How Psychedelics Influence Brain Networks
August 30, 2024 DOI: 10.64239/pi-vl8203 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Psychedelics may reduce negative self-referential thinking and shift deeply held negative thoughts by disrupting the default mode network and claustrum, with mystical experience scores correlating with therapeutic effects. |
Abstract
Psychedelics can induce mystical experiences, with higher Mystical Experience Questionnaire scores correlating with greater therapeutic effects like reduced cravings and anxiety. Psychedelics disrupt the default mode network, which is implicated in psychiatric conditions and sense of self, potentially reducing negative self-referential thinking. Psychedelics may disrupt the claustrum, inducing a dynamic brain state that, in a therapeutic context, could help shift deeply held negative thoughts.