Psychedelics and autobiographical memory - six open questions.
Samuli Kangaslampi, Morten P. Lietz
Psychopharmacology March 17, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-025-06771-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | LSD Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Mental health psychiatry Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Remembrance Memory autobiographical memory Recall Recollection |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | Six open questions about psychedelics and autobiographical memory are identified and discussed, with the current evidence base described as limited. |
Abstract
Since the earliest LSD research, psychedelics have been claimed to enhance autobiographical memory. Revisiting and processing autobiographical memories has further been suggested to be a major component of the therapeutic action of psychedelics. However, modern psychedelic research has largely neglected autobiographical elements of psychedelic experiences, and many vital questions remain unanswered. We present and discuss six open questions related to psychedelics and autobiographical memory: (1) Do psychedelics enhance autobiographical recall? (2) Is recall and processing of significant autobiographical (e.g., traumatic) memories a common part of psychedelic experiences? (3) Do psychedelics promote the development of false or inaccurate memories? (4) How do autobiographical memories change if they are recalled and reconsolidated under the effects of psychedelics? (5) What are memories of psychedelic experiences like? (6) Are autobiographical experiences under psychedelics of particular importance for their therapeutic effects? We present the background and current limited state of evidence for each question and provide suggestions on how future studies could best address them. Besides advancing basic research, answering these pressing questions is highly relevant for the possible therapeutic use of psychedelics, both in terms of developing and optimizing new interventions and for avoiding iatrogenic harms. Ideally, future psychedelic-assisted interventions could harness the possible synergies between the effects of psychedelics and existing memory-based therapies.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study of a New Schizophrenomimetic Drug—Sernyl | 1959 | Review | |
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| The Pharmacology of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: A Review | 2008 | Review | |
| Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses | 2008 | Review | |
| ADVERSE REACTIONS TO PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS. A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE | 1984 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Key competencies for psychedelic treatment in real-world mental health care settings. General Hospital Psychiatry 2025
- Recalled childhood trauma and post-psychedelic trajectories of change in a mixed-methods study Scientific Reports November 27, 2025
- Meditation and psychedelics facilitate similar types of mystical, psychological, and philosophical-existential insights predictive of wellbeing: a qualitative-quantitative approach. Consciousness and Cognition July 7, 2025
- Questioning the recovery of dissociated traumatic memories under psilocybin: comment on “Therapeutic emergence of dissociated traumatic memories during psilocybin treatment for anorexia nervosa” Journal of Eating Disorders December 4, 2025
- Symptom-Specific Nuances in Psychedelic Integration: A Qualitative Study of Insights from Therapists Supporting Extended Difficulties in Naturalistic Settings Research Square May 21, 2026
and 4 more in the library
Cites 42
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 19, 2017
- Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors Journal of Psychopharmacology October 11, 2017
- LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects Journal of Psychopharmacology November 11, 2014
- Emotional breakthrough and psychedelics: Validation of the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 11, 2019
and 37 more in the library