Mystical & Altered States of Consciousness
Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Mystical Experience Research
A landmark, carefully controlled clinical study finding that psilocybin, administered in a supportive clinical research setting, could reliably occasion experiences meeting standard psychological criteria for a “complete” mystical experience — comparable in structure to those reported in spontaneous religious and contemplative contexts — with many participants rating it among the most personally and spiritually significant experiences of their lives at long-term follow-up.
Proponents
Roland Griffiths, William Richards
Evidence For
Conducted as a rigorous double-blind study with a comparison condition, and its central finding — that a majority of carefully screened participants met formal criteria for a complete mystical experience — has since been replicated by multiple independent research groups.
Evidence Against
The study population was pre-screened for regular participation in religious or spiritual practice, and the researchers themselves caution that the clinical, carefully supported setting used in the study is not equivalent to how the substance is typically encountered outside a research context, limiting how far the specific findings generalize.
Real Sources
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