Rationale Although psilocybin has been used for centuries for religious purposes, little is known scientifically about its acute and persisting effects. Objectives This double-blind study evaluated the acute and longer-term psychological effects of a high dose of psilocybin relative to a comparison compound administered under comfortable, supportive conditions. Materials and methods The partici...

Psilocybin is a classic (serotonergic) hallucinogen ("psychedelic" drug) that may occasion mystical experiences (characterized by a profound feeling of oneness or unity) during acute effects. Such experiences may have therapeutic value. Research and clinical applications of psychedelics usually include music listening during acute drug effects, based on the expectation that music will provide p...

This article evaluates a striking similarity between two passages, one from the emperor Julian (‘the Apostate’), and the other from G. I. Gurdjieff (1865?-1949). These passages present the ‘sun’ as the source of ‘nous’ (Julian), or ‘higher centres’ (Gurdjieff). I suggest that these two faculties are effectively the same, as in both systems these faculties ground mystic experiences. In both syst...