Journal of Humanistic Psychology - The Consciousness Library

Bringing Forth the Background: Living Transcendence as Abidance in the Experience of Being

Journal of Humanistic Psychology August 4, 2026 Amir Freimann

This essay addresses a lacuna in humanistic psychology concerning stabilized spiritual consciousness. Building on Maslow’s “high plateau,” it introduces “Living Transcendence” as a phenomenological term for this stable trait. Drawing on research with spiritual exemplars, the trait is described as an experience with specific noetic, affective, embodied, and relational qualities, their constancy,...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678261472007

First-Person Psychopharmacology (1PPP): A New Way Forward for Clinical Trials

Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 19, 2026 Radosław Stupak, Pesach Lichtenberg

Despite decades of research, psychiatric pharmacotherapy remains limited in its clinical effectiveness and understanding of therapeutic mechanisms. Dominant approaches, rooted in symptom-scale-driven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and biological reductionism, often fail to capture the complex, subjective, and context-dependent nature of psychotropic drug effects. In this article, we...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678261455500 Nomothetic and idiographic Psychopharmacology Clinical trial Biological psychiatry +9

Psychedelic Use and Mystical-Type Experiences are Associated With Greater Self-Compassion, Compassionate Love, and Life Satisfaction

Journal of Humanistic Psychology April 28, 2026 Austin J. Mallard, Matthew Broussard, Richard J. Zeifman et al.

Emerging evidence suggests psychedelic-assisted therapies ameliorate symptoms of psychopathology. However, less is known about how psychedelics influence positive psychological functioning (e.g., compassionate love, self-compassion, and life satisfaction). These constructs may be relevant in understanding how psychedelics exert their therapeutic effects, as they are central to both intra- and...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678261442571 Life satisfaction Interpersonal communication Compassionate use Empathy +4

Toward a New Interior. The Psychological Matrix and the Future of the Self: A Structured Vision of Identity Beyond Humanistic Idealism

Journal of Humanistic Psychology December 22, 2025 Georgy Sivkov

This article introduces the Theory of the Psychological Matrix, a transpersonal and structural model of personality that integrates psychoanalytic, humanistic, and spiritual dimensions of the self. The theory proposes a tripartite structure of consciousness (rational mind, individual unconscious, and global unconscious) and identity (I, Self, Higher Self), each serving a role in psychological...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251399050

Participant Experiences of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in a 6-Week Randomised Controlled Trial

Journal of Humanistic Psychology November 10, 2025 Robin J Murphy, Mia Wardlaw, Thomas A. Smith et al.

Microdosing psychedelics is an increasingly popular phenomenon where small amounts of psychedelic drugs are taken regularly. Qualitative data have been published regarding the experiences of microdosers, but never in the context of a randomised controlled trial. Semi-structured video interviews with 40 healthy males were conducted following a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 10 µg of...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251382624 Lysergic acid diethylamide Anxiety Psilocybin Mood +13

The Humanistic and Transpersonal Origins of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual’s Religious or Spiritual Problem Category

Journal of Humanistic Psychology November 9, 2025 Brian Spittles

Until recently, mainstream psychiatry has eschewed the clinical consideration of spiritual matters. This article traces key historical influences leading to the inclusion of a ‘Religious or Spiritual Problem’ category (RoSPc) in the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). First, I discuss psychiatry’s ‘spiritual’ aversion issue and...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251377123

Self-Integration after Recreational Psychedelic Use: Is it a Bulwark against Identity Disturbance?

Journal of Humanistic Psychology September 25, 2025 Jack Versace, James Rucker

As recreational psychedelics increase, it is important to understand possible consequences, like identity disturbance, and how they may be mitigated with harm-reduction techniques. For example, people may spend time in nature or engage in journaling after recreational use to “self-integrate.” The present study aimed to investigate differences in measures of well-being and identity disturbance...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251369932 Journaling file system Identity music Recreational use Mental health +4

Integrating Spiritual Emergency Through Visionary Art Therapy: A Jungian Autoethnography of Psychospiritual Trauma Healing to Benefit the Collective

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 22, 2025 Nisha Gupta 1 citation

Spiritual emergency is a phenomenon wherein individuals undergoing psychological crises may experience altered states of consciousness with transpersonal themes resembling symptoms of psychopathology. Rather than mere pathology, these altered states can catalyze a psychospiritual evolution for the individual in a generative direction, including flashes of wisdom that can benefit the collective....

