Combining psychedelics with meditation increases mindfulness and mystical-type transcendence

Researchers assessed whether combining psychedelics, namely DMT and harmine as two active ingredients in ayahuasca, with meditation increases mindfulness, compassion, insight, and mystical-type transcendence to a higher degree than meditation with a placebo. The results showed that the use of these psychedelics combined with meditation increased to a higher degree experiences of insight, transcendence, and meaning.

Research on meditation and psychedelics has brought growing evidence of their respective benefits for mental health and well-being. In the case of psychedelics, a promising therapeutic potential has been identified for the treatment of a wide range of mental health conditions. However, the use of these substances must be rigorous and in appropriate contexts.

One substance that has shown high potential is dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a psychoactive component found in many plants around the world (such as acacia and mimosa families) and used in the Indigenous Amazonian plant medicine ayahuasca. Ayahuasca has recently attracted growing scientific interest with evidence of its potential therapeutic effects, including reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and enhancing mindfulness and empathy capabilities. Harmine, a substance that results from a compound with extracts from a Middle Eastern plant and South American vines, has also shown potential for depression treatment and other diseases such as diabetes.

While the therapeutic evidence for meditation and psychedelics has been established as standalone interventions, indicators are now emerging of the potential synergies of using them in combination. It was in this context that, with the support of the BIAL Foundation, Reconnect Foundation, and Mind and Life Europe, the team led by Milan Scheidegger (University of Zurich, Switzerland) carried out a randomized placebo-controlled study aiming to test whether DMT-harmine combined with meditation increases mindfulness, compassion, insight, and mystical-type transcendence to a higher degree than meditation with a placebo.

The research involved 40 experienced meditators (18 female and 22 male) who participated in a study over a 3-day meditation retreat, receiving either placebo or DMT-harmine. The participants' levels of mindfulness, compassion, insight, and transcendence were assessed before, during, and after the meditation retreat, using psychometric questionnaires.

In the article 'Meditating on psychedelics. A randomized placebo-controlled study of DMT and harmine in a mindfulness retreat", published in September in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, the researchers revealed that mindfulness and compassion were not significantly different in the DMT-harmine group compared to the placebo group. However, the DMT-harmine group self-attributed higher levels of mystical-type experiences, non-dual awareness (unifying consciousness that transcends the separation between self and other, or mind and body), and emotional breakthrough during the acute substance effects, compared to meditation with a placebo.

This study provides novel evidence supporting the notion that the combination of the psychedelic compound DMT with harmine has the potential to enhance meditation through an increased sense of insight, transcendence, and meaning, offering valuable information into the intersection of psychedelics and meditative practices."

Milan Scheidegger, University of Zurich, Switzerland