bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
June 13, 2024
Christopher R. Nicholas, Matthew I. Banks, Richard C Lennertz et al.
3 citations
preprint
Co-administering the amnestic benzodiazepine midazolam with psilocybin in 8 healthy participants partially impaired memory for the psychedelic experience while still allowing a conscious experience to occur. The degree of memory impairment was inversely associated with salience, insight, and well-being induced by psilocybin. These results suggest that memory of the acute psychedelic experience contributes to therapeutically relevant behavioral effects. Because midazolam blocks memory by blocking cortical neural plasticity, it may also help evaluate how the pro-neuroplastic properties of psychedelics contribute to their therapeutic activity.
Preventive Medicine Reports
August 1, 2025
Pedro J. Teixeira, Rakesh Jain, Andrew Penn et al.
1 citation
A survey of 2,510 U.S. adults who had used psychedelics at least once found that most reported lasting improvements in health behaviors after their experiences. Specifically, 66% reduced alcohol use, 49% cut tobacco use, 49% improved their diet, and 48–72% reported fewer impulsive behaviors. People who used psychedelics more often or microdosed were especially likely to report these positive changes. Although some participants experienced harms, the majority perceived lasting benefits. The findings suggest that psychedelic use may be linked to broad behavioral shifts in areas like diet and substance use, not just mental health.
July 1, 2026
Ari Brouwer, Charles L. Raison
preprint
Some religious and spiritual experiences (RSEs) that occur alongside depression resemble hypomania or mania. Analysis of 249 first-person reports shows that certain RSEs following depression involve long-lasting positive emotions, cognitive clarity, and a perception that the environment is filled with extra positive qualities like love, beauty, and light, lasting days to weeks. These states are not always preceded by hallucinations. Some such experiences reportedly eliminate depression or prevent its return, while others are linked to mental health and social problems. Features like unconditional love and acceptance may contribute to better outcomes, suggesting that religious and spiritual traditions function partly like psychotherapeutic traditions to promote well-being.
June 21, 2026
Ari Brouwer, Charles L. Raison
preprint
Demonic experiences—encounters with demons, devils, or Satan—are less common than positive religious or spiritual experiences in a large database of such reports. These experiences often involve psychotic-like features and mental health struggles, and personal encounters are linked to dreams and sleep paralysis. References to possession or exorcism of others are tied to Pentecostal or evangelical backgrounds. Overall, personal demonic experiences appear more connected to mental health difficulties than to specific religious or cultural affiliations.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
July 29, 2025
May Kung Sutherland, Christopher R. Nicholas, Richard C Lennertz et al.
preprint
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, induces neural plasticity and alters consciousness, while midazolam, a benzodiazepine, blunts plasticity and causes sedation and amnesia. In an open-label pilot study, 25 mg of oral psilocybin was given alongside intravenous midazolam at doses that allowed a full psychedelic experience but reduced memory of it. EEG recordings showed that 15-30 minutes after dosing, when midazolam was at its target concentration, beta power increased and the spectral exponent decreased. As psilocybin's effects emerged over the next six hours, Lempel-Ziv complexity and spectral exponent increased while broadband power decreased. These findings suggest psilocybin's effects persist even with midazolam, supporting its use in mechanistic studies.
Psychedelics
March 8, 2024
Charles L. Raison
Charles Raison, a professor and researcher, discusses his career studying major depression and stress-related conditions. His work examines novel mechanisms in depression treatment, the effects of compassion training, and the potential of psychedelic medicines for major depression. He was recognized as one of the world's most influential researchers from 2010 to 2019.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
October 26, 2018
Charles L. Raison
The field of psychedelic medicine has undergone a dramatic transformation from fringe to mainstream psychiatry, driven by desperation for better treatments and promising research. Studies on psilocybin for cancer-related depression and anxiety show large effect size reductions, with over 50% of participants in clinical remission at 6 months after a single dose. In treatment-resistant depression, 47% achieved clinical response, with 66% maintaining response at 6 months. Psilocybin appears to produce lasting personality changes, decreasing neuroticism and increasing extraversion and openness. However, all studies are small, only two used randomized placebo-controlled designs, and blinding is difficult due to obvious acute effects. Larger trials are needed.
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
June 1, 2012
Gaelle Desbordes, Riccardo Barbieri, Luca Citi et al.
Electrocardiogram recordings from eight healthy adults without prior meditation experience, collected as part of a larger randomized controlled trial, showed that an eight-week mindful-attention meditation intervention increased heart rate variability (HRV) and decreased the LF/HF ratio, indicating improved autonomic function and more predominant vagal tone. These changes were not seen in the control group. A marked increase in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) occurred during meditation compared to rest. The authors suggest RSA may be a useful marker of the meditative state and encourage further research on HRV measures as indicators of autonomic health after meditation.
