary findings from the trial. |
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Is the War on Drugs Over? Dr. Matthew Johnson appeared on the Kojo Nnamdi show where he spoke about the legalization of psychedelic therapy and the war on drugs. The discussion highlighted the current state of psychedelic treatment for major depressive disorder, with Dr. Johnson expressing his optimism for FDA approval in the near future. |
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Psilocybin, Addiction, and Consciousness with Dr. Garcia-Romeu Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu spoke with Stuart Preston at the Consciousness Podcast to discuss psilocybin and its promise in addiction treatment. |
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Listening to Music Enhances the Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelics IFLS covered research by Drs. Johnson, Strickland, and Garcia-Romeu on the comparison of musical genres in supporting psychedelic therapy. |
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Psychedelics and the Treatment of Mental Illness Dr. Natalie Gukasyan was interviewed by Al Levin on the Depression Files Podcast, and spoke about current research being conducted at the Center. |
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Johns Hopkins Psychologist Bill Richards Studies the Magical Power of Music Baltimore Magazine wrote on Dr. Bill Richard’s study of music and psychedelics. The article outline’s Dr. Richard’s role in curating study playlists and how music influences the psychedelic field. |
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What is Consciousness? Dr. Matthew Johnson was interviewed by Psychedelics Today, and spoke about his recently published paper “Consciousness, Religion, and Gurus: Pitfalls of Psychedelic Medicine.” He discusses the ambiguity of the term “consciousness,” as well as some of the pitfalls of clinicians bringing their own religious and spiritual beliefs into their practice. |
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Protecting People from the Side Effects of Psychedelic Therapy Dr. Johnson was interviewed by The Startup and spoke on the treatment of prolonged psychosis that sometimes occurs after psychedelic use outside of research. |
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A “Trip” with Dr. Matthew W. Johnson Dr. Johnson was interviewed on Sibling Revelry, and spoke about the effects of psilocybin in the treatment of opioid dependence, PTSD, smoking addiction, treating cancer distress, and more. |
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Skeptic Check: Shroom with a View Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu was interviewed by astronomer Dr. Seth Shostak on the Big Picture Science podcast. |
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Psychedelics and Mental Health Dr. Sandeep Nayak appeared on the Sum of Life podcast, and discussed how psychedelics compare to other treatments available for addiction, depression, and other health disorders. |
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Psychedelic Therapy Needs to Confront the Mystical Dr. Matthew Johnson was interviewed by Vice and cautions against psychedelic therapists imposing spiritual or religious beliefs on clients. |
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The Psychedelic Rush to Become Big Shroom Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu was interviewed for an article on psilocybin commercialization in MEL Magazine. |
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Upcoming EventsFebruary 25, 2021Dr. Manoj Doss will participate in an academic career panel during the Intercollegiate Psychedelics Network’s Psychedelx student talk competition. (11:00 am-12:00 pm EST) Drs. Johnson, Doss, and Gukasyan will participate in a Q&A panel discussion following a screening of The Johns Hopkins Story, produced by Horizons media. (10:00 am-12:00 pm EST) Dr. Matthew Johnson speak at the University of Baltimore event, “Psychedelic Medicine: Research, Regulations, & the Future of Psilocybin- and MDMA-Assisted Therapy.” (7 pm EST) March 8, 2021Dr. Roland Griffiths will make a virtual presentation to the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in their Seminar Series tentatively entitled "Psychedelic Science: Therapeutic Implications and Ethical Challenges." (12:00-1:00 pm EST) Drs. Bill Richards and Albert Garcia-Romeu will be giving an online presentation titled, "An Overview of Psilocybin Research at Johns Hopkins: Its History, Current State and Future Directions" for the Open Center, NY. (7:00-9:00 pm EST) March 12, 2021Dr. Alan Davis will give a presentation called “What does Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Depression Look Like? A Clinical Case Presentation” at Portland Psychotherapy Institute. March 13-14, 2021 (9:00 am-2:00 pm EST)Dr. Frederick Barrett will present on psychedelic research at the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny at UC San Diego, in a symposium titled "Altered States of the Human Mind: Implications for Anthropogeny." March 16-20, 2021Dr. Davis will be on a panel titled “Psychedelics: Rewiring Mental Health Care” at SXSW. This panel presentation will be available to SXSW conference attendees. Conference schedules will be released on the SXSW website. March 17, 2021 (12:00-1:00 pm EST)Dr. Griffiths will make a virtual presentation of the endowed Collier Lecture, Grand Rounds for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York entitled "Psilocybin Neuropharmacology and Implications for Therapeutics." March 18th 2021Dr. Davis will give a presentation called “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who use psychedelics to heal racial trauma“ at Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine. April 7, 2021 (12:00-1:00 pm EST)Dr. Griffiths will present Grand Rounds on psychedelic research to the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego. More information can be found on our website closer to the event date. April 9, 2021Dr. Johnson will speak at the University of Vermont Psychological Science Colloquium. More information can be found on our website closer to the event date. April 22, 2021 (4:00-5:00 pm EST) Dr. Griffiths will present a talk on psilocybin and integrative medicine at the National Cancer Institute-National Institutes of Health (NCI-NIH) Integrative Medicine Course. Link to be posted closer to event date. More information can be found on our website closer to the event date. April 23rd-25th 2021Dr. Davis will be on a panel called “Toad Medicine: The science, myths, and new culture of 5-MeO-DMT” at a conference called Sacred Plants in the Americas II hosted by Chacruna Institute. May 4, 2021 (9:00 am-3:15 pm EST)Dr. Barrett will present an overview of psychedelic research for the treatment of psychiatric disorders at the Virtual Psychedelic Therapeutics Conference , hosted by Arrowhead Publishers and Conferences. May 25, 2021 (7:00-8:30 pm EST)Dr. Griffiths will be a speaker at a symposium entitled "Psychedelics for the Treatment of Depression and Psychiatric Disorders sponsored by The New York Academy of Sciences. More information can be found on our website closer to the event date. August 20, 2021Dr. Johnson will speak at the educational workshop of the Vermont Psychological Association. More information can be found on our website closer to the event date. August 24, 2021 (11:00 am-12:00 pm EST)Dr. Griffiths will present Grand Rounds on Psilocybin Neuropsychopharmacology and Therapeutics to the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego. More information can be found on our website closer to the event date.
