A priest , a rabbi , a nun , a Buddhist monk , and some witching mushrooms . Nope , it ’s not the start of a joke , or the guest lean to the weirdest political party ever , it ’s a new scientific bailiwick taking place in the US .
The study , take place at John Hopkins University in Baltimore , Maryland , has pull together dozens of religious leadersto investigate the effect of psilocybin , the active ingredient in magic mushrooms , on spiritual experience .
Over 20 leaders from numerous faiths and custom will have a strong VD of psilocybin on two occasion in “ living room - alike setting ” sidereal day - long contemplative sessions . A serial publication of be - up sessions and questionnaires will then be used to see whether their psychedelic experience modify their spiritual thought and whether this switch the way they comprehend their life and work as a religious leader .
They start looking for participants in former 2016 and now the study is underway , the Guardianreports . Unfortunately , they are yet to find a Islamic or Hindu spiritual drawing card who ’s up for taking part .
“ With psilocin , these profound mystical experiences are quite common . It seemed like a no - brainer that they might be of pursuit , if not valuable , to clergy , ” Dr William Richards , a psychologist involved in the study , told the Guardian .
“ It ’s too early to talk about results , but generally people seem to be get a cryptic appreciation of their own religious heritage , ” he add . “ The dead dogma comes alert for them in a meaningful mode . They discover they really believe this stuff they ’re spill the beans about . ”
Previous scientific studies have reckon into spirituality and witching mushroom , however this is the first one to involve individuals of different spiritual faiths . Over the past few geezerhood , there have been progressively more clinical tribulation investigate the effects of this drug , include a study last year that tested whether psilocin could beused to deal depression .
One of the most famous experimentation involved magic mushrooms ' active psychedelic component originate " occult experiences " , known as the “ Marsh Chapel Experiment ” or"Good Friday Experiment",which carry place in 1962 . Under the supervision of counterculture icon and psychologist Timothy Leary , one-half of the player receive psilocin , while a controller group received a placebo - like drug . The results were the first empirical grounds to show that psilocybin render experiences most people would define as “ spiritually " important .
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound produced in more than 200 coinage of mushroom . describe gist of taking the drug let in euphoria , vivid delusion , altered percept , psychological change , and apparitional experiences . Despite its powerful force , it has a relatively down toxicity and is not associated with physical dependance .
Although it ’s still comparatively former daytime for the scientific research , it ’s already been indicate as a potential discussion for a range of anxiety disorderliness and even clusterheadaches .
