Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
July 1, 2026
Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J Diehl, Bernd Hinney et al.
Background Serotonergic psychedelics and MDMA may improve mental health through reductions in neuroticism and changes in personal values. While decreases in neuroticism following serotonergic psychedelics are sometimes observed, it is unclear which facets of neuroticism respond the most, and MDMA remains understudied. People also report value shifts after psychedelic experiences, but...
Neuropsychopharmacology
June 18, 2026
Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J Diehl, Morten P. Lietz et al.
Preclinical studies suggest that lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) may induce lasting changes in brain function and learning ability, but evidence in humans is uncertain. Motor learning, in particular, has clinical relevance but has not been investigated in human studies of psychedelics. Forty-five healthy subjects (24 women) participated in this randomized crossover trial comparing 100 µg LSD...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
May 1, 2026
Vincent J Diehl, Abigail E. Calder, Gregor Hasler
Existing tools assess psychedelic experiences, but none specifically measure altered processing of traumatic memories-a key mechanism in trauma-focused therapies and psychotherapy in general. The helioscope effect describes how psychedelics like psilocybin and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) enable revisiting challenging or traumatic experiences while remaining protected from...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
April 29, 2025
Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J Diehl, Gregor Hasler
14 citations
Psychedelic experiences involving extreme feelings of horror, helplessness, and perceived threats can be traumatizing. Traumatic psychedelic experiences are a rare, extreme, and largely preventable form of challenging experience which can arise due to frightening psychedelic drug effects, unsafe settings, and emergence of pre-existing trauma. Some people recover quickly, but others develop...