JAMA Psychiatry
March 13, 2024
Otto Simonsson, Miriam A. Mosing, Walter Osika et al.
41 citations
Importance While psychedelic-assisted therapy has shown promise in the treatment of certain psychiatric disorders, little is known about the potential risk of psychotic or manic symptoms following naturalistic psychedelic use, especially among adolescents. Objective To investigate associations between naturalistic psychedelic use and self-reported psychotic or manic symptoms in adolescents...
Journal of Counseling Psychology
March 1, 2024
Kevin M. Riordan, Otto Simonsson, Corrina Frye et al.
12 citations
Meditation apps are the most commonly used mental health apps. However, the optimal dosing of app-delivered meditation practice has not been established. We examined whether the distribution of meditation practices across a day impacted outcomes in a distressed population. We investigated the effects of meditation practice frequency in a 2-week compassion-based meditation intervention delivered...
Scientific Reports
February 19, 2024
Rosalind McAlpine, Matthew D. Sacchet, Otto Simonsson et al.
13 citations
Psychedelic substances induce profound alterations in consciousness. Careful preparation is therefore essential to limit adverse reactions, enhance therapeutic benefits, and maintain user safety. This paper describes the development of a self-directed, digital intervention for psychedelic preparation. Drawing on elements from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing...
Journal of Affective Disorders
January 26, 2024
Ludwig Honk, Cecilia U.D. Stenfors, Simon B. Goldberg et al.
41 citations
It has long been speculated that psychedelic use could provoke the onset of psychosis, but there is little evidence to support this conjecture. Using a longitudinal research design with samples representative of the US and UK adult populations with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity (n = 9732), we investigated associations between psychedelic use and change in the number of psychotic symptoms...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
2024
Otto Simonsson, Peter S. Hendricks, Cecilia Ud Stenfors et al.
Whereas findings from case reports and cross-sectional studies suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use may be associated with unusual visual experiences that occur after the acute pharmacological effects have subsided, such findings need to be replicated in longitudinal studies to better understand potential cause-and-effect relationships. To investigate longitudinal associations between...
Psychopharmacology
December 11, 2023
Haley Maria Dourron, Charles D. Nichols, Otto Simonsson et al.
23 citations
5-MeO-DMT is a tryptamine being developed as a potential antidepressant that may display a distinct therapeutic mechanism due to its unique pharmacology and subjective effects compared to typical psychedelics. In this article, we parallel the relatively distinct phenomenology and behavioral effects of the acute and post-acute effects of 5-MeO-DMT to those induced by epileptiform activity,...
November 22, 2023
Rosalind McAlpine, Katarina Krajnović, Maisha M. Khan et al.
preprint
Psychedelic substances induce profound alterations in consciousness. Careful preparation is therefore essential to limit adverse reactions, enhance therapeutic benefits, and maintain user safety. This paper describes the development of a self-directed, digital intervention for psychedelic preparation. Drawing on elements from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing...
Scientific Reports
September 30, 2023
Alexander V. Lebedev, Kasim Acar, Otilia Horntvedt et al.
9 citations
Previous research has suggested that classical psychedelics can foster significant and enduring changes in personality traits and subjective wellbeing. Despite the lack of evidence for adverse effects on mental health stemming from psychedelic use, concerns persist regarding the capacity of these substances to modulate information processing and attitudes towards factual data. The aim of the...
Mindfulness
September 1, 2023
Richard Chambers, Devon Stoliker, Otto Simonsson
10 citations
Abstract Objectives The mindfulness-informed intervention that has so far received the most attention as an adjunct to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), but little remains known about potential synergies between psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and mindfulness-based interventions such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). This paper...
Psychiatry Research
July 23, 2023
Otto Simonsson, Per Carlbring, Robin Carhart-Harris et al.
24 citations
We conducted a meta-analysis using individual participant data from three, two-dose psilocybin trials for depression (N = 102) with the aim of assessing the risk of symptom worsening. Clinically significant symptom worsening occurred for a minority of participants in the psilocybin and escitalopram conditions (∼10%) and for a majority of participants in the waitlist condition (63.6%). Using...
Mindfulness
May 29, 2023
Otto Simonsson, Christine Bergljottsdotter, Jayanth Narayanan et al.
7 citations
While mindfulness in the workplace has received substantial scientific attention in the past decades, it is not yet well-understood if, under what circumstances, and in what ways mindfulness training may be helpful for individuals working in political environments. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of mindfulness training among British politicians, as well as mindfulness...
Journal of Affective Disorders
April 1, 2023
Otto Simonsson, Peter S. Hendricks, Richard Chambers et al.
124 citations
Previous studies have investigated challenging, difficult, or distressing classic psychedelic experiences, but little is known about the prevalence and associations of such experiences. Using nationally representative data of the US adult population (N = 2822), this study examined the prevalence and associations of challenging, difficult, or distressing experiences using classic psychedelics,...
