Livio Erne - The Consciousness Library

Mystical dynamics: renewal, luminous light, and ego disintegration as key features associated with mystical oneness—a psychometric analysis using the PES100 in controlled psychedelic studies

Religion Brain & Behavior March 31, 2026 Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.

Mystical dynamics—the notion that mystical oneness may unfold involving ego disintegration, renewal, and luminous light—has been discussed anecdotally by psychedelic researchers and therapists but has not yet been empirically examined in controlled settings. This study investigated the occurrence and dose-dependency of mystical dynamics in healthy participants after administration of...

DOI: 10.1080/2153599x.2026.2635353 Mysticism Psychometrics Key lock Psychometric testing +4

Dose-dependent pharmacokinetics and acute effects of intravenous bolus N,N-dimethyltryptamine: double-blind, randomized versus open-label dose-escalation administration study in healthy participants

Translational Psychiatry March 27, 2026 Livio Erne, Lorenz Mueller, Isabelle Straumann et al.

N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a serotonergic psychedelic that produces short-lived peak effects when administered intravenously as a bolus dose. Initial trials suggested therapeutic effects of DMT in depressive disorders. However, systematic data on dose-dependent pharmacokinetics and acute effects of intravenous bolus DMT administration are currently lacking. We used a double-blind,...

DOI: 10.1038/s41398-026-03987-7 Full text Tolerability Pharmacokinetics Crossover study Placebo +7

Acute effects of MDMA, MDA, lysine-MDMA, and lysine-MDA in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial in healthy participants.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2026 Isabelle Straumann, Patrick Vizeli, Isidora Avedisian et al. 5 citations

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is used recreationally, as a research tool, and in MDMA-assisted therapy in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) is a psychoactive metabolite of MDMA. Acute effects of MDMA and MDA have never been directly compared in humans. Lysine-conjugated amphetamines slowly release active amphetamine once absorbed,...

DOI: 10.1038/s41386-025-02248-3 Full text

Mystical dynamics: renewal, luminous light, and ego disintegration as key features associated with mystical oneness-a psychometric analysis using the PES100 in controlled psychedelic studies

Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) 2026 Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.

Mystical dynamics-the notion that mystical oneness may unfold involving ego disintegration, renewal, and luminous light-has been discussed anecdotally by psychedelic researchers and therapists but has not yet been empirically examined in controlled settings. This study investigated the occurrence and dose-dependency of mystical dynamics in healthy participants after administration of...

DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000798382 Mysticism Experiential learning Religious experience Dynamics music +2

The 3D-ASCr scale: A revalidation of the core dimensions of the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale 5D(11)-ASC for psychedelic research.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) December 26, 2025 Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Yasmin Schmid et al. 5 citations

The Altered States of Consciousness Scale (3/5D-ASC or 11-ASC) is widely used to assess non-ordinary states of consciousness, particularly for psychedelic research. However, its original dimensional model (3D-ASC within 5D-ASC) and later 11-subscale structure (11-ASC) have a hierarchically incompatible higher/lower-order structure. Although the 11-ASC offers superior model fit, the 3D-ASC...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811251397328 Full text DMT LSD Mescaline Psilocybin +1

Development and Validation of a Rapid LC-MS/MS Method for Plasma Analysis of Ketamine, Norketamine, Dehydronorketamine, and Hydroxynorketamine.

Biomedical chromatography : BMC September 1, 2025 Jan Thomann, Selina Kraus, Livio Erne et al. 1 citation

Ketamine, a well-established dissociative anesthetic, has recently gained significant attention for its rapid-acting antidepressant effects, particularly in treatment-resistant depression. In this study, we developed and validated a state-of-the-art liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the bioanalysis of ketamine and its metabolites, norketamine,...