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Recent PublicationsGarcia-Romeu, A., Barrett, F.S., Carbonaro, T.M., Johnson, M.W., & Griffiths, R.R. (2021). Optimal dosing for psilocybin pharmacotherapy: Considering weight-adjusted and fixed dosing approaches. Journal of Psychopharmacology, Published online, February 20, 2021. Lawrence, D.W., Sharma, B., Griffiths, R.R., Carhart-Harris, R. (2021). Trends in the Top-Cited Articles on Classic Psychedelics. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Published online, February 03, 2021.
Davis, A.K., Barrett, F.S., So, S., Gukasyan, N., Swift, T.C., & Griffiths, R.R. (2021). Development of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire among a sample of people who have consumed psilocybin or LSD. Journal of Psychopharmacology, Published online, January 9, 2021.
Williams, M.T., Davis, A.K., Xin, Y., Sepeda, N.D., Grigas, P.C., Sinnott, S., & Haeny, A.M. (2020). People of color in North America report improvements in racial trauma and mental health symptoms following psychedelic experiences. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, Published Online December 10, 2020.
Davis, A,K., Barrett, F.S., Darrick G. May, D.G., Cosimano, M.P., Sepeda, N.D., Johnson, M.W., Finan, P.H., & Griffiths, R.R. (November 2020, published online). Effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy for major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry.
Doss, M.K., May, D.G., Johnson, M.W., Clifton, J.M., Hedrick, S.L., Prisinzano, T.E., Griffiths, R.R., & Barrett, F.S. (2020). The acute effects of the atypical dissociative hallucinogen Salvinorin A on functional connectivity in the human brain. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 16392.
Barrett, F.S., Krimmel, S.R., Griffiths, R.R., Seminowicz, D.A., & Mathur, B.N. (2020). Psilocybin acutely alters the functional connectivity of the claustrum with brain networks that support perception, memory, and attention. NeuroImage, 218, 116980.
Davis, A.K., Averill, L.A., Sepeda, N.D., Barsuglia, J.P., & Amoroso, T. (2020). Psychedelic treatment for trauma-related psychological and cognitive impairment among US Special Operations Forces Veterans. Chronic Stress, 4, 1-11.
Luoma, J. B., Chwyl, C., Bathje, G. J., Davis, A. K., & Lancelotta, R. (published online 2020, print edition in press). A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 52(4), 289-299.
Davis AK, Clifton JM, Weaver EG, Hurwitz ES, Johnson MW, Griffiths RR. Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 34(9), 1008-1020.
Aday, J.S., Mitzkovitz, C.M., Bloesch, E.K., Davoli, C.C, & Davis, A.K. (2020). Long-term effect of psychedelic drugs: A systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 113, 179-189.
Barrett, F.S., Doss, M., Sepeda, N, Pekar, and Griffiths, R.R. (2020) Emotions and brain function are altered up to one month after a single high dose of psilocybin. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 2214.
Garcia-Romeu, A., Davis, A.K., Erowid, E., Erowid, F., Griffiths, R.R, and Johnson, M.W. (2020). Persisting reductions in cannabis, opioid, and stimulant misuse after naturalistic psychedelic use: An online survey.Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, Article 955.
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Get Involved in Psychedelic ScienceThe Source Research Foundation (SRF) is a non-profit organization that aims to connect, inspire, and support students who study psychedelics. SRF is offering up to $10,000 to fund community based projects and up to $30,000 support for students conducting psychedelic studies. Click the link below to learn more and apply.
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Support Psychedelic ResearchBe a part of the psychedelic renaissance! Help support the faculty and staff at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. Individual donations are always appreciated, and make the work we do possible.
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