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Psilocybin and meditation

Studies whose primary subject is both Psilocybin and Meditation, with an evidence synthesis read across the most-cited and most recent of them.

State of the evidence

Synthesized

Synthesized from 16 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below

Found by searching the library for Psilocybin, magic mushrooms, psilocin, psychedelic mushrooms, Meditation, mindfulness, then ranked by relevance.

The research suggests psilocybin and meditation can act synergistically: several small randomized trials found that psilocybin given during or alongside meditation/mindfulness training increased meditation depth, trait mindfulness, and psychosocial functioning, with some effects persisting for months. Observational and survey data also link psychedelic use and ego dissolution to greater meditation engagement. However, samples are small (often 10-40 participants), several findings are exploratory or from single trials, and durability beyond a few months is inconsistent, so the evidence is promising but preliminary.

Evidence by study

Direction is which way each study's own result points, not our rating of the study. All 25 matching studies were reviewed; the 16 that directly address the question are shown here.

What the directions mean
Supports:
the study found the intervention worked, or its hypothesis held.
Opposes:
it found the opposite, no benefit or a harm.
No effect:
no significant difference either way.
Mixed:
effects in both directions within the same study.
Unclear:
the abstract does not report a direction.
Study Design Sample size Direction Finding
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 2017 RCT 75 Supports High-dose psilocybin combined with meditation/spiritual practices produced large enduring improvements in prosocial attitudes and psychological functioning at six months, mediated by mystical-type experience and practice rates.
Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness 2018 review Mixed Argues that meditation and psychedelics both disrupt self-consciousness and share phenomenology and neurophysiology, but neither state can be considered identical.
Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects. 2019 RCT 38 Supports Psilocybin during a mindfulness retreat decoupled medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices, and ego dissolution and connectivity predicted improved psychosocial functioning four months later.
A single psilocybin dose is associated with long-term increased mindfulness, preceded by a proportional change in neocortical 5-HT2A receptor binding 2020 observational cohort 10 Supports A single psilocybin dose was associated with long-term increases in Openness and mindfulness, and change in mindfulness correlated negatively with change in 5-HT2A receptor binding.
Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat. 2019 RCT 39 Supports Psilocybin increased meditation depth and positively experienced self-dissolution without anxiety, and enhanced mindfulness and psychosocial functioning at four months compared with placebo.
Clinical Interpretations of Patient Experience in a Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder 2018 qualitative case series 3 Supports Case descriptions report vivid cathartic experiences and lasting shifts in self-perception, with increased spaciousness or mindfulness noted.
Depression, Mindfulness, and Psilocybin: Possible Complementary Effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Psilocybin in the Treatment of Depression. A Review 2020 review Mixed Argues mindfulness meditation and psilocybin show similar effects on mood, social skills, and neuroplasticity but differing effects on executive function and neural networks, suggesting complementary therapeutic potential in depression.
Participant Reports of Mindfulness, Posttraumatic Growth, and Social Connectedness in Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis 2021 qualitative 9 Supports Participants reported shifting from habitual evaluative processing to mindful experiential processing during psilocybin-assisted group therapy, enabling emotional release and posttraumatic growth.
Mindfulness meditation and psychedelics: potential synergies and commonalities 2023 review Supports Argues psychedelic-assisted therapy and mindfulness-based interventions share mechanisms and can produce synergistic positive effects when combined, though more rigorous research is needed.
Linkages between Psychedelics and Meditation in a Population-Based Sample in the United States. 2023 cross-sectional survey 953 Supports Lifetime classic psychedelic use and ego dissolution were associated with meditation exposure, more frequent practice, and fewer perceived barriers, without more meditation-related adverse effects.
Lasting increases in trait mindfulness after psilocybin correlate positively with the mystical-type experience in healthy individuals 2022 observational cohort 39 Supports Psilocybin-induced mystical-type experience intensity was positively associated with lasting increases in trait mindfulness three months later.
Decreases in State and Trait Anxiety Post-psilocybin: A Naturalistic, Observational Study Among Retreat Attendees 2022 observational cohort 52 Supports Psilocybin-containing truffles reduced state and trait anxiety for up to one week, with ego dissolution and decreased neuroticism predicting the effect; mindfulness was among measures assessed.
Mystical Experiences Mediate the Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy + Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Trait Mindfulness and Depression Symptoms: Mechanistic Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial 2026 RCT 25 Supports Adding psilocybin-assisted therapy to MBSR produced greater mindfulness gains than MBSR alone at two weeks, with mystical experience intensity showing indirect effects on mindfulness and depression change.
A Naturalistic Study on the Combined Neural and Psychological Effects of Psilocybin and Compassion Focused Imagery 2025 experimental study 105 Supports Combining psilocybin with compassion-focused imagery versus attention to breathing produced long-term synergistic effects on cognitive absorption, self-compassion, and decentering.
Psilocybin-assisted group psychotherapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction for frontline healthcare provider COVID-19-related depression and burnout: A randomized controlled trial 2025 RCT 25 Supports Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy plus MBSR produced a significantly larger decrease in depressive symptoms at two weeks than MBSR alone, though the effect waned by six months.
Psilocybin-Assisted Group Psychotherapy + Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Frontline Healthcare Provider COVID-19 Related Depression and Burnout: A Randomized Clinical Trial 2025 RCT 25 Supports Psilocybin-assisted therapy plus MBSR led to larger reductions in depressive symptoms and burnout than MBSR alone, with no serious adverse events.