DOI: 10.1002/bmc.70171 Full text Bioanalysis Clinical study Liquid chromatography Mass spectrometry +5

Acute Effects and Pharmacokinetics of LSD after Paroxetine or Placebo Pre‐Administration in a Randomized, Double‐Blind, Cross‐Over Phase I Trial

Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics February 28, 2025 Lorenz Mueller, Alen Jelusic, Avram Tolev et al. 15 citations

Psychedelics, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), are being investigated for the treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders, for which concomitant treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is prevalent. The present study investigated the acute response to single doses of LSD (100 μg) after daily administration of paroxetine (10 mg for 7 days,...

DOI: 10.1002/cpt.3618 Pharmacokinetics Placebo Double blind Pharmacology +5

The 3D-ASCr scale: A revalidation of the core dimensions of the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale 5D(11)-ASC for psychedelic research

Repository for Publications and Research Data 2025 Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Yasmin Schmid et al.

Background: The Altered States of Consciousness Scale (3/5D-ASC or 11-ASC) is widely used to assess non-ordinary states of consciousness, particularly for psychedelic research. However, its original dimensional model (3D-ASC within 5D-ASC) and later 11-subscale structure (11-ASC) have a hierarchically incompatible higher/lower-order structure. Although the 11-ASC offers superior model fit, the...

DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000791180 Anxiety Revalidation Confirmatory factor analysis Rating scale +20

Acute dose-dependent effects and self-guided titration of continuous N,N-dimethyltryptamine infusions in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy participants

Neuropsychopharmacology December 19, 2024 Livio Erne, Severin B Vogt, Lorenz Müller et al. 14 citations

Abstract N,N -dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a serotonergic psychedelic that is known for its short-lasting effects when administered intravenously. Several studies have investigated the administration of intravenous boluses or combinations of a bolus and a subsequent continuous infusion. However, data on dose-dependent acute effects and pharmacokinetics of continuous DMT infusions are lacking. We...

DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-02041-8 Full text Psychedelic medicine DMT Research Controlled substance trials Psychopharmacology +1

Acute dose-dependent effects of mescaline in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects.

Translational Psychiatry September 30, 2024 Aaron Klaiber, Yasmin Schmid, Anna M Becker et al. 27 citations

Classic psychedelics have regained interest in research and therapy. Despite the long tradition of the human use of mescaline, modern data on its dose-dependent acute effects and pharmacokinetics are lacking. Additionally, its mechanism of action has not been investigated in humans. We used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design in 16 healthy subjects (8 women) who...

DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-03116-2 Full text Mescaline Psychedelics Pharmacology Serotonin receptors +1

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and urinary recovery of oral lysergic acid diethylamide administration in healthy participants.

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024 Friederike Holze, Livio Erne, Urs Duthaler et al. 12 citations

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is currently investigated for several neurological and psychiatric illnesses. Various studies have investigated the pharmacokinetics and the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship of LSD in healthy participants, but data on urinary recovery and confirmatory studies are missing. The present study characterized the pharmacokinetics,...

DOI: 10.1111/bcp.15887 Full text LSD Pkpd Pharmacodynamics Pharmacokinetics +5

Acute effects of intravenous DMT in a randomized placebo-controlled study in healthy participants.

Translational Psychiatry May 23, 2023 Severin B Vogt, Laura Ley, Livio Erne et al. 85 citations

N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is distinct among classic serotonergic psychedelics because of its short-lasting effects when administered intravenously. Despite growing interest in the experimental and therapeutic use of intravenous DMT, data are lacking on its clinical pharmacology. We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 27 healthy participants to test...

DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02477-4 Full text Psychedelic medicine DMT Research Clinical trials Intravenous drug administration +1

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the bioanalysis of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and its metabolites DMT-N-oxide and indole-3-acetic acid in human plasma.

Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences December 15, 2022 Dino Luethi, Karolina E. Kolaczynska, Severin B Vogt et al. 24 citations

The indole alkaloid N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) induces psychedelic effects in humans. In addition to ceremonial and recreational use, DMT is subject to clinical investigations. Sensitive bioanalytical methods are required to assess the pharmacokinetics of DMT and its metabolites in human plasma. Here, a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2022.123534 Full text Ayahuasca DMT Hplc Pharmacokinetics +6

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