Skip to content

Alan K. Davis

Johns Hopkins University, Behavioral Pharma (United States)

77 papers in the library · 5,924 citations · publishing 2015-2026

Papers

Sort Most recent Most cited

Attitudes and Beliefs about the Therapeutic Use of Psychedelic Drugs among Psychologists in the United States

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 1, 2021 Alan K. Davis, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Megan España et al. 103 citations

Psychologists are a vital component of mental health treatment and their perceptions of psychedelic-assisted therapy are critical for future implementation. This cross-sectional quasi-experimental electronic survey study explored the attitudes about psychedelics used in treatment among 366 clinical psychologists in the United States. Participants expressed cautiously favorable attitudes toward...

Naturalistic Use of Mescaline Is Associated with Self-Reported Psychiatric Improvements and Enduring Positive Life Changes.

ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science April 9, 2021 Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Trevor F Haas, Rafael Lancelotta et al. 121 citations

Mescaline is a naturally occurring psychoactive alkaloid that has been used as a sacrament by Indigenous populations in spiritual ritual and healing ceremonies for millennia. Despite promising early preliminary research and favorable anecdotal reports, there is limited research investigating mescaline's psychotherapeutic potential. We administered an anonymous online questionnaire to adults (N...

Predicting Reactions to Psychedelic Drugs: A Systematic Review of States and Traits Related to Acute Drug Effects.

ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci March 5, 2021 Jacob S. Aday, Alan K. Davis, Cayla M. Mitzkovitz et al. 228 citations

Psychedelic drugs are increasingly being incorporated into therapeutic contexts for the purposes of promoting mental health. However, they can also induce adverse reactions in some individuals, and it is difficult to predict before treatment who is likely to experience positive or adverse acute effects. Although consideration of setting and dosage as well as excluding individuals with psychotic...

Errors in a Response Rate and in Effect Sizes in Study of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder

JAMA Psychiatry February 10, 2021 Alan K. Davis, Roland R. Griffiths 3 citations

Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to use our site, or clicking "Continue," you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy | Continue JAMA Psychiatry HomeNew OnlineCurrent IssueFor Authors Podcast Publications JAMA JAMA Network Open JAMA Cardiology JAMA Dermatology JAMA Health Forum JAMA Internal Medicine JAMA Neurology JAMA Oncology JAMA Ophthalmology JAMA...

Development of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire among a sample of people who have consumed psilocybin or LSD

Journal of Psychopharmacology January 9, 2021 Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett, Sara So et al. 166 citations

Background: Several measures have been developed to examine acute psychedelic effects (e.g. mystical-type and challenging experiences), but no measure assesses acute psychologically insightful experiences that may occur during psychedelic experiences. Aim: The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire. Method: A...

Increases in Psychological Flexibility Mediate Relationship Between Acute Psychedelic Effects and Decreases in Racial Trauma Symptoms Among People of Color

Chronic Stress 2021 Alan K. Davis, Yitong Xin, Nathan D. Sepeda et al. 66 citations

Background Previous research showed acute psychedelic effects were associated with decreases in racial trauma (RT) symptoms among black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Among samples comprised primarily of white participants, positive outcomes of psychedelic experiences have been mediated by increases in psychological flexibility. Therefore, we examined whether changes in psychological...

People of color in North America report improvements in racial trauma and mental health symptoms following psychedelic experiences

Drugs Education Prevention and Policy December 10, 2020 Monnica T. Williams, Alan K. Davis, Yitong Xin et al. 100 citations

This study examined how psychedelics reduced symptoms of racial trauma among black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) subsequent to an experience of racism. A cross-sectional internet-based survey included questions about experiences with racism, mental health symptoms, and acute and enduring psychedelic effects. Changes in mental health were assessed by retrospective report of symptoms...

Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder

JAMA Psychiatry November 4, 2020 Mary P Cosimano, Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett et al. 1,269 citations

Importance: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a substantial public health burden, but current treatments have limited effectiveness and adherence. Recent evidence suggests that 1 or 2 administrations of psilocybin with psychological support produces antidepressant effects in patients with cancer and in those with treatment-resistant depression. Objective: To investigate the effect of...

Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) September 1, 2020 Alan K. Davis, John Clifton, Eric G Weaver et al. 144 citations

Experiences of having an encounter with seemingly autonomous entities are sometimes reported after inhaling N,N-dimethyltryptamine. The study characterized the subjective phenomena, interpretation, and persisting changes that people attribute to N,N-dimethyltryptamine-occasioned entity encounter experiences. Two thousand, five hundred and sixty-one individuals (mean age 32 years; 77% male)...

Psychedelic Treatment for Trauma-Related Psychological and Cognitive Impairment Among US Special Operations Forces Veterans

Chronic Stress August 12, 2020 Alan K. Davis, Lynnette A. Averill, Nathan D. Sepeda et al. 83 citations

Background U.S. Special Operations Forces Veterans are at increased risk for a variety of mental health problems and cognitive impairment associated with military service. Current treatments are lacking in effectiveness and adherence. Therefore, this study examined psychedelic treatment with ibogaine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine for trauma-related psychological and cognitive impairment...

A Meta-Analysis of Placebo-Controlled Trials of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs June 12, 2020 Jason B. Luoma, Christina Chwyl, Geoff J. Bathje et al. 206 citations

After a two-decade hiatus in which research on psychedelics was essentially halted, placebo-controlled clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health conditions have begun to be published. We identified nine randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapy published since 1994. Studies examined psilocybin, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide),...

A comparison of reactivation experiences following vaporization and intramuscular injection (IM) of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) in a naturalistic setting

Journal of Psychedelic Studies March 25, 2020 Malin V. Uthaug, Rafael Lancelotta, Ana María Ortiz Bernal et al. 25 citations

Abstract Background Previous research suggests a therapeutic potential of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). However, online anecdotal reports have described a phenomenon following cessation of the acute effects of 5-MeO-DMT use which has been termed reactivation (i.e., re-experiencing [“flashback”]). To date, no research has investigated whether different routes of administration...

Long-term effects of psychedelic drugs: A systematic review

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews March 16, 2020 Jacob S. Aday, Cayla M. Mitzkovitz, Emily K. Bloesch et al. 260 citations

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...

Use of Benefit Enhancement Strategies among 5-Methoxy-N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) Users: Associations with Mystical, Challenging, and Enduring Effects

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs March 9, 2020 Rafael Lancelotta, Alan K. Davis 32 citations

5-Methoxy-N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a potent, fast-acting psychedelic. Anecdotal reports from 5-MeO-DMT users suggest that they employ a variety of benefit enhancement (BE) strategies aimed to increase positive effects and decrease any potential challenging effects of the substance, but no empirical study has investigated this claim. We examined the prevalence of BE strategy use...

Persisting Reductions in Cannabis, Opioid, and Stimulant Misuse After Naturalistic Psychedelic Use: An Online Survey

Frontiers in Psychiatry January 22, 2020 Earth Erowid, Fire Erowid, Albert Garcia‐romeu et al. 155 citations

While these cross-sectional and self-report methods cannot determine whether psychedelics caused changes in drug use, results suggest the potential that psychedelics cause reductions in problematic substance use, and support additional clinical research on psychedelic-assisted treatment for SUD.

Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety.

Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 2020 Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett, Roland R. Griffiths 369 citations

Prior research has shown that acute subjective psychedelic effects are associated with both spontaneous and intended changes in depression and anxiety. Psychedelics are also theorized to produce increases in psychological flexibility, which could explain decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience. Therefore, the present cross-sectional survey study sought to examine...

Inhaled 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Supportive context associated with positive acute and enduring effects

Journal of Psychedelic Studies December 27, 2019 Nathan D. Sepeda, John Clifton, Laura Y. Doyle et al. 23 citations

Background and aims 5-Methoxy- N,N -dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a potent, short-acting psychedelic that produces strong hallucinogenic effects. The association between the context (i.e., set and setting) of 5-MeO-DMT use and the acute and enduring effects of the substance is unknown. Therefore, this study examined these associations using secondary data from two cross-sectional survey...

Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment

Psychopharmacology December 10, 2019 Malin V. Uthaug, Rafael Lancelotta, Attila Szabo et al. 116 citations

Abstract Rationale 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine is a psychotropic substance found in various plant and animal species and is synthetically produced. 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine is used in naturalistic settings for spiritual exploration, recreation, or to address negative affect and mood problems. However, scientific knowledge on the effects of 5- methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in...

Cessation and reduction in alcohol consumption and misuse after psychedelic use

Journal of Psychopharmacology May 14, 2019 Albert Garcia‐romeu, Alan K. Davis, Fire Erowid et al. 286 citations

Background: Meta-analysis of randomized studies using lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for alcohol use disorder (AUD) showed large, significant effects for LSD efficacy compared to control conditions. Clinical studies suggest potential anti-addiction effects of LSD and mechanistically-related classic psychedelics for alcohol and other substance use disorders. Aims: To supplement clinical...

Survey of subjective "God encounter experiences": Comparisons among naturally occurring experiences and those occasioned by the classic psychedelics psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, or DMT

PLoS One April 23, 2019 Roland R. Griffiths, Ethan Hurwitz, Alan K. Davis et al. 249 citations

Naturally occurring and psychedelic drug-occasioned experiences interpreted as personal encounters with God are well described but have not been systematically compared. In this study, five groups of individuals participated in an online survey with detailed questions characterizing the subjective phenomena, interpretation, and persisting changes attributed to their single most memorable God...

5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety.

The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 2019 Alan K. Davis, Sara So, Rafael Lancelotta et al. 141 citations

A recent epidemiological study suggested that 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used for spiritual and recreational reasons is associated with subjective improvement in depression and anxiety. Further exploration of the potential psychotherapeutic effects of 5-MeO-DMT could inform future clinical trials. We examined self-reported improvement in depression and anxiety among people who...

Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT and Comparison With a Prior Psilocybin Study

Frontiers in Psychology December 6, 2018 Rafael Lancelotta, Austin-Marley Windham-Herman, Kristel Peterson et al. 80 citations

5-MeO-DMT is a psychoactive substance found in high concentrations in the bufotoxin of the Colorado River Toad (Bufo alvarius). Emerging evidence suggests that vaporized 5-MeO-DMT may occasion mystical experiences of comparable intensity to those occasioned by more widely studied psychedelics such as psilocybin, but no empirical study has tested this hypothesis. Data was obtained from 20...

The epidemiology of 5-methoxy- N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) use: Benefits, consequences, patterns of use, subjective effects, and reasons for consumption.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) July 1, 2018 Alan K. Davis, Joseph P Barsuglia, Rafael Lancelotta et al. 137 citations

5-Methoxy- N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a psychoactive compound found in several plants and in high concentrations in Bufo alvarius toad venom. Synthetic, toad, and plant-sourced 5-MeO-DMT are used for spiritual and recreational purposes and may have psychotherapeutic effects. However, the use of 5-MeO-DMT is not well understood. Therefore, we examined patterns of use, motivations for...

A Mixed-Method Analysis of Persisting Effects Associated with Positive Outcomes Following Ibogaine Detoxification.

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2018 Alan K. Davis, Elise Renn, Austin-Marley Windham-Herman et al. 34 citations

We examined persisting effects, self-perceived challenges, and potential benefits associated with positive outcomes following ibogaine detoxification using data collected as part of a larger online retrospective study of 73 patients who received treatment for chronic opioid use in Mexico between 2012 and 2015. A mixed-methods design was used comparing treatment responders versus non-responders,...

Subjective effectiveness of ibogaine treatment for problematic opioid consumption: Short- and long-term outcomes and current psychological functioning.

Journal of Psychedelic Studies November 1, 2017 Alan K. Davis, Joseph P Barsuglia, Austin-Marley Windham-Herman et al. 60 citations

Very few studies have reported the effectiveness of ibogaine as a treatment for chronic opioid use. Therefore, this study evaluated the acute subjective effects of ibogaine, outcomes on problematic opioid consumption, and the long-term associations with psychological functioning. Using online data collection, 88 patients who received ibogaine treatment in Mexico between 2012 and 2015 completed...