Points of agreement

  • Multiple small RCTs find psilocybin administered with meditation or mindfulness training increases meditation depth, trait mindfulness, and psychosocial functioning relative to placebo or MBSR alone.
  • Mystical-type experience and ego dissolution are repeatedly identified as mediators or predictors of lasting mindfulness and well-being changes.
  • Observational and survey data link psychedelic use and ego dissolution to greater meditation engagement and fewer perceived barriers.
  • Reviews describe overlapping phenomenology and neurophysiology between meditation and psychedelic states, supporting a synergy hypothesis.

Conflicts

  • Durability is inconsistent: some trials report effects persisting to four to six months, while one RCT reports the depression effect waned by six months.
  • Reviews emphasize that meditation and psychedelic states are not identical and that self-loss can take different forms, tempering claims of simple equivalence.

Gaps

  • Most trials are very small (10-40 participants), limiting statistical power and generalizability.
  • Blinding integrity and expectancy effects are difficult to control with psychedelics.
  • Long-term durability beyond six months is largely unstudied.
  • Optimal dose, timing, and sequencing of meditation relative to psilocybin are unspecified.
  • Populations studied are narrow (healthy volunteers, retreat meditators, healthcare workers, small clinical samples).
  • Causal direction between psychedelic use and meditation engagement is unresolved without randomized trials.
Browse these studies in the library

Common questions

What does the research agree on about psilocybin and meditation?
  • Multiple small RCTs find psilocybin administered with meditation or mindfulness training increases meditation depth, trait mindfulness, and psychosocial functioning relative to placebo or MBSR alone.
  • Mystical-type experience and ego dissolution are repeatedly identified as mediators or predictors of lasting mindfulness and well-being changes.
  • Observational and survey data link psychedelic use and ego dissolution to greater meditation engagement and fewer perceived barriers.
  • Reviews describe overlapping phenomenology and neurophysiology between meditation and psychedelic states, supporting a synergy hypothesis.
Where do studies on psilocybin and meditation conflict?
  • Durability is inconsistent: some trials report effects persisting to four to six months, while one RCT reports the depression effect waned by six months.
  • Reviews emphasize that meditation and psychedelic states are not identical and that self-loss can take different forms, tempering claims of simple equivalence.
What is still unknown about psilocybin and meditation?
  • Most trials are very small (10-40 participants), limiting statistical power and generalizability.
  • Blinding integrity and expectancy effects are difficult to control with psychedelics.
  • Long-term durability beyond six months is largely unstudied.
  • Optimal dose, timing, and sequencing of meditation relative to psilocybin are unspecified.
  • Populations studied are narrow (healthy volunteers, retreat meditators, healthcare workers, small clinical samples).
  • Causal direction between psychedelic use and meditation engagement is unresolved without randomized trials.
How we analyze this

This synthesis reads the 15 most-cited and 10 most recent studies whose primary subject is Psilocybin and meditation, up to 25 in all. The most-cited set anchors the established evidence, and the recent set surfaces work that is too new to have gathered citations yet.