Mindfulness
April 1, 2023
Charlotta Simonsson, Richard Chambers, Peter S. Hendricks et al.
15 citations
Previous research has investigated potential synergies between classic psychedelics and meditation practice, but relatively little remains known about the relationship between classic psychedelic experiences and engagement with meditation practice.The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between classic psychedelic experiences and engagement with two popular types of...
February 10, 2023
Qiang Xie, Kevin M. Riordan, Scott A. Baldwin et al.
2 citations
preprint
We investigated whether informal meditation practice (i.e., engagement of meditative techniques outside a period of formal meditation) was associated with outcomes in smartphone-based loving-kindness and compassion training. Clinically distressed meditation-naïve participants (n = 351) completed measures of psychological distress, loneliness, empathy, and prosociality at baseline and following...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2023
Otto Simonsson, Simon B. Goldberg
37 citations
There are neurophysiological and phenomenological overlaps between psychedelic and meditative states, but there is little evidence on how exposure to psychedelics might be associated with meditation-related variables. We assessed lifetime classic psychedelic use, ego dissolution during one's most intense experience using a classic psychedelic, and exposure to meditation in a representative...
Frontiers in Psychology
2023
Otto Simonsson, Cecilia U.D. Stenfors, Simon B. Goldberg et al.
4 citations
Previous research suggests that mindfulness meditation and psychedelic substances show promise as mental health interventions, but relatively little remains known about their potential impact on leadership outcomes. This study aimed to investigate if and how mindfulness meditation and psychedelic use may impact leadership among respondents with a management position as their primary role at...
Mindfulness
2023
Sin U Lam, Kevin M. Riordan, Otto Simonsson et al.
Despite the well-documented psychological benefits of meditation practice, limited research has examined factors associated with meditation practice persistence. Like other health behaviors (e.g., exercise), non-persistence may undermine the effectiveness of meditation. We examined rates and correlates of meditation persistence using a population-based sample (n = 953) in the United States....
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
October 1, 2022
Otto Simonsson, Simon B. Goldberg, Richard Chambers et al.
16 citations
Previous studies have reported links between classic psychedelic use and seizures, but little remains known about prevalence and potential risk factors of classic psychedelic-related seizures. Using a sample representative of the US adult population with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity (N = 2822), this study examined the prevalence and potential risk factors of classic psychedelic-related...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 1, 2022
Grant Jones, Jocelyn A. Ricard, Peter S. Hendricks et al.
7 citations
INTRODUCTION: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA/"ecstasy") is an empathogen that can give rise to increased pleasure and empathy and may effectively treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Although prior research has demonstrated associations between ecstasy use and favorable mental health outcomes, the associations between ecstasy and physical health have largely been unexplored. Thus, the...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
September 9, 2022
Christin Mellner, Micael Dahlen, Otto Simonsson
18 citations
Objectives: Absenteeism from work due to illness, and related costs, has increased steadily during the past decades. In recent years, there has been a reemergence of research on the therapeutic effects of classic psychedelics showing associations with both physical and mental health. However, the association between classic psychedelics and sick leave remains unknown. The aim of this study is...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
July 1, 2022
Elin Pöllänen, Walter Osika, Otto Simonsson et al.
12 citations
Previous research has found associations between classic psychedelic use and nature-relatedness, but the link between classic psychedelic use and human–animal relations remains largely unexplored. Using data representative of the US adult population, with regard to age, sex and ethnicity (N = 2822), this pre-registered study assessed lifetime classic psychedelic use, ego dissolution during...
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
2022
Otto Simonsson, Peter S. Hendricks, Richard Chambers et al.
26 citations
Preliminary evidence suggests that classic psychedelics may be effective in the treatment of some psychiatric disorders, yet little remains known about their effects on health behavior and physical health. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations of lifetime classic psychedelic use and psychological insight during one's most insightful classic psychedelic experience with health...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2022
Otto Simonsson, José Carlos Bouso, Florian Kurth et al.
6 citations
Recent research suggests that ayahuasca and its alkaloid-containing ingredients may be helpful in the treatment and prevention of certain movement and neurodegenerative disorders. However, such research is still in its infancy and more studies in normative samples seem necessary to explore effects of ayahuasca on clinically relevant brain structures, such as the corpus callosum. The purpose of...
Psychiatry Research
September 23, 2021
Otto Simonsson, Olivier Bazin, S. Fisher et al.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse mental health effects for many groups in British society, especially young adults and university students. The present study reports secondary outcomes (i.e., symptoms of anxiety and depression) from a randomized waitlist controlled trial, with a one-month post-intervention follow-up, on the effects of a guided, eight-week mindfulness program delivered...
Scientific Reports
July 13, 2021
Otto Simonsson, Walter Osika, Robin Carhart-Harris et al.
54 citations
Abstract The objective of the current study was to investigate the associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and cardiometabolic diseases. Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005–2014), the present study examined the associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and two types of cardiometabolic disease: heart disease and diabetes. Respondents who...