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251350406 Autoethnography Psychotherapist Spirituality Psychoanalysis +3

Peak Experiences Matter

Journal of Humanistic Psychology April 9, 2025 Danielle Leonard, Thomas R. Brooks 1 citation

Peak and mystical experiences can be seen as states of consciousness that exist on a spectrum of varying intensity and duration. They are often described as moments of profound joy, ecstasy, and awe that involve feelings of noetic quality, decreased self-salience, and heightened interconnectedness. The renewed interest in psychedelics as a potential tool for therapeutic intervention has been...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251330066

Current U.S. Approaches to Studying Psychedelic Medicines Compared to Psychedelics Use Among Indigenous Groups: What Are We Missing?

Journal of Humanistic Psychology March 22, 2025 M. Cirillo

There are substantial differences between the current FDA and research-driven approach to psychedelic use in Western cultures and traditional uses among Indigenous peoples. While the research-driven, evidence-based approach to identifying risks and benefits for particular conditions used in the United States and elsewhere helps ensure safety and efficacy, there is a risk of failing to...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251321040 Psilocybin Indigenous Psychotherapist Clinical psychology +1

Filipino Psychology Is a Transpersonal Psychology

Journal of Humanistic Psychology March 13, 2025 Carl Lorenz Cervantes

This paper makes the argument that the burgeoning field of Filipino psychology (formally known as Sikolohiyang Pilipino), which draws its concepts and frameworks from the everyday indigenous experience of Filipinos, is fundamentally transpersonal. By surfacing the implicit psychology embedded in language, folklore, and customary behavior, various cultural notions related to personhood, growth,...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251322215

Depression and Mindfulness: Reclaiming the Past, Present, and Future

Journal of Humanistic Psychology March 1, 2025 Angelos Sofocleous

This article explores the temporal disturbances experienced in depression and the potential effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in addressing these disturbances. Drawing upon a Husserlian framework, this article examines the three temporal phases of experience: retention, primal impression, and protention. These phases constitute the temporal fusion that allows us to perceive an...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231197870

The Influence of Compassion Meditation on the Psychotherapist’s Empathy and Clinical Practice: A Phenomenological Analysis

Journal of Humanistic Psychology 2025 Marc Bibeau, Frédérick Dionne, Anaïs Riera et al.

Mindfulness and compassion meditation practices have repeatedly been shown to have a positive impact on empathy and prosocial behavior. This study examines the perceived influence of compassion meditation on the psychotherapist’s empathy and clinical practice, beyond benefits already gained from a practice of mindfulness meditation. Three psychotherapists, who had already been practicing...

DOI: 10.1177/0022167820953258

Oscillatory Components of Psychedelic Experience

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 1, 2024 Paul Grof

As humanity has been utilizing psychedelic substances for millennia, much knowledge has already been accumulated about the exploratory potential and therapeutic power of the psychedelic-induced nonordinary states of consciousness (NSC). However, we still have only a limited understanding of the process that unfolds in mind and the brain. Only recently have systematic investigations become...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678211041836 Psychedelic therapy Psychedelic-assisted therapy Psychedelic healing Psychedelic treatment +15

Introduction to the Special Issue on Phenomenology and Mindfulness

Journal of Humanistic Psychology May 21, 2024 Susi Ferrarello, C. Hadjioannou

This special issue collects papers that explore the relationship between phenomenology and mindfulness with the goal of creating a fruitful dialogue between these two traditions, so as to bring into relief the overlaps and incongruities, exploring historical as well as systematic connections. Both phenomenology and mindfulness are inclusively construed: the former (phenomenology) is understood...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678241251416

Increases in Aesthetic Experience Following Ayahuasca Use: A Prospective, Naturalistic Study

Journal of Humanistic Psychology February 27, 2024 Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, Alan K. Davis et al. 5 citations

Psychedelic drugs are currently being investigated for their potential to facilitate a variety of long-lasting psychological changes. One area that has yet to be systematically investigated in psychedelic research, however, regards changes in aesthetic experience (i.e., one’s attitudes, perceptions, and expression of art). This is surprising given the wealth of anecdotes directly noting...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678241230609 Ayahuasca Mysticism Aesthetic experience Religious experience +3

Heidegger and Mindfulness Meditation: Making Peace With the Abyss

Journal of Humanistic Psychology November 4, 2023 Erik Kuravsky 1 citation

In this article, an attempt is made to free mindfulness from its modern psychologically utilitarian interpretation and display its ontological-existential essence. To do that, the essay offers the existential roots of human suffering and the ontological meaning of attachment that is found at the basis of suffering. Heidegger’s philosophy is used to show that due to our anxious rejection of the...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231198740 Full text