A study qualifies only when Psilocybin and meditation or a known alias appears in its title or keywords, so broad reviews that mention it only in passing are left out. Each study is read from its abstract, strongest evidence first, and the summary reports the direction of the results along with any conflicts and gaps.

The full method, including what a person does and does not review, is on the methods page.

Ask your own question in the Research Synthesis Tool

39 articles · 10 from the last two years · 19,196 participants across 23 studies reporting sample size

Common study designs

review 5 observational cohort 5 viewpoint or opinion paper 1 randomized controlled trial 7 theoretical or philosophical paper 4

Research volume by year

Compare topics →

38 studies whose primary subject is psilocybin and meditation since 2017

Studies about psilocybin and meditation per year, 2017 to 2026, peaking at 7 in 2022 Bar chart: one bar per year, taller where more studies were published that year. 0 4 8 2020 2025
2026 is partial
Show the numbers
Studies about psilocybin and meditation per year, 2017 to 2026, peaking at 7 in 2022
Year Studies
2017 1
2018 2
2019 2
2020 2
2021 3
2022 7
2023 6
2024 5
2025 5
2026 5

Research

Synthesize the evidence →

Preparing the body for psilocybin therapy: receptive and generative interoception in cancer patients

Frontiers in Psychiatry October 8, 2026 Anthony L. Back, Cynthia J. Price, Bonnie A. Mcgregor et al.

Cancer patients arrive for psilocybin therapy with bodies altered by illness and treatment — bodies that they have learned to brace against, dissociate from, or scan for threat. Research on psilocybin-assisted therapy for cancer-related depression and anxiety consistently identifies the quality of the acute subjective experience — reflected in constructs such as acceptance, surrender,...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1890966 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Contemplative practice Psilocybin Cancer Interoception +2

Mystical Experiences Mediate the Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy + Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Trait Mindfulness and Depression Symptoms: Mechanistic Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Affective Disorders Reports October 1, 2026 Kevin Byrne, Madeleine Odette, Eric L Garland et al.

ABSTRACT Background Healthcare workers experienced amplified depression and burnout during COVID-19. Both Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and psilocybin have been shown to reduce depressive symptoms in this population, however the psychological mechanisms by which adding psilocybin to mindfulness training improves depression and trait mindfulness remain incompletely characterized....

DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101187 (opens in new tab)

The Alchemy of Mind: Integrating Sanyam and Joriki into the Framework of Fundamental Peace

Preprints.org April 27, 2026 Luis Miguel Gallardo preprint

Ancient contemplative traditions offer sophisticated technologies for cultivating stable states of consciousness underlying sustainable well-being. This integrative review synthesizes empirical and theoretical literature on Patañjali’s Sanyam—the integrated practice of Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditative absorption), and Samadhi (non-dual awareness)—and its Zen parallel, Joriki...

DOI: 10.20944/preprints202604.1821.v1 (opens in new tab) Mindfulness Psilocybin Happiness Consciousness +17

Sense-Making Around Psilocybin in UK Women Experiencing Cancer-Related Existential Distress: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Qualitative Health Research February 17, 2026 Zaynab Khan, Sterre Weaver, Rachael V. Dando et al. 1 citation

People with cancer often experience anxiety and depression following a diagnosis and can face barriers to accessing treatment for their mental health. An increasing number of patients are considering alternative approaches to managing their mental health symptoms, such as the psychedelic, psilocybin. A growing number of clinical trials show significant and enduring improvements in mood and...

