Journal of Humanistic Psychology - The Consciousness Library

Current Status and Future Trends in Psychedelic (LSD) Research

Journal of Humanistic Psychology October 1, 1965 Robert E. Mogar 23 citations

Since LSD's discovery in 1943, extensive research has documented its powerful effects on brain processes and autonomic functions, including lowered arousal thresholds and heightened sensory sensitivity. These psychopharmacological changes align with clinical findings of pronounced perceptual, affective, and ideational alterations. However, beyond these broad patterns, results have been inconsistent and often contradictory, even in simpler animal species. Methodological problems—especially in human studies—such as organic complexity, measurement shortcomings, individual differences, lack of adequate theoretical models, and non-drug variables like set and setting, have hindered progress. Additionally, a medico-legal-social controversy has obscured empirical questions and inhibited objective investigation.

DOI: 10.1177/002216786500500204 Psychology Epistemology

Scaling Up: Multisite Open-Label Clinical Trials of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Severe Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 23, 2021 Julie B. Wang, Jessica Lin, Leah Bedrosian et al. 22 citations

MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) can be scaled across multiple clinic sites while maintaining high treatment fidelity. In an open-label study across 14 North American sites, cotherapist dyads were trained in a manualized protocol and administered three experimental sessions to participants with severe PTSD. Adherence to the therapy protocol was high across both dyads and sites. PTSD symptom severity, measured by the CAPS-5, decreased substantially after three sessions at 18 weeks. MDMA was well tolerated. These results indicate that the benefits of MDMA-AT for PTSD can be achieved in a multi-site, real-world clinical setting.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678211023663 Psychedelic therapy PTSD Treatment Trauma therapy Mental health treatment +15

Body Posture and the Religious Altered State of Consciousness

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 1, 1986 F. Goodman 21 citations

Experiments with student volunteers showed that adopting postures from religious rituals, such as those used in Pentecostal services, produced physical changes and self-reported experiences similar to those observed in religious altered states of consciousness. Earlier experiments had inconsistent results, which the author hypothesized was due to neglecting posture as a component. In five subsequent experimental series, ritual postures from ethnographic literature yielded striking agreement between ethnographic data and subjects' self-reports, while neutral control postures did not. The method allows investigation of religious altered states without relying on religious dogma.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167886263006 Psychology

“Meeting the Medicine Halfway”: Ayahuasca Ceremony Leaders’ Perspectives on Preparation and Integration Practices for Participants

Journal of Humanistic Psychology September 2, 2021 Cody Callon, Meris Williams, Adele Lafrance 20 citations

Ayahuasca ceremony leaders recommend that participants be honest, respectful, ready, and willing, and that they have internal and external resources before drinking. Complementary practices such as psychotherapy, spiritual and contemplative practices, and creative expression aid both preparation and integration. After ceremonies, sharing experiences and working with insights and lessons help integration, while some practices are considered ineffective. The findings align with other stakeholders' views on useful preparation and integration practices.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678211043300 Ayahuasca Ceremony Psychology Contemplation +2

Mindfulness-Based Heroism: Creating Enlightened Heroes

Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 2, 2017 Patrick Jones 20 citations

Mindfulness training cultivates qualities relevant to heroism, such as improved attention, sensory awareness, cognitive control, reduced fear, and increased loving kindness and self-sacrificing behaviors. Traditional mindfulness, based on a "no self" perspective, may be especially suited for developing stable heroic character (trait) rather than occasional heroism (state). The article reviews theory, practices, and scientific evidence, concluding that heroically relevant qualities are trainable through mindfulness techniques, and that enduring selflessness and service to others may be achievable for serious practitioners.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167817711303 Full text Mindfulness Hero Altruism biology Psychotherapist +3

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

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

This essay reviews ten types of anomalous experiences—synaesthesia, extra-dimensional percepts, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, entity encounters, alien abduction, sleep paralysis, interspecies communication, possession, and psi (telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis)—that occur both spontaneously and with psychedelic substances. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, it explores what these phenomena reveal about the nature of 'expanded consciousness' and their implications for humanistic and transpersonal psychology, parapsychology, and the underlying neuroscience of such experiences.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167820917767 Full text Psychedelics Consciousness research Mystical experiences Neuroscience +1

