( ropriately supervised. Even in this st...)Hopkins scientists show hallucinogen in mushrooms creates universal 'mystical' experience

ropriately supervised. "Even in this study, where we greatly controlled conditions to minimize adverse effects, about a third of subjects reported significant fear, with some also reporting transient feelings of paranoia," says Griffiths. "Under unmonitored conditions, it's not hard to imagine those emotions escalating to panic and dangerous behavior."

The researchers' message isn't just that psilocybin can produce mystical experiences. "I had a healthy skepticism going into this," says Griffiths, "and that finding alone was a surprise." But, as important, he says, "is that, under very defined conditions, with careful preparation, you can safely and fairly reliably occasion what's called a primary mystical experience that may lead to positive changes in a person. It's an early step in what we hope will be a large body of scientific work that will ultimately help people."

The authors acknowledge the unusual nature of the work, treading, as it does, a fine line between neuroscience and areas most would consider outside science's realm. "But establishing the basic science here is necessary," says Griffiths, "to take advantage of the possible benefits psilocybin can bring to our understanding of how thought, emotion, and ultimately behavior are grounded in biology."

Griffiths is quick to emphasize the scientific intent of the study. "We're just measuring what can be observed," he says; "We're not entering into 'Does God exist or not exist.' This work can't and won't go there."

In the study, more than 60 percent of subjects described the effects of psilocybin in ways that met criteria for a "full mystical experience" as measured by established psychological scales. One third said the experience was the single most spiritually significant of their lifetimes; and more than two-thirds rated it among their five most meaningful and spiritually significant. Griffiths says subjects liken it to the importance of the birth of their first chi
'"/>

Source:Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Page: 1 2 3 4
Related biology news :

1. Hopkins AIDS experts issue warning about global efforts to provide drug therapies
2. Hopkins scientists uncover tags that force proteins to cell surface
3. Johns Hopkins flu expert calls for mandatory vaccination of health care workers
4. Whole-genome study at Johns Hopkins reveals a new gene associated with abnormal heart rhythm
5. Hopkins researchers discover genetic switch that turns off an oxygen-poor cells combustion engine
6. Hopkins study suggests commercially available antibiotic may help fight dementia in HIV patients
7. Johns Hopkins lab scientists tame overactive CF protein
8. Hopkins researchers develop new tool to watch real-time chemical activity in cells
9. Hopkins researchers discover how brain protein might control memory
10. Hopkins scientists link immune response to ghost parasites and severely congested sinuses
11. Wisconsin scientists grow critical nerve cells