Translational Psychiatry
February 14, 2026
Michael H Sutherland, Christopher R. Nicholas, Richard C Lennertz et al.
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, induces neural plasticity and alters consciousness, while midazolam, a benzodiazepine, blunts plasticity and induces sedation. In an open-label pilot study, 25 mg of oral psilocybin was given alongside intravenous midazolam at doses that allowed a full psychedelic experience but blunted memory. Electroencephalography (EEG) data showed that 15–30 minutes after dosing, when midazolam was at its target concentration, beta power increased and spectral exponent decreased. As psilocybin's effects emerged over the next six hours, Lempel-Ziv complexity and spectral exponent increased, while broadband power decreased, especially in delta, theta, and alpha bands. The findings suggest psilocybin's effects persist with midazolam, supporting its use in mechanistic studies.
Brain, behavior, and immunity
October 1, 2024
Itay Ricon-Becker, Taylor N West, Barbara L. Fredrickson et al.
Baseline activity of the CREB transcription factor pathway, inferred from gene expression profiles in blood samples, predicted psychological responses to compassion-based meditation but not to mindfulness meditation. In two randomized controlled trials, individuals with higher pre-intervention CREB activity showed greater reductions in loneliness and negative emotions, and greater increases in life satisfaction, after compassion meditation. CREB activity was unrelated to baseline psychometric measures, suggesting that gene expression profiles may capture non-conscious psychobiological states that could help personalize intervention selection.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2022
Jennifer S Mascaro, Marianne P Florian, Marcia J Ash et al.
Christian healthcare chaplains who completed an intensive course in Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT) reported increased belief that compassion can be developed. The mixed-method study of 40 chaplains in a 1-year Clinical Pastoral Education residency found high variability in how individuals practiced compassion meditation and perceived its impact. Interviews revealed diverse subjective experiences of learning and practicing compassion meditation. The findings suggest that individual differences in practice and beliefs play a role in how compassion meditation is learned and enacted, offering insights into contemplative learning processes.
Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy
January 1, 2021
Marcia J Ash, Elizabeth Reisinger Walker, Ralph J DiClemente et al.
Incorporating compassion meditation training into clinical pastoral education reduces burnout and anxiety among hospital chaplain residents, but the benefits may not last without ongoing practice. In a small study, 15 chaplain residents were assigned either to Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT) or a waitlist. Those who received CBCT reported significant decreases in burnout and anxiety compared to the waitlist group, though these effects were not maintained at a 4-month follow-up. Compassion satisfaction did not differ significantly but trended in the expected direction. The findings suggest that extending CBCT throughout residency could help sustain wellbeing improvements.
Neuroimage
April 1, 2013
Jennifer S Mascaro, James K. Rilling, Lobsang Tenzin Negi et al.
Activity in brain regions linked to empathy, such as the anterior insula, before training predicted how much time people later spent practicing compassion meditation, while activity in the amygdala, a region involved in threat processing, predicted less time practicing mindfulness meditation. After training, there was no difference in brain responses between the compassion meditation group and an active health education control group. The findings suggest that pre-existing neurobiological profiles may influence how readily individuals engage with different meditation techniques.
Psychoneuroendocrinology
January 1, 2009
Thaddeus W W Pace, Lobsang Tenzin Negi, Daniel D Adame et al.
Training in compassion meditation for six weeks did not, on average, reduce stress-induced inflammation, cortisol, or distress compared to a health discussion control group. However, among those who meditated more, greater practice time was linked to smaller increases in the inflammatory marker interleukin-6 and lower self-reported distress after a standardized stress test. People who meditated above the median amount showed less stress reactivity than those who meditated less or were in the control group. The findings suggest that regularly engaging in compassion meditation may dampen immune and emotional responses to stress, but more research is needed to confirm this link.
Jennifer S Mascaro, Sean Kelley, Alana Darcher et al.
A training program called cognitively-based compassion training (CBCT) can increase compassion and reduce loneliness and depression in second-year medical students. Students who received CBCT reported greater compassion compared to those on a wait-list, and the boost in compassion was strongest among those who began with high levels of depression, suggesting the training may help break the connection between personal distress and reduced compassion for others.
Ari Brouwer, Robin Carhart-Harris, Charles L. Raison
preprint
A paradox exists: drugs that can induce psychosis-like effects (psychotomimetics) also relieve symptoms that increase psychosis risk, such as attention deficits, pain, and depression. The authors introduce two concepts to explain this. Psychotomimetic compensation is a stress- or drug-induced adjustment that counteracts stress, engaging neurotransmitter systems (endocannabinoid, serotonergic, glutamatergic, dopaminergic) also activated by psychotomimetic drugs. Psychotomimetic sensitization occurs after repeated stress or drug exposure, gradually intensifying psychotic-like experiences. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.