Meditating on psychedelics. A randomized placebo-controlled study of DMT and harmine in a mindfulness retreat.

Autor:	Meling D; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany., Egger K; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland., Aicher HD; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Jareño Redondo J; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Mueller J; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Dornbierer J; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Temperli E; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Vasella EA; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Caflisch L; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Pfeiffer DJ; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Schlomberg JT; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Smallridge JW; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Dornbierer DA; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Scheidegger M; Psychedelic Research and Therapy Development, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) [J Psychopharmacol] 2024 Oct; Vol. 38 (10), pp. 897-910. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 27.
DOI:	10.1177/02698811241282637
Abstrakt:	Background: In recent years, both meditation and psychedelics have attracted rapidly increasing scientific interest. While the current state of evidence suggests the promising potential of psychedelics, such as psilocybin, to enhance meditative training, it remains equivocal whether these effects are specifically bound to psilocybin or if other classical psychedelics might show synergistic effects with meditation practice. One particularly promising candidate is N,N -dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an active ingredient of ayahuasca. Aim: This study aims to investigate the effect of the psychedelic substance DMT, combined with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor harmine ( DMT-harmine ), on meditative states, compared to meditation with a placebo. Method: Forty experienced meditators (18 females and 22 males) participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study over a 3-day meditation retreat, receiving either placebo or DMT-harmine. Participants' levels of mindfulness, compassion, insight, and transcendence were assessed before, during, and after the meditation group retreat, using psychometric questionnaires. Results: Compared to meditation with a placebo, meditators who received DMT and harmine self-attributed greater levels of mystical-type experiences, non-dual awareness, and emotional breakthrough during the acute substance effects and, when corrected for baseline differences, greater psychological insight 1 day later. Mindfulness and compassion were not significantly different in the DMT-harmine group compared to placebo. At 1-month follow-up, the meditators who received DMT and harmine rated their experience as significantly more personally meaningful, spiritually significant, and well-being-enhancing than the meditators who received placebo. Conclusion: Investigating the impact of DMT-harmine on meditators in a naturalistic mindfulness group retreat, this placebo-controlled study highlights the specific effects of psychedelics during meditation. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05780216. Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: DM, KE, HDA, JJR, JM, JD, ET, EAV, LC, DJP, JTTS, and JWS report having no conflicts of interest with respect to research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. MS and DAD declare that they co-founded Reconnect Labs, an academic spin-off at the University of Zurich, focused on the development of psychedelic medicines for mental health.
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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