Expectancies for Subjective and Antidepressant Effects in Psilocybin Users

Journal of Humanistic Psychology September 22, 2023 Mitch Earleywine, Maha N. Mian, Joseph A. de Leo 5 citations

Expectancy effects for many psychoactive substances appear to play a role in consumption, problematic use, subjective responses to acute administration, and subsequent effects. Expectancies of psychedelics have received little attention in published research despite their reputation for creating dramatic changes in subjective state. Psilocybin-assisted treatment (PAT) improves depression, but...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231194798 Psilocybin Anxiety Expectancy theory Hallucinogen +5

Dosing and Therapeutic Conduct in Administration Sessions in Substance-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Systematized Review

Journal of Humanistic Psychology May 3, 2023 Sascha Thal, Michelle Wieberneit, Jason M. Sharbanee et al. 6 citations

While the potential of serotonergic psychedelics and related substances as adjuncts in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAPT) has been investigated for the treatment of several disorders, evidence for the appropriate therapeutic conduct in administration sessions is sparse. In this article, we discuss the current evidence for best therapeutic practice during administration sessions with...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231168516 Psycinfo Psychotherapist Medline Psychological intervention +3

Differences in Existential Perspectives as a Function of Having a Mystical-Type Experience

Journal of Humanistic Psychology March 9, 2023 Alex Sielaff, Dylan E. Horner, Jeff Greenberg 3 citations

Prior research suggests that unique phenomenological experiences called “mystical-type experiences” (MTEs) have the potential to induce significant and persisting worldview changes. In this article, two studies add to this literature by using cross-sectional data from 837 and 1,086 participants, respectively, to investigate whether people who have had one of these experiences differ in...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231158679 Full text Mysticism Existentialism Trait Context archaeology +4

Examining Attitudes to Psilocybin: Should Candidates for Medical Psilocybin be Required to Pass a Contextual Suitability Test?

Journal of Humanistic Psychology August 18, 2022 Mark Molumby, Keith Gaynor, Suzanne Guérin et al. 3 citations

Due to increasing evidence of efficacy in treating mental health disorders, psilocybin may become a legal medicinal drug. This study tested the validity of Carhart-Harris and Nutt’s (2017) model of extra-pharmacological (EP) factors. It examined whether such factors should be considered in any psychological suitability test for medicinally prescribed psilocybin. Two hundred nineteen...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678221110331 Psilocybin Lysergic acid diethylamide Hallucinogen Clinical psychology +6

Self-Actualization and the Integration of Psychedelic Experience: The Mediating Role of Perceived Benefits to Narrative Self-Functioning

Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 4, 2022 Nicole Amada, Jacob Shane

There is a growing need in the field of psychedelic science for a unifying perspective of overall well-being to join seemingly disparate findings across clinical and non-clinical populations, and account for the unique role of post-psychedelic integration for promoting benefits. According to the eudaimonic perspective of well-being, the stories we create about who we are (self-insight) and who...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678221099680

Integration in Psychedelic-Assisted Treatments: Recurring Themes in Current Providers’ Definitions, Challenges, and Concerns

Journal of Humanistic Psychology April 2, 2022 Mitch Earleywine, Fiona Low, Carmen Lau et al. 47 citations

Integration therapy, an integral part of psychedelic-assisted treatment, usually includes sessions devoted to making meaning of relevant psychedelic experiences after subjective effects have subsided. As the psychedelic renaissance continues, offers for this integration therapy have proliferated. In the present project, semi-structured interviews with 30 integration therapists focused on...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678221085800

Anomalous psychedelic experiences: at the neurochemical juncture of the humanistic and parapsychological

Journal of Humanistic Psychology March 1, 2022 David Luke 18 citations

This paper explores the nature of psychedelically-induced anomalous experiences for what they reveal regarding the nature of 'expanded consciousness' and its implications for humanistic and transpersonal psychology, parapsychology and the psychology and underlying neuroscience of such experiences. Taking a multidisciplinary approach this essay reviews the nature of ten transpersonal or...

DOI: 10.1177/0022167820917767 Full text Psychedelics Consciousness research Mystical experiences Altered states

Microdosing as a Response to the Meaning Crisis: A Qualitative Analysis

Journal of Humanistic Psychology February 14, 2022 Rotem Petranker, Juensung J. Kim, Thomas Anderson

The use of psychedelic substances in both humanistic and mainstream clinical research has been increasing in the last decade. In particular, the practice of microdosing—ingesting sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelics—has been increasing in popularity, but large-scale qualitative analyses are still uncommon. This study attempted to recognize emergent themes in qualitative reports regarding...

DOI: 10.1177/00221678221075076

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