Microdosing and Meditation Study

 

“Descriptions of naturally occurring mystical experiences, and those generated by high level meditation practice, are strikingly similar to profound spiritual experiences occasioned by psychedelics” – Amanda Feilding

Why join the study?

In recent years, the scientific study of meditation and psychedelic drugs has seen remarkable developments, yet few attempts have been made at bridging these two domains of inquiry despite intriguing evidence of overlap between the phenomenology and neurophysiology of meditation practice and psychedelic states.

To close this gap, Amanda Feilding and the Beckley Foundation are leading a remote observational study in collaboration with Quantified Citizen, to explore the effects of regular microdosing (i.e., the practice of taking psychedelic substances – e.g. psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide; LSD –  in small, sub-hallucinogenic doses) on meditation practice.

NB: you do not have to be microdosing to take part in the study

Visit the Quantified Citizen Microdosing and Meditation study page here.

 

Who can participate?

What does taking part in the study involve?

Involvement in this study will include completing an intake questionnaire (10 minutes), a set of assessments at the beginning of the study, after each month, and at the end of the study (for a total of 4 times, 20 minutes each). You will also be asked to complete a daily questionnaire that will take about 5 to 10 minutes each day.

Are psychedelics provided?

You will not be provided with psychedelic substances, or with instructions on where to obtain them or how to use them. If you are self-selecting into the microdosing group, you are already familiar with the practice and would be doing so regardless of being in this study.

You do not need to use psychedelics at any dose to take part in this study.

Are there any risks in taking part in this study or downloading the microdose.me app?

Only electronic anonymous data will be collected and stored. No data regarding your substance use will be stored on your phone.

The study is open to people who microdose and those who do not, and therefore downloading the app on your phone will not ‘label’ you as a user of psychedelics.

How can I take part?

1. Download the QC app (for iOs or Android).
2. Create an account on the QC app by following the on-screen instructions. *Make sure to save the 12 words displayed during the process somewhere safe and private as they are the only way to access your account if you sign out or switch devices.
3. Choose a 4 digit passcode and confirm additional app preferences for biometric authentication (fingerprint or face ID) and camera settings.
4. Go to the “Studies” tab from the bottom navigation menu.
5. Select the “Microdosing and Meditation” study.
6. Go over the Study About section and the Informed Consent screens. Submit the consent to confirm your enrollment in the study.
7. Start participation by completing the available set of assessments.

 

Who is doing the study?

This study is being conducted as an international collaboration between Amanda Feilding and the Beckley Foundation, Marco Schlosser, Otto Simonson (researchers and expert meditators), Enzo Tagliazucchi (neuroscientist expert in psychedelic research), and Quantified Citizens.  If you have any questions about this study, please contact microdosingstudy@beckleyfoundation.org. Your email address will not be linked to your data in any way. If you have concerns about your privacy, please create an anonymous email address at protonmail.com. This service is free, anonymous, and encrypted.

Relevant resources:

• An informative talk on meditation and psychedelics by Marco Schlosser, the researcher who designed the Micro-meditation study
• Linkage between psychedelics and meditation in a population-based sample in the United States an article by our collaborator Otto Simonsson and Simon Goldberg
• Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat, Smigielski et al.
• Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects, Smigielski et al.
• https://descendingthemountain.org/where-to-see/  A documentary based on the research conducted in psychedelic naïve expert meditators during a meditation retreat in Switzerland.
• Zig Zag Zen, a book that offers a conversation about Buddhist practice and the psychedelic spiritual experience.
• Medito is a free meditation app that can help you to start or deepen your meditation practice.