We investigate PRSM experiences in accordance with rigorous scientific standards and open science principles.
Psychedelics, such as psilocybin and LSD, are substances that profoundly affect perception and consciousness. At PRSM lab, we aim to unravel the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the psychedelic experience in humans, using both neuroimaging and…
People of all times and cultures have endorsed religious beliefs and have had encounters with the supernatural. The PRSM lab investigates how these beliefs and experiences come about.
Self-transcendent experiences are characterised by strong feelings of connectedness and a loss of self. These experiences can be induced through vast natural beauty, great works of art or contemplative practices.
Mystical experiences are characterised by feelings of unity, insight and ineffability. A key question in the study of mystical experiences concerns whether these experiences reflect a universal, deeply engrained prototype, or whether they are shaped and…
Our lab is based at the Cognitive Psychology Unit at Leiden University, Faculty of Social Sciences. Here we study Psychedelic, Religious, Self-transcendent and Mystical (PRSM) experiences using a variety of methods and according to open science principles. Check out our publication and ongoing projects below!
The research at PRSM lab applies a variety of study designs, including observational field-studies, experimental studies and online studies. We use several techniques such as neuroimaging (EEG, fMRI), self-report and interviews (micro-phenomenology and content analysis), cognitive/behavioral paradigms and physiological measures. Together these techniques provide a mixed method perspective on the multifaceted topic of Psychedelic, Religious, Self-transcendent and Mystical experiences. We are an international group of scholars, coming from more than 8 different countries, with different academic backgrounds including cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, psychiatry, philosophy and medicine.
These studies are looking for participants now.
Open for participants
Psychedelic experiences are measured with a patchwork of questionnaires — the Mystical Experience Questionnaire, the Challenging Experience Questionnaire, the Ego Dissolution Inventory, the 11-Dimensional Altered States…
Open for participants
The aim of this online survey study is to evaluate the prevalence of self-experimentation with psychedelics among psychedelic researchers, clinicians and facilitators.
Open for participants
This study aims to confirm the factor structure of the Altered States of Consciousness scale and to develop a brief alternative based on this structure.
In this project, we investigate resting-state fMRI connectivity of different pharmacologically and non-pharmacologically induced altered states of consciousness.
The PRSM lab hosts one of sixteen doctoral positions in INTEGRATE, a pan-European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network training the next generation of experts in psychedelic therapy, running from 2026 to 2030 across…
Microdosing is an increasingly popular trend amongst psychedelic communities and refers to a practice where individuals consume sub-perceptual amounts of a psychedelic substance (e.g., LSD or psilocybin) every 2-4 days.
The Mystical Entropy project seeks to develop a new theoretical framework for the scientific study of mystical experiences and spiritual practices.
2023
van Elk, M., & Fried, E. I. (2023). History repeating: guidelines to address common problems in psychedelic science. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 13, 20451253231198466.
2022
Kohek, M., Ona, G., van Elk, M., Dos Santos, R. G., Hallak, J. E., Alcázar-Córcoles, M. Á., & Bouso, J. C. (2022). Ayahuasca and public health II: Health status in a large sample of ayahuasca-ceremony participants in the Netherlands. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1–12.
2022
Lewis-Healey, E., Laukkonen, R., & van Elk, M. (2022). Future directions for clinical psilocybin research: The relaxed symptom network. Psychology and Neuroscience, 15(3), 223–235.
2022
van Elk, M. & Yaden, D.B. (2022). Pharmacological, Neural, and Psychological Mechanisms underlying Psychedelics: A Critical Review. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
2022
Marschall, J., Fejer, G., Lempe, P., Prochazkova, L., Kuchar, M., Hajkova, K., & van Elk, M. (2022). Psilocybin microdosing does not affect emotion-related symptoms and processing: A preregistered field and lab-based study. Journal of psychopharmacology, 36(1), 97–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811211050556
Apr 2024
Leiden University
Feb 2022
The New York Times
Feb 2022
Apr 2021
Our lab is based at Leiden University, where we work together with a network of students and researchers on various projects. If you are interested to learn more, please contact us at PRSMLab@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.
