TY - JOUR
T1 - Long-term effects of psychedelic drugs
T2 - A systematic review
AU - Aday, Jacob S.
AU - Mitzkovitz, Cayla M.
AU - Bloesch, Emily K.
AU - Davoli, Christopher C.
AU - Davis, Alan K.
N1 - Funding Information:
Effort for Dr. Davis was provided by Tim Ferriss, Matt Mullenweg, Craig Nerenberg, Blake Mycoskie, and the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2020/6
Y1 - 2020/6
N2 - Research into the basic effects and therapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs has grown considerably in recent years. Yet, pressing questions remain regarding the substances’ lasting effects. Although individual studies have begun monitoring sustained changes, no study to-date has synthesized this information. Therefore, this systematic review aims to fill this important gap in the literature by synthesizing results from 34 contemporary experimental studies which included classic psychedelics, human subjects, and follow-up latencies of at least two weeks. The bulk of this work was published in the last five years, with psilocybin being the most frequently administered drug. Enduring changes in personality/attitudes, depression, spirituality, anxiety, wellbeing, substance misuse, meditative practices, and mindfulness were documented. Mystical experiences, connectedness, emotional breakthrough, and increased neural entropy were related to these long-term changes in psychological functioning. Finally, with proper screening, preparation, supervision, and integration, limited aversive side effects were noted by study participants. Future researchers should focus on including larger and more diverse samples, lengthier longitudinal designs, stronger control conditions, and standardized dosages.
AB - Research into the basic effects and therapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs has grown considerably in recent years. Yet, pressing questions remain regarding the substances’ lasting effects. Although individual studies have begun monitoring sustained changes, no study to-date has synthesized this information. Therefore, this systematic review aims to fill this important gap in the literature by synthesizing results from 34 contemporary experimental studies which included classic psychedelics, human subjects, and follow-up latencies of at least two weeks. The bulk of this work was published in the last five years, with psilocybin being the most frequently administered drug. Enduring changes in personality/attitudes, depression, spirituality, anxiety, wellbeing, substance misuse, meditative practices, and mindfulness were documented. Mystical experiences, connectedness, emotional breakthrough, and increased neural entropy were related to these long-term changes in psychological functioning. Finally, with proper screening, preparation, supervision, and integration, limited aversive side effects were noted by study participants. Future researchers should focus on including larger and more diverse samples, lengthier longitudinal designs, stronger control conditions, and standardized dosages.
KW - Long-term
KW - Psychedelic drugs
KW - Psychedelics
KW - Review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85082409303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.017
DO - 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.017
M3 - Review article
C2 - 32194129
AN - SCOPUS:85082409303
SN - 0149-7634
VL - 113
SP - 179
EP - 189
JO - Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
JF - Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
ER -