DOI: 10.1177/10497323261419338 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Anxiety Mindfulness Interpretative phenomenological analysis +13

The Psychological Support Model in Psilocybin Research: Psychotherapy in Disguise?

Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice January 14, 2026 Celia Faye Jacobsen, Dea Siggaard Stenbæk, Stig Poulsen et al. 3 citations

A key distinction among clinical trials on psilocybin treatments, for example, those targeting depression, has been whether the psilocybin dosing session is combined with bona fide psychotherapy or with what is referred to as “psychological support” (1-3). The most developed model of psychological support is the Compass Psychological Support Model (CPSM; 1). Kirlić and colleagues specifically...

DOI: 10.1176/appi.prcp.20250113 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Mindfulness Psychoeducation Psychological intervention +3

The CAnadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy (CAN-PACT): A Multi-Phase Program Overview.

Current Oncology December 22, 2025 Linda E. Carlson, Harriet Richardson, Ron Shore et al. 1 citation

The CAnadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy (CAN-PACT) was launched in 2025 to address urgent gaps in supportive care for Canadians with cancer experiencing demoralization syndrome (loss of meaning, dysphoria, disheartenment, helplessness, a sense of failure) and related psychosocial distress. CAN-PACT has six major objectives: (1) to develop a national interdisciplinary...

DOI: 10.3390/curroncol33010007 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Mindfulness Psilocybin Cancer Clinical trials +3

A Naturalistic Study on the Combined Neural and Psychological Effects of Psilocybin and Compassion Focused Imagery

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) December 22, 2025 Carla Pallavicini, Lorena Llobenes, Federico Cavanna et al. preprint

Abstract Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic drug known to alter subjective experience and elicit long-term psychological changes, enhancing cognitive flexibility and reducing rigid self-related beliefs. Combined with compassion motivational primes that involve generating mental representations of compassion, it may increase the potential for activating the care-affiliative motivational...

DOI: 10.64898/2025.12.17.694940 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Default mode network Mindfulness Cognition +11

S1 Appendix - Psilocybin-assisted group psychotherapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction for frontline healthcare provider COVID-19-related depression and burnout: A randomized controlled trial

OPAL (Open@LaTrobe) (La Trobe University) September 19, 2025

Supplement 1. Additional tables presenting primary and secondary outcomes, sensitivity analyses, and exploratory findings. Table A1. ITT analyses for QIDS-SR-16 and MBI-HSS-MP. Table A2. Adjusted ITT analyses for QIDS-SR-16 and MBI-HSS-MP. Table B1. Intent-To-Treat (ITT) Analysis for Demoralization Scale (DSII) and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Table B2. Adjusted Intent-To-Treat (ITT)...

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004519.s001 (opens in new tab)

Psilocybin-assisted group psychotherapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction for frontline healthcare provider COVID-19-related depression and burnout: A randomized controlled trial

PLoS Medicine September 19, 2025 Benjamin R. Lewis, John Hendrick, Kevin Byrne et al. 5 citations

Background Depression and burnout, which are common among healthcare workers, were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and psilocybin have been reported to reduce depressive symptoms, but the efficacy of the combination requires comparison to an active treatment control. We sought to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin and MBSR...

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004519 (opens in new tab)

Psilocybin-Assisted Group Psychotherapy + Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Frontline Healthcare Provider COVID-19 Related Depression and Burnout: A Randomized Clinical Trial

medRxiv 2025 Benjamin R. Lewis, John Hendrick, Kevin Byrne et al. 3 citations preprint

Abstract Objective This clinical trial sought to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin and MBSR for frontline healthcare providers with symptoms of depression and burnout related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This was a randomized controlled trial that enrolled physicians and nurses with frontline clinical work during the COVID-19 pandemic and symptoms of depression and...

DOI: 10.1101/2024.12.31.24319806 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Psychedelic therapy Mental health Healthcare workers Clinical trials +1

Clinical trials

All psilocybin and meditation trials →