Project description
Exploring suggestibility in psychotherapy
In recent years, the resurgence of interest in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has introduced new pathways for treating mental health disorders such as depression and addiction. Key to the efficacy of PAP are the suggestions made by therapists and the profound mystical experiences often reported by patients, induced by psychedelics like ketamine. However, the mechanism behind suggestibility in PAP remains a puzzle, particularly as psychedelics are believed to enhance suggestibility, an area explored in hypnosis research. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the Hypnodelic project sets out to explore the interplay between suggestibility, hypnotic suggestions, and the psychedelic experience, using insights from hypnosis research within the predictive processing framework.
Objective
In recent years we have witnessed a renewed interest in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). The psychedelic compound ketamine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist, shows potential for the treatment of depression and addiction. Key psychological mechanisms underlying these effects of PAP are the suggestions by the therapists and psychedelic-induced mystical experiences. Currently, the mechanism of suggestibility in PAP is receiving more attention as it is hypothesized that all psychedelics increase suggestibility – a topic that so far has been studied mostly in the field of hypnosis research. At a neurobiological level, the predictive processing framework suggests that ketamine induces its effects by disrupting the brain’s predictive functioning. In the context of the renaissance of psychedelic research, this project proposes to leverage the practical know-how on suggestibility from hypnosis research to investigate the intriguing interplay between suggestibility, hypnotic suggestions, and the psychedelic experience within the predictive processing framework. Our study has 4 aims: 1) assess suggestibility under ketamine; 2) assess hypnotic suggestions’ impact on the phenomenology of the psychedelic experience; 3) assess if a hypnosis- and ketamine-induced mystical experience leads to improved mental well-being, and 4) validate the predictive processing framework. We will conduct a crossover randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study with a 1-month follow-up, including 36 healthy participants and 2 conditions: Hypnodelic (ketamine + hypnotic suggestions) and Hypnocebo (placebo + hypnotic suggestions). We will measure suggestibility, mystical experience, and predictive processing through quantitative, qualitative and neurophysiological analyses. This groundbreaking study has interdisciplinary translational potential, offering insights into therapeutic applications of hypnosis and psychedelics and paving the way for new clinical applications.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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2311 EZ Leiden
Netherlands
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