Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT and Comparison With a Prior Psilocybin Study

This naturalistic study (n=20) found that the mystical experience (MEQ) of smoking 5-MeO-DMT was comparable to 30mg/70kg of psilocybin (but not 20mg/70kg) from an earlier study.

Abstract of Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT

“5-MeO-DMT is a psychoactive substance found in high concentrations in the bufotoxin of the Colorado River Toad (Bufo alvarius). Emerging evidence suggests that vaporized 5-MeO-DMT may occasion mystical experiences of comparable intensity to those occasioned by more widely studied psychedelics such as psilocybin, but no empirical study has tested this hypothesis. Data was obtained from 20 individuals (Mage = 38.9, ± 10.7; male = 55%, Caucasian = 85%) who were administered 5-MeO-DMT as part of a psychospiritual retreat program in Mexico. All participants received 50 mg of inhaled vaporized toad bufotoxin which contains 5-MeO-DMT and completed the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) approximately 4–6 h after their session. Administration of 5-MeO-DMT occasioned strong mystical experiences (MEQ30 Overall Mintensity = 4.17, ± 0.64, range 0–5) and the majority (n = 15, 75%) had “a complete mystical experience” (≥60% on all MEQ30 subscales). Compared to a prior laboratory-based psilocybin study, there were no differences in the intensity of mystical effects between 5-MeO-DMT and a high dose (30 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin, but the intensity of mystical effects was significantly higher in the 5-MeO-DMT sample compared to moderate/high dose (20 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin (MEQ30 Total Score: p = 0.02, d = 0.81). Administration of vaporized 5-MeO-DMT reliably occasioned complete mystical experiences in 75% of individuals and was similar in intensity to high dose psilocybin administered in a laboratory setting. The short duration of action may be advantageous for clinical interventions and for studying mystical-type experiences.

Authors: Joseph Barsuglia, Alan K. Davis, Robert Palmer, Rafael Lancelotta , Austin-Marley Windham-Herman, Kristel Peterson, Martin Polanco, Robert Grant & Roland R. Griffiths

Notes on Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT

  • The first comparison of mystical effects (peak experience) between psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT
  • No difference between 50mg of 5-MeO-DMT and 30mg/70kg of psilocybin
  • The short duration of DMT may be beneficial to clinical interventions or studying the effects of psychedelics

“The current study aimed to address this gap in the literature via two primary aims. The first aim was to examine the intensity of mystical experiences following the administration of 5-MeO-DMT (in the form of vaporized bufotoxin) to participants in a residential psychospiritual retreat. … The second aim was to compare the intensity of mystical experiences occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT in the present study with that recorded in a prior laboratory-based psilocybin study.

With a small group of participants (20) who were all healthy normals, they examined the effects of 5-MeO-DMT (DMT-variant from the Colorado River toad). The main measure used was the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ).

“75% of the participants met the criteria for “a complete mystical experience””

This was then compared to the different levels of psilocybin used in an earlier study (Griffiths et al., 2011) and their scores on the MEQ. As mentioned at the beginning, results were the same as the 30mg/70kg psilocybin group, and higher than all of the lower dosages of psilocybin in the earlier study.

“The results of the present study extend the previous findings by demonstrating that the subjective mystical effects of 5-MeO-DMT administered in a retreat setting are similar to those reported in prior 5-MeO-DMT studies, and that the intensity of these effects is statistically equivalent to that of high-dose psilocybin administered in a laboratory setting.”

Yet the authors also note that this is just a very preliminary study. There was no control group, no blinding, no placebo, etc. However, the short duration of (5-MeO-)DMT may make it a target for further study. This article contributes to, at least, advancing this possibility.

Summary of Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT

5-MeO-DMT is a psychoactive indolealkylamine that can occasion mystical experiences similar in intensity to those occasioned by psilocybin, with a much shorter duration of action. However, no published studies examine the dose-related effects of 5-MeO-DMT in humans.

The current study examined the intensity of mystical experiences following the administration of 5-MeO-DMT to participants in a residential psychospiritual retreat. It also compared the intensity of mystical experiences occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT to that recorded in a prior laboratory-based psilocybin study.

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Find this paper

Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT and Comparison With a Prior Psilocybin Study

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02459

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Cite this paper (APA)

Barsuglia, J., Davis, A. K., Palmer, R., Lancelotta, R., Windham-Herman, A. M., Peterson, K., ... & Griffiths, R. R. (2018). Intensity of mystical experiences occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT and comparison with a prior psilocybin study. Frontiers in psychology9, 2459.

Study details

Compounds studied
5-MeO-DMT Psilocybin

Topics studied
Healthy Subjects

Study characteristics
Observational

Participants
20 Humans

Authors

Authors associated with this publication with profiles on Blossom

Roland Griffiths
Roland R. Griffiths is one of the strongest voices in psychedelics research. With over 400 journal articles under his belt and as one of the first researchers in the psychedelics renaissance, he has been a vital part of the research community.

Compound Details

The psychedelics given at which dose and how many times

5-MeO-DMT 5 - 7
mg | 1x

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