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Theory and Methods in Research on Psychedelics and Altered States of Consciousness

Semester

Semester 1, 2025-2026

Type of course

Methodological and Practical Courses

Location

TBA

Maximum number of participants

ECTS

1 EC will be appointed for participation in the complete course

Staff

Michiel van Elk (LEI), Timo-Torsten Schmidt (Freie Universität Berlin)

Content

Have you ever experienced unexpected moments of bliss during meditation, profound insights after having consumed a psychedelic mushroom or feelings of epiphany after taking an ice bath? If so, then you know from first-hand what it feels like to have an altered state of consciousness (ASC). ASCs can be induced by a wide range of methods and have been a topic of research in the psychology of religion and spirituality for over a century. The recent ‘psychedelic revival’ has sparked a renewed interest in the study of ASCs, as these experiences appear useful for treating depression, anxiety and addiction. ASCs have been associated with both benefits (e.g., increased connectedness and prosociality) and risks (e.g., feelings of derealization or dissociation). But how to conduct research on experiences that are impossible to put into words?

In this two-day seminar dr. Michiel van Elk (Leiden University, the Netherlands) and dr. Timo Torsten-Schmidt (Freie Universität Berlin) will provide a state-of-the-art overview of the theories, methods, challenges and opportunities for conducting research on altered states of consciousness.

At the end of this workshop you will be able to:

Critically analyze and evaluate published empirical research on altered states of consciousness and psychedelics;
Explicate and identify key methodological challenges in conducting research on altered states and list solutions to address them;
Expand your research toolkit by having a basic understanding of the different tools available to induce altered states and the methods to assess subjective experience

Time schedule

Day 1:

10 - 10.30AM MvE and TTS: Welcome and introduction to the topic (broader societal, clinical and scientific relevance of research on altered states of consciousness)

10.30 - 12AM TTS: Theories and classification of ASCs in research

12AM - 1PM Lunch

1 - 2PM All: Experiential session and self-experiment

2 - 3PM TS: Assessment and comparison of subjective experience of ASCs

3 - 4.30PM MvE: Working mechanisms underlying psychedelics

4.30 - 6PM Drinks and socializing

Day 2:

10 - 11.30 AM MvE: The nuts and bolts of psychedelic science

11.30 - 12.30AM TTS: The systematic empirical study of consciousness and ASCs: Concepts and

empirical research methods

12AM - 1PM. Lunch

1 - 2PM All: Prepare elevator pitch for research proposal

2 - 3.30PM MvE: The psychology of religious and spiritual experiences

3.30 - 4PM All: Elevator Pitches of research proposals

4.30 Wrapping up, discussing next steps, traveling back home

Learning goals

Acquire a basic knowledge of the most important theories, debates and findings in the field of altered states of consciousness and psychedelics;
Being able to critically analyze and evaluate published empirical research on altered states of consciousness and psychedelics;
Expand your methodological toolkit by being able to integrate novel methods and tools in your own research

Preparation

Read key literature prior to the workshop.

Literature, key readings

Schmidt, T.T., Fejer, G. (2021). Phenomenoconnectomics and the Neural Correlates of Altered Consciousness. An interview with Timo Torsten Schmidt by George Fejer, ALIUS Bulletin, 5, 5974, doi: 10.34700/wb76-w666
Costines C, Schmidt TT (2025) Phenomenology of Psychedelic Experiences and Psychedelic-Associated Distressing Effects: Quantification of Subjective Phenomena. Curr. Top. Behav. Neurosci. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. doi: 10.1007/7854_2024_562
Fort DF, Costines C, Wittmann M, Demertzi A, Schmidt TT (2025) Classification Schemes of Altered States of Consciousness. Neuro Res Rev.
Paloutzian, R. F., & Park, C. L. (2021). The psychology of religion and spirituality: How big is the tent?. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 13(1), 3.
Rieser NM, Schmidt TT, Preller KH (2024): Neurobiological Correlates of Psychedelic Experiences and Psychedelic-Associated Adverse Effects. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
van Elk, M., & Fried, E. I. (2023). History repeating: guidelines to address common problems in psychedelic science. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 13, 20451253231198466.
van Elk, M., & Yaden, D. B. (2022). Pharmacological, neural, and psychological mechanisms underlying psychedelics: A critical review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 140, 104793.

Literature, optional

Forstmann, M., & Sagioglou, C. (2025). Psychedelics and connectedness to natural and social worlds: An examination of the evidence and a proposed conceptual framework. Current Opinion in Psychology, 101992.
Hewitt T, Amaya I, Beauté R, Seth AK, Schmidt TT, Schwartzman DJ (under review) Stroboscopically Induced Visual Hallucinations: Historical, Phenomenological and Neurobiological Perspectives. doi: 10.31234/osf.io/ncqaw
Hirschfeld T*, Prugger J*, Majic T, Schmidt TT (2023) Dose-response relationships of LSD-induced subjective experiences in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology, 48(11): 1602-1611.
Preston, J. L., & Baimel, A. (2021). Towards a psychology of religion and the environment. Current Opinion in Psychology, 40, 145-149.
Prugger J, Derkiyok E, Dinkelacker J, Costines C, Schmidt TT (2022) The Altered States Database: Psychometric Data from a Systematic Literature Research. Scientific Data, 9(1): 720.
Schmidt TT, Costines C, Tagliazucchi, Millier R, ‘El Gato y La Caja’-team (2023) The ‘Altered Experience Project’ (AXP) dataset: Psychometric and structured open response data from a citizen science initiative on the subjective experiences of altered states of consciousness. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/45z7w