Abstract Several years ago, the first studies were conducted in which the effects of psychedelics in low doses were tested in healthy participants. These studies focused mainly on the acute effects of LSD. Questions that remained unanswered were whether low doses have lasting effects, as well as whether they can reduce symptoms of ADHD. To answer these questions, we conducted two studies,...
Since its origins, the debate on the interaction between religions and psychoactives has been strongly influenced, both positively and negatively, by prejudices, policies, fashions and trends that had little to do with scientific research. Stigma and exaltation in different historical moments have equally characterized the study of the presence and use of so-called entheogens in the different...
Scholarship on the global history of psychedelics is divided into two rival approaches. This article analyzes these approaches, emphasizing the way in which ideological biases on both sides have stymied serious research on the use of psychedelic substances across space and time, before introducing the empirical approach as an alternative. The most prevalent view, “pharmacological Calvinism,”...
This article offers an overview of the history of substances, plants, and fungi later classified as psychedelic. Drawing from archeological, anthropological, botanical, and clinical claims about the risks and benefits of psychedelics, this historical survey emphasizes diverse attempts to make sense of these mind-altering experiences. It tracks early efforts to harness the properties of...
European PsychiatryApril 1, 2025E. E. Morales Castellano, P. Rivero Rodríguez, Marina Martínez Grimal et al.
Introduction The relationship between psychosis and ayahuasca use is a topic of considerable interest and debate in the scientific and medical community. Ayahuasca is traditionally used in shamanic ceremonies in the Amazon, composed mainly of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of Psychotria viridis, which contain DMT (dimethyltryptamine), a powerful hallucinogen. Ayahuasca induces...
There is growing scientific interest in advanced meditation, and particularly the Theravada Buddhist advanced concentrative absorption meditation known as jhana (ACAM-J). ACAM-J includes a series of eight consecutive meditative states, which are radically altered states of consciousness. The neuroscience of ACAM-J, specifically brain reorganization, remains underspecified in part due to the...
Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a rare condition characterized by clinical and brain imaging criteria. It is most often associated with pregnancy in the postpartum period and has a higher incidence in primiparous patients. Its presentation includes headaches, altered consciousness, seizures, visual disturbances, and specific radiological signs, particularly vasogenic...
Ketamine, in doses suitable to induce anaesthesia in humans, gives rise to a unique state of unresponsiveness accompanied by vivid experiences and sensations, making it possible to disentangle the correlated but distinct concepts of conscious awareness and behavioural responsiveness. This distinction is often overlooked in the study of consciousness. The mathematical framework of connectome...
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a classic serotonergic psychedelic that induces a profoundly altered conscious state. In conjunction with psychological support, it is currently being explored as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder and depression. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a brain region that is known to be involved in mood regulation and disorders; hypofunction...
Dissociative identity disorder is the most complex, severe, and chronic condition within the category of dissociative disorders. The core issue in dissociative identity disorder involves significant divisions and discontinuities in an individual's memory, behavior, emotions, consciousness, and identity, which typically function as a cohesive whole. These dissociative experiences lead to...