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Seeking Persons Committed to Spiritual Development
to Participate in a Research Study of Mystical
Experience, Meditation and Spiritual Practice
Abbreviated eligibility criteria for volunteers who will receive psilocybin
Inclusion Criteria:
- 21 to 70 years old
- Have a high school level of education
- Be healthy and psychologically stable as determined by screening for medical and psychiatric problems via a personal interview, a medical questionnaire, a physical examination, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and routine medical blood and urinalysis laboratory tests.
- Have an active interest in exploring and developing their spiritual lives
- Agree to refrain from using any psychoactive drugs, including alcoholic beverages, within 24 hours of each psilocybin administration. Exceptions include caffeine and nicotine.
- Agree not to take any PRN medications on the mornings of psilocybin sessions
- Agree that for one week before each psilocybin session, he/she will refrain from taking any nonprescription medication, nutritional supplement, or herbal supplement except when approved by the study investigators. Exceptions will be evaluated by the study investigators and will include acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and common doses of vitamins and minerals.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Women who are pregnant or nursing; women who are of child-bearing potential and sexually active who are not practicing an effective means of birth control
- Cardiovascular conditions: coronary artery disease, stroke, angina, uncontrolled hypertension, a clinically significant ECG abnormality (e.g., atrial fibrillation), or TIA in the past year
- Epilepsy with history of seizures
- Insulin-dependent diabetes; if taking oral hypoglycemic agent, then no history of hypoglycemia
- Currently taking psychoactive prescription medication on a regular (e.g., daily) basis
- Currently taking on a regular (e.g., daily) basis any medications having a primary centrally-acting pharmacological effect on serotonin neurons or medications that are MAO inhibitors. For individuals who have intermittent or PRN use of such medications, psilocybin sessions will not be conducted until at least 5 half-lives of the agent have elapsed after the last dose.
- More than 20% outside the upper or lower range of ideal body weight
- Current or past history of meeting DSM-IV criteria for Schizophrenia, Psychotic Disorder (unless substance-induced or due to a medical condition), or Bipolar I or II Disorder.
- Current or past history within the last 5 years of meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol or drug dependence (excluding caffeine and nicotine) or severe major depression.
- Have a first or second degree relative with Schizophrenia, Psychotic Disorder (unless substance induced or due to a medical condition), or Bipolar I or II Disorder.
- Currently meets DSM-IV criteria for Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, or other psychiatric conditions judged to be incompatible with establishment of rapport or safe exposure to psilocybin
For more detailed information about the study, see www.bpru.org/spiritual-practice. If you would like to discuss the possibility of volunteering, please call 410–550–5990 or email spiritual-practice@bpru.org and ask for Mary, the study’s research coordinator. Confidentiality will be maintained for all applicants and participants.
Principal Investigator: Roland R. Griffiths, Ph.D., Protocol: NA_00020767