Early Psychedelic Investigators Reflect on the Psychological and Social Implications of their Research

Journal of Humanistic Psychology October 1, 2006 Roger Walsh, Charles S. Grob 18 citations

Before psychedelic research was legally halted, over 1,000 clinical reports documented a wide range of psychological effects and therapeutic possibilities, with implications for psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, anthropology, sociology, and religious studies. Findings included insights into states of consciousness, the unconscious, motivation, self-actualization, spirituality, and psychotherapy. Because further human studies became virtually impossible, surviving original investigators were convened and interviewed to capture an oral history of their research. This article summarizes their conclusions, the psychological and social implications of their work, and its impact on diverse academic disciplines.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167806286745 Consciousness studies Psychedelic research Psychology Research history

When Seconds Turn Into Minutes: Time Expansion Experiences in Altered States of Consciousness

Journal of Humanistic Psychology May 15, 2020 Steve Taylor 11 citations

Time Expansion Experiences (TEEs) are episodes where the normal sense of time slows or expands dramatically. Analyzing 74 reports, the most common triggers were accidents (40 cases), followed by spiritual states (12), psychedelic experiences (7), and sports or games (7). Participants described heightened calmness, alertness, and rapid cognition that allowed preventative action, often in quiet settings. The authors argue TEEs are not an illusion created by recollection but a genuine feature of altered states of consciousness, arising when the normal self-system dissolves. Normal time experience is a psychological construct produced by the self-system.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167820917484 Full text Mysticism Consciousness Altered state Calmness +14

MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Mixed-Methods Case Study of a Participant of Color From an Open-Label Trial

Journal of Humanistic Psychology February 10, 2022 Terence H. W. Ching, Monnica T. Williams, S. Reed et al. 10 citations

A mixed-methods case study examined whether a person of color with treatment-resistant PTSD would benefit from MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) as much as participants in earlier, less diverse trials. The participant showed quantitative improvement in PTSD symptoms. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of therapy session transcripts revealed recurrent themes related to psychological mechanisms of symptom change, reduced PTSD symptoms, and additional positive and negative effects beyond symptom reduction. The authors discuss these themes and offer recommendations for addressing culturally relevant material during MDMA-AT.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678221076993 Psychology Medicine Sociology

Toward an Entheogen Research Agenda

Journal of Humanistic Psychology January 1, 2002 T. B. Roberts, P. J. Hruby 10 citations

The authors argue that a complete study of religion must include entheogens—psychedelic substances that can induce experiences of the divine. Drawing on William James, Charles Tart, and Ken Wilber, they propose a research agenda covering the spiritual nature of the human mind, the authenticity of entheogen-assisted religious experiences, pastoral counseling, experimental mysticism, entheogenic origins of religion, and policy issues around freedom of conscience and religion. They conclude with seven recommendations for churches, religious orders, seminaries, and scholarly groups to promote entheogenic research.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167802421004 Sociology Psychology Philosophy

Redressing a Straw Man: Correcting Critical Misunderstandings of Aldous Huxley’s Perennial Philosophy

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 12, 2021 Dana W. Sawyer 7 citations

The essay defends the Huxley/Osmond theory that psychedelic drugs can trigger a cross-cultural mystical experience of unity with ultimate reality, countering Constructivist critics who claim the Perennial Philosophy is obsolete. It refutes three specific charges against Aldous Huxley: that he saw his view as religion's core, that he claimed universally shared beliefs, and that his position requires pure consciousness. The essay shows these criticisms misrepresent Huxley and most Perennial Philosophy variants, which form a family of theories like Existentialism. It concludes by proposing new directions for testing the Huxley/Osmond hypothesis, including with psychedelics.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678211024399 Philosophy

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

A systematized review of 82 sources examined best therapeutic practices during administration sessions with serotonergic psychedelics and entactogens as adjuncts to psychotherapy. Information about substances, dosages, number of sessions, common client issues, types of experiences, music, and therapeutic conduct was summarized and compared. The effects of different therapeutic models, methods, techniques, and complex interventions on outcomes have not been rigorously investigated. Most available evidence was anecdotal, limiting conclusive statements about appropriate therapeutic conduct. Essential components of therapeutic interventions remain largely tentative, necessitating systematic investigation.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231168516 Psycinfo Psychotherapist Medline Psychological intervention +6

