Our research group studies motivational and self-regulatory determinants of health-related behaviors, such as physical activity and healthy eating. This particular research line aims at testing whether the experience of alternative states of consciousness changes the adoption and regulation of these behaviors and, if so, by which mechanisms. Access our review paper detailing this hypothesis HERE. More details about our studies HERE and through the links below.

Related Selected Research

• Borgland, S. L., & Neyens, D. M. (2022). Serotonergic psychedelic treatment for obesity and eating disorders: potential expectations and caveats for emerging studies. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience: JPN, 47(3), E218–E221.

• Fadahunsi, N., Knudsen, G. M., & Clemmensen, C. (2023). Do psychedelics have therapeutic potential for obesity? Nature Reviews. Endocrinology, 19(1), 1–2.

• Kohek, M., Ona, G., van Elk, M., Dos Santos, R. G., Hallak, J. E. C., Alcazar-Corcoles, M. A., & 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. Advance online publication.

• Neuhaus, E. C., & Slavich, G. M. (2022). Behavioral Psychedelics: Integrating Mind and Behavior to Improve Health and Resilience. Frontiers in Psychiatry / Frontiers Research Foundation, 13:821208.

• Ona, G., Kohek, M., Massaguer, T., Gomariz, A., Jiménez, D. F., Dos Santos, R. G., Hallak, J. E. C., Alcázar-Córcoles, M. Á., & Bouso, J. C. (2019). Ayahuasca and Public Health: Health Status, Psychosocial Well-Being, Lifestyle, and Coping Strategies in a Large Sample of Ritual Ayahuasca Users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 51(2), 135–145.

• Simonsson, O., Hendricks, P. S., Carhart-Harris, R., Kettner, H., & Osika, W. (2021). Association Between Lifetime Classic Psychedelic Use and Hypertension in the Past Year. Hypertension, 77(5), 1510–1516.

• Simonsson, O., Hendricks, P. S., Chambers, R., Osika, W., & Goldberg, S. B. (2022). Classic psychedelics, health behavior, and physical health. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 12, 20451253221135363.

• Simonsson, O., Osika, W., Carhart-Harris, R., & Hendricks, P. S. (2021). Associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and cardiometabolic diseases. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 14427.

• Simonsson, O., Sexton, J. D., & Hendricks, P. S. (2021). Associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and markers of physical health. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 35(4), 447–452.

• Teixeira, P. J., Johnson, M. W., Timmermann, C., Watts, R., Erritzoe, D., Douglass, H., Kettner, H., & Carhart-Harris, R. L. (2022). Psychedelics and health behaviour change. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 36(1), 12–19.