Psychedelics, Mystical Experience, and Therapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review
King's College London · South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust · +3 more institutions
Abstract
The mystical experience is a potential psychological mechanism to influence outcome in psychedelic therapy. It includes features such as oceanic boundlessness, ego dissolution, and universal interconnectedness, which have been closely linked to both symptom reduction and improved quality of life. In this review, 12 studies of psychedelic therapy utilizing psilocybin, ayahuasca, or ketamine were analyzed for association between mystical experience and symptom reduction, in areas as diverse as cancer-related distress, substance use disorder, and depressive disorders to include treatment-resistant. Ten of the twelve established a significant association of correlation, mediation, and/or prediction. A majority of…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 48.05
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 54
Authors
4- KKKwonmok KoCorresponding
King's College London
- GKGemma Knight
King's College London
- JRJames Rucker
King's College London, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, National Institute for Health and Care Research, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and the ICR
- AJAnthony J. Cleare
King's College London, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, National Institute for Health and Care Research, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and the ICR
Topics & keywords
- Psychology
- Clinical psychology
- Anxiety
- Psychotherapist
- Distress
- Psychiatry