Existential Transactions at Harvard

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 1, 1993 Thomas J. Riedlinger 6 citations

Before becoming famous for promoting psychedelic drugs, Timothy Leary built a reputation in interpersonal psychology and developed a humanistic psychotherapy called existential-transactional psychology. This article traces his work from his 1957 book Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality, based on research at Kaiser Foundation Hospital from 1950 to 1956, through his Harvard experiments with humanistic therapy and psychedelics from 1960 to 1963. The article emphasizes existential-transactional psychology, which Leary formulated in an unpublished treatise, The Existential Transaction. It urged psychologists to observe behavior in real-life situations without imposing medical models and to get involved in the events they studied. His Harvard psychedelic research is discussed as an application of this theory. Leary later said his expulsion from Harvard allowed him to expand his experimental design from hundreds to millions.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678930333002

The Therapeutic Potential of Nonordinary States of Consciousness, as Explored in the Work of Stanislav Grof

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 1, 1992 Todd Evan Pressman 6 citations

A theory is proposed for how nonordinary states of consciousness can facilitate a person's movement toward wholeness. The article reviews the historical development of research into these states and defines key terms. The work of Stanislav Grof is examined in depth, presenting his model of consciousness derived from accounts of nonordinary experiences. Clinical case studies are offered as evidence for Grof's model, which is shown to align with the proposed theory of therapeutic potential.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167892323002 Expanded consciousness Transcendent states Therapeutic benefits Healing potential +10

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

People who attended an ayahuasca retreat showed increased appreciation of art and beauty one week and one month later, according to a survey of 54 participants. Contrary to expectations, intense drug effects such as mystical experiences, awe, or ego dissolution did not predict these changes. The open-label design limits certainty, but the findings align with anecdotal reports of lasting shifts in aesthetic attitudes after psychedelic use. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms behind these changes.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678241230609 Ayahuasca Mysticism Psychology Aesthetic experience +4

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

Expectations about psychedelics are understudied despite their powerful subjective effects. In over 500 people who have used psilocybin, expectancies about antidepressant effects correlated with specific subjective experiences—mystical experiences, ego dissolution, and emotional breakthrough—that previous work linked to depression improvement. Current depressive symptoms, ego dissolution, and emotional breakthrough each predicted unique variance in expected antidepressant effects, but mystical experience expectancies did not. Demographic factors and general hallucinogen involvement showed only weak correlations. These findings suggest that psilocybin users hold relevant expectancies about subjective and antidepressant effects, which could influence treatment outcomes and deserve monitoring in clinical trials.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231194798 Psilocybin Anxiety Expectancy theory Hallucinogen +7

Entheogenesis: Toward an Expanded Worldview for Our Time

Journal of Humanistic Psychology August 9, 2017 R. Metzner 4 citations

The concept of consciousness expansion, historically primal to psychedelics, offers two advantages over the term 'tripping': it links psychedelic drugs with other expansion methods like meditation and creative visioning, and it contrasts with consciousness contraction seen in concentration and focus. Both expansions and contractions occur at individual states and societal worldviews. Contemporary global culture is shifting toward an expanded worldview that acknowledges both material and spiritual dimensions of existence.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167817723405 Psychology Philosophy

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

People who have had mystical-type experiences (MTEs) report less fear of death, greater belief in death as a passage, a more intrinsic and growth-oriented worldview, and higher trait absorption compared to those who have not. However, contrary to expectations based on clinical psychedelic research, they also report more mental health symptoms. This suggests that MTEs occurring outside a supportive therapeutic context may not produce the same psychological benefits seen in clinical settings.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231158679 Full text Mysticism Existentialism Trait Context archaeology +7

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

Psilocybin may become a legal medicinal drug due to growing evidence of its efficacy for mental health disorders. This work tested the validity of a model of extra-pharmacological factors—set, setting, and intention—in predicting attitudes toward psilocybin. Two hundred nineteen participants completed online measures of personality and the Attitudes Toward Psilocybin scale. A model including a positive set, openness to experience, and lower extraversion significantly predicted attitudes. The findings support the model and suggest that a psychological suitability test could help determine whether psilocybin prescription is appropriate.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678221110331 Psilocybin Lysergic acid diethylamide Hallucinogen Clinical psychology +9

