Robert B. Johnston

2 papers in the library · 8 citations · publishing 2025

Papers

Music as a collaborating actor: new insights into the nature and role of music in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Frontiers in Psychiatry January 1, 2025 Justin Dwyer, Robert B. Johnston, Clare O'Callaghan et al. 5 citations

Music in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is not merely a predictable amplifier of the experience but undergoes a profound transformation for participants. In a trial of PAP at end of life, participants described music as becoming internally generated, multisensory, deeply personal experiences that arrive fully formed and are instantly known. Some of these experiences become actors that collaborate with the participant and therapist in ongoing psychotherapy. This contrasts sharply with the everyday properties of music reported by the placebo group. The findings suggest that music should not be viewed as something simply administered, with major implications for PAP practice and research.

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1541528 Full text Psilocybin End-of-life Music therapy Palliative care +6

Stepping back into life: How Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy transforms the way of life of the terminally ill

General Hospital Psychiatry December 10, 2025 Justin Dwyer, Robert B. Johnston, Clare O'Callaghan et al. 3 citations

Terminally ill people with extreme death anxiety can feel displaced from their own lives, afraid and alone in an all-encompassing present. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) can enable them to fully inhabit their life in a more abundant and joyful present, even in the face of death. The psilocybin component is necessary but not sufficient for this outcome. These findings expand the conceptualization of death anxiety and the personal transformation that constitutes successful PAP.

DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.12.002