Settings and Configurations: A Randomized Study of Different Music Genres in Support of Psychedelics Therapy

ACSPharmacol. translated by Science 2021, 4 , 2 , 472-478

Publication date: December 29, 2020

Available from: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00187

Commentary

Evidence from various studies supports the use of psilocybin, a serotonin 2A receptor agonist, in psychiatric pharmacotherapy.

Since few studies have experimentally examined how the "setting and configuration" of a session affects its subjective therapeutic effects, this study analyzed the effects of the music genre played during a session of the psilocybin study on tobacco cessation.

Participants (N= 10) received psilocybin (20-30 mg/70 kg) in two sessions, each with a different music genre (Western classical and overtone based), and the order was balanced. Participants chose one genre (30 mg / 70 kg) in the third session, and mystical experience scores tended to be higher in the overtone based session than in the western classical session.

Six out of ten participants chose overtone based music in their third session, and biologically confirmed smoking cessation was similar based on music choice, with a slight advantage for participants choosing overtone based playlists (66.7% vs. 50%).

These results call into question the benefits of Western classical music typically used in psychedelic therapy, and call for experimental investigation of session components to optimize psychedelic treatment protocols.