Skinner, Maslow, and Psilocybin

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 1, 1993 Robert S. Gable 3 citations

A graduate student's ingestion of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) produced an altered state of consciousness, which he later reported to psychologists Fred Skinner and Abraham Maslow 30 years ago, noting their reactions. The author suggests that familiarity with hallucinogens can improve communication with terminally ill people and that these substances may help realize visionary potential.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678930333005 Psilocybin Psychology Consciousness Magic telescope +5

Unseen Women in Psychedelic History

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 20, 2021 Mariavittoria Mangini 2 citations

Women's contributions to psychedelic exploration and research in the twentieth century have been under-reported, with their roles often obscured or subsumed under more famous male figures. Mabel Luhan and Valentina Wasson are known but their individual impacts are not fully represented; Wasson's work is overshadowed by her husband, and Luhan's interference in Taos Pueblo peyote politics is overlooked. Poet Mary Barnard's lyrical psychedelic writing is less celebrated than her Sappho translations. Therapists Gertrude Paltin and Kay Parley wrote valuably on psychedelics for spiritual development, personal discovery, and therapy, yet remain almost unknown. Many other women's significant contributions are poorly recorded.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678211029186 Psychology History

A Body of Knowledge: The Role of Human Experience and the Living Body in Knowing

Journal of Humanistic Psychology December 2, 2020 Magali Ollagnier-Beldame 2 citations

Human experience and the living body are often overlooked as sources of knowledge in psychology and cognitive science, despite their potential richness. This work argues that a first-person epistemology—along with precise methods for studying subjective experience—is necessary to genuinely investigate experiential knowledge. The proposal carries epistemological, ethical, and societal implications, suggesting that attending to experience can deepen understanding and inform broader goals beyond academia.

DOI: 10.1177/0022167820974500 Subjectivity Experiential learning Epistemology Experiential knowledge +5

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 where psychological crises trigger altered states of consciousness with transpersonal themes that can resemble psychopathology but may instead catalyze psychospiritual evolution, offering wisdom for the individual and collective. The author, a depth psychologist and artist, presents an autoethnographic case study of their own spiritual emergency after a traumatic loss, using visionary art therapy to express spiritual insights during trauma healing. Referencing Jung, they describe painting tarot cards as archetypal images from the collective unconscious, depicting a six-stage process of spiritual evolution. Practical recommendations are given for psychotherapists to facilitate visionary art therapy for clients in spiritual emergencies.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251350406 Autoethnography Psychotherapist Spirituality Psychoanalysis +4

Peak Experiences Matter

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

Peak and mystical experiences are states of consciousness varying in intensity and duration, characterized by profound joy, ecstasy, awe, noetic quality, decreased self-salience, and heightened interconnectedness. Renewed interest in psychedelics as therapeutic tools stems from early observations linking such experiences to well-being and healing. Numerous studies show a direct correlation between the strength of these experiences and positive, long-lasting psychological outcomes in psychedelic psychotherapy for depression, cancer-related distress, and substance use disorders. Mechanisms involve neurobiological changes in brain regions tied to self-referential processing and consciousness. However, medicalizing psychedelic therapy raises concerns about commodifying transformative states, prompting reevaluation of the role of peak experiences and exploration of non-pharmacological methods to induce them.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678251330066 Psychology

Heidegger and Mindfulness Meditation: Making Peace With the Abyss

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

Mindfulness is often treated as a psychological tool for reducing stress or improving performance, but this essay argues that such a utilitarian view misses its deeper existential purpose. Drawing on Heidegger’s philosophy, the author contends that human suffering stems from an anxious rejection of nothingness, which forces beings to be experienced only as objects of attachment, creating a subject–object dualism and radical alienation from the world. This predicament cannot be resolved by using mindfulness as a technique to manage psychological resources, because liberation cannot be achieved through intention. Instead, Heidegger’s concepts of “letting-be,” “objectless waiting,” and “attention to Beyng” show how mindfulness meditation can open a nonintentional dimension of experience where genuine liberation from suffering may occur.

DOI: 10.1177/00221678231198740 Full text Philosophy

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