Overview

• A randomized waitlist-controlled clinical trial enrolled 29 psychedelic-naïve clergy from Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism for two supervised psilocybin sessions about a month apart
• Ninety-six percent of participants ranked at least one session among the five most spiritually significant of their lives and 88 percent met established criteria for complete mystical experiences
• Follow-up assessments at 16 months showed sustained improvements in psychological well-being, spiritual attitudes and religious practices compared with baseline measurements
• Seventy-nine percent of clergy reported stronger effectiveness in their spiritual leadership and 71 percent noted increased appreciation for faith traditions beyond their own
• Despite 46 percent describing their sessions as among the most psychologically challenging they had experienced, no serious adverse events were reported and researchers suggest these results could inform psychedelic-assisted pastoral counseling and interfaith engagement initiatives