Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

History and Founding

The modern chapter of psilocybin research at Johns Hopkins begins with Roland Griffiths, a behavioural pharmacologist who spent most of his career studying caffeine and sedatives before turning his attention to psychedelics in the late 1990s. Griffiths obtained DEA Schedule I research approval and FDA Investigational New Drug authorisation in the early 2000s — a regulatory feat that required years of preparation and established the safety and monitoring protocols that subsequent researchers would build upon.

The landmark paper that reopened scientific interest in psilocybin was published in Psychopharmacology in 2006: "Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance." This study enrolled 36 healthy adults with no prior hallucinogen use. Under carefully controlled conditions — with trained guides, comfortable furnishings, eyeshades, and curated music — participants received either psilocybin (30 mg/70 kg) or methylphenidate as an active placebo. Over 60% of the psilocybin group rated the session as among the five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives, and 14 months later, 67% rated it in their top five. The study appeared in a peer-reviewed pharmacology journal with impeccable methodology and prompted a re-evaluation of whether psychedelic research belonged in mainstream science.

The Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research was formally launched in September 2019 with an initial endowment of $17 million — the largest private donation ever made to psychedelic research at that time. Funding came from private donors including Tim Ferriss, who organised a fundraising effort involving Silicon Valley philanthropists. The center's formal establishment provided dedicated faculty positions, laboratory space, and infrastructure to conduct the broad programme of research that Griffiths and colleagues had been building toward for nearly two decades.

Key Research Programs

The Center's research portfolio spans multiple clinical indications. The smoking cessation programme, led by Matthew Johnson, produced one of the most striking findings in addiction medicine: a 2014 pilot study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that psilocybin-assisted therapy achieved 80% biologically verified abstinence at six months in 15 nicotine-dependent adults — a success rate far exceeding standard treatments including varenicline (approximately 35% at six months). A follow-up study published in 2017 reported 67% abstinence at 12 months. A larger randomised controlled trial comparing psilocybin to nicotine patch is currently underway.

Depression research at Johns Hopkins has progressed from open-label pilots to randomised controlled trials. A 2020 open-label study published in JAMA Psychiatry enrolled 24 adults with major depressive disorder (not treatment-resistant) and found that two psilocybin sessions produced rapid, large reductions in depression scores — 71% of participants met criteria for response at four weeks, and 54% were in remission. These effect sizes substantially exceeded those typically seen with antidepressant medications and prompted the FDA to grant Breakthrough Therapy designation for MDD in 2019.

Other active research programs include psilocybin for Alzheimer's disease (studying both cognitive symptoms and depression associated with dementia), anorexia nervosa (in collaboration with other centres), and spiritual wellbeing in people with life-threatening cancer diagnoses. The cancer-related work builds on a 2016 landmark study conducted jointly with NYU, described below, and examines whether psilocybin can reduce existential distress and improve quality of life in terminal illness.

Notable Findings and Publications

The 2016 studies on psilocybin for cancer-related anxiety and depression are among the most cited papers in modern psychedelic research. Two simultaneous randomised controlled trials — one at Johns Hopkins (Griffiths et al.) and one at NYU (Ross et al.) — were published in the same issue of Journal of Psychopharmacology. The Hopkins study enrolled 51 adults with life-threatening cancer diagnoses who were experiencing depression or anxiety. A single high-dose psilocybin session produced immediate and lasting reductions in both depression and anxiety, with 78% showing clinically significant reductions in depressed mood and 83% showing reductions in anxiety. Crucially, 65% met criteria for clinically significant antidepressant response at six-month follow-up from a single session.

A methodological landmark came in 2020 with the publication of a randomised controlled trial comparing psilocybin to escitalopram (a widely prescribed SSRI antidepressant) in NEJM by Robin Carhart-Harris's team at Imperial (with Johns Hopkins researchers as collaborators). Though this was primarily an Imperial study, it exemplifies the cross-Atlantic collaborative model that has characterised the field's maturation. The 2022 Johns Hopkins randomised controlled trial of psilocybin for major depressive disorder (Davis et al., JAMA Psychiatry) demonstrated that two psilocybin sessions plus supportive therapy produced significantly greater antidepressant effects than a delayed-treatment waitlist control, providing the randomised evidence base required by regulators.

