Ever sinceLSDwas first synthesized back in the 1930s , psychotherapist have been interested in usinghallucinogenic drugsto treat a range of genial disorders . However , attempts to do so have struggled to realise widespread support from the aesculapian residential area , partly because thevisionary voyagesthese substances generate are so idiosyncratic , and therefore hard to analyze . Yet a team of investigator believe they have now found a style to scientifically study the “ mystic experiences ” produced by psilocin - containing mushroom , potentially opening the door for their use in psychological therapy .
Publishing their findings in theJournal of Psychopharmacology , the team defines “ mysterious experience ” using four central characteristics . These include a common sense of “ religious mysticism , ” meaning a sensation of sacredness or unity with all thing , “ positive mood , ” “ transcendence of fourth dimension and space , ” and “ ineffability ” – or feeling that the experience is beyond password .
The team of psychiatrists and neuroscientists from the John Hopkins University School of Medicine have developed a 30 - item Mystical Experience Questionnaire , call the MEQ30 , which address all four of these element and can be used to obtain an overall score to account the intensity of the mystic experience . This was achieved by take apart datum roll up from five lab - free-base experiment , in which a total of 184 participants were give moderate to high doses of psilocin and asked to describe their experience .
For illustration , for determine the level of “ religious mysticism , ” the MEQ30 asks participants to posit how strongly they feel connect to “ ultimate realness . ” Data relating to “ transcendence of space of sentence , ” meanwhile , is extracted from the degree to which participant lose their “ usual cognizance of where [ they ] were . ”
More crucially , the study author claim that score prevail from the MEQ30 can be accurately used to predict the long - terminal figure effects of psilocybin function , since the data revealed that those who achieved great mystic experiences also reported continued improvements in their state of nous further down the furrow . This build on previousstudieswhich have reveal that patient who are deem to have had a “ stark ” mystical experience on psilocybin are more likely to feel increased welfare or life sentence satisfaction 14 months afterward .
While the study authors assert that “ the biological mechanism underlie secret experience have not been identified , ” recent inquiry into the matter has led to the development of a number of possibility . For representative , a study at Imperial College London revealed how psilocin caused a decrement in brain activity in the portion of the wit typically connect with the “ sense of self , ” or “ ego . ” At the same time , an step-up in communication between sure other section of the brainiac was observed , producing a shape of activeness that resembled “ dreaming sleep . ”
Findings such as this have go to the rise of the term “ psychointegrator ” to draw psychedelic substances such as psilocin , since they incorporate neuronal activeness by increasing connectivity and communicating in the brain . To give an idea of what this look like , the image below comparesfunctional brain networksobserved under normal conditions and on psilocin .
Image : Simplified visualisation of fMRI ( Functional magnetized resonance imaging ) of functional brain networks under normal conditions ( left ) and on psilocin ( right ) . Research paradigm by Dr. Robin Carhart - Harris , introduce at Breaking Convention on July 12th 2015 . exposure by Benjamin Taub for IFLScience .
However , while scientist are work out to unravel the mechanisms by which psychedelic compound work on the mastermind , the post remain extremely complex and the effects of such substances are still knockout to augur . For example , it is broadly hold that psychedelic experiences are hugely tempt by the factors of “ prepare and limit . ” Set refers to the psychological condition of the mortal ingest the drug , while fix indicates existent surroundings in which the nub is hold . With the development of the MEQ30 , though , it is hop that these effects can be more scientifically classified and analyse , lead to a greater understanding of how psychedelics can be used to regale psychological disorders .
