After the Trip: A Qualitative Study of Healthy Individuals' Motor Experiences Following Different Doses of Psilocybin.
Ruiqi Rachel Luo, David J. Berlowitz, Alexander Bryson, Olivia Carter, Chiranth Bhagavan, Richard Kanaan
Brain and Behavior October 2026 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.71807 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Healthy individuals who had completed sessions of motor tasks at different doses of psilocybin |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | three different doses of psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Motor function Subjective experiences Thematic analysis |
| Key findings | Participants described altered motor coordination, control, speed, and reaction time, with interacting influences on motor performance including dose-dependent effects, alongside non-motor experiences of transcendence, altered consciousness, transformative "mysticism," and enhanced psychological and sensory experiences. The authors propose these accounts inform safety considerations and planned research on psilocybin-assisted physiotherapy for refractory motor functional neurological disorder. |
Abstract
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring classic psychedelic associated with widespread changes in brain function and promising therapeutic outcomes in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Complementing these findings, qualitative studies following psilocybin administration have revealed diverse and highly individual effects across multiple domains of subjective experience. However, little is known about its impacts on individuals' subjective motor experiences. With the tendency of individuals to stay stationary during psilocybin's effects, investigating qualitative motor experiences following low-to-moderate doses of psilocybin may offer novel considerations regarding safety and quality of individuals' psychedelic experiences. We aimed to explore healthy individuals' subjective experiences after receiving three different doses of psilocybin and conducting motor activity. Following the study procedure previously published, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants who had completed sessions of motor tasks at different doses of psilocybin, which were then transcribed and thematically analyzed. Four major themes were developed, each containing sub-themes: two motor themes, (1) mixed motor messages, including altered motor coordination, control, speed, and reaction time; (2) interacting influences on motor performance, including dose-dependent effects; and two non-motor themes, (3) transcendence, altered consciousness, and transformative "mysticism"; and (4) dynamic and enhanced psychological and sensory experiences. This work contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of psilocybin's multifaceted effects and their relevance to safety, therapeutic potential and future research in motor disorders. The findings will inform a broader dose-finding study and the design of proposed research on psilocybin-assisted physiotherapy for refractory motor functional neurological disorder. ANZCTR number: ACTRN12621000560897.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients with treatment-resistant depression enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Adults aged 22 to 69 with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 13 |
| Psychedelic therapy for smoking cessation: Qualitative analysis of participant accounts Participants who completed a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation pilot study | 2018 | Qualitative follow-up study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis | n = 12 |
| Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD Cluster headache patients who used psilocybin or LSD | 2006 | Qualitative study | n = 53 |
| Cancer at the Dinner Table: Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer-Related Distress Adult participants with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis | 2017 | Qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis | n = 13 |