Griffiths and colleagues have also produced systematic work on the long-term effects of psilocybin on personality, wellbeing, and mystical experience. The 2011 study by Katherine MacLean documenting increases in "openness to experience" that persisted over 14 months (published in Journal of Psychopharmacology) remains one of the most discussed findings in personality psychology, challenging the assumption that adult personality traits are immutable.

Researcher Profiles and Methodology

Roland Griffiths served as the center's founding director until his death in October 2023 following a colon cancer diagnosis. He published over 400 peer-reviewed articles over his career and is credited with single-handedly reviving the scientific credibility of psychedelic research. Matthew Johnson, who joined Griffiths as a postdoctoral researcher in the early 2000s and became a full professor and co-director, leads the addiction work and has become one of the most prominent voices in psychedelic medicine globally. Albert Garcia-Romeu studies mechanisms of psychedelic action and the neuroscience of addiction. Frederick Barrett focuses on neuroimaging, individual differences in psychedelic response, and the neuroscience of altered states.

The methodological signature of Johns Hopkins psilocybin research is its rigorous session protocol. Sessions last six to eight hours and involve two trained monitors — typically one male and one female — who provide a calm, supportive presence throughout. Participants recline on a couch wearing eyeshades and listening to a curated music playlist designed to support inward exploration. The monitors do not direct the experience but respond empathetically to any distress. Extensive pre-session preparation (typically two to three visits) establishes rapport, clarifies intentions, and screens for contraindications. Post-session integration meetings help participants make meaning of their experience. This model — sometimes called the "two-therapist supportive model" — has been adopted or adapted by virtually all major psilocybin research programs worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded the Johns Hopkins psychedelic research program?

Roland Griffiths, a behavioural pharmacologist, founded the program in the early 2000s after obtaining DEA and FDA approval to administer psilocybin to healthy volunteers. His 2006 paper in Psychopharmacology is widely regarded as the study that rebooted scientific interest in psychedelic research after a 30-year hiatus.

When was the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research formally established?

The center was formally launched in September 2019 with $17 million in initial funding — the largest private endowment for psychedelic research at that time. Funding was organised partly through the philanthropy efforts of author Tim Ferriss and a group of Silicon Valley donors.

What did the 2006 Griffiths study find?

The 2006 study found that a single high-dose psilocybin session under controlled conditions reliably produced mystical-type experiences in healthy volunteers, with over 60% rating it among the five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives. At 14-month follow-up, 67% still rated it in their top five and reported lasting positive changes in wellbeing and attitudes.

What were the smoking cessation results?

A 2014 pilot study by Matthew Johnson found 80% biologically verified abstinence at six months in nicotine-dependent adults who received psilocybin-assisted therapy — far exceeding standard treatments. A 12-month follow-up found 67% sustained abstinence. A larger randomised controlled trial comparing psilocybin to nicotine patch is ongoing.

What did the 2016 cancer anxiety study find?

A single high-dose psilocybin session in adults with life-threatening cancer diagnoses produced lasting reductions in both depression (78% response rate) and anxiety (83% response rate). At six-month follow-up, 65% still met criteria for clinically significant antidepressant response from a single session — a remarkable durability.

How does the Johns Hopkins session protocol work?

Participants recline on a couch wearing eyeshades and listening to a curated music playlist. Two trained monitors of different genders provide calm, empathetic support throughout a six-to-eight-hour session. The monitors do not direct the experience but respond to distress. Two to three preparation sessions precede the drug session, and integration meetings follow it.

Does Johns Hopkins research psilocybin for Alzheimer's disease?

Yes. Active research programs are investigating psilocybin for cognitive symptoms and depression associated with Alzheimer's disease. This is at an early stage compared to the depression and addiction programs, but the rationale — psilocybin's potential to promote neuroplasticity and reduce rigidity in brain network activity — is considered scientifically plausible.

Can psilocybin change personality permanently?

Research by Katherine MacLean and colleagues at Johns Hopkins (2011, Journal of Psychopharmacology) found significant increases in "openness to experience" — one of the Big Five personality dimensions — that persisted over 14 months following a high-dose psilocybin session. This challenged the assumption that adult personality is stable and remains one of the most discussed findings in the field.

Who are the current researchers at Johns Hopkins?

Key researchers include Matthew Johnson (addiction, smoking cessation, co-director), Albert Garcia-Romeu (mechanisms of action, neuroscience of addiction), and Frederick Barrett (neuroimaging, individual differences, altered states). Roland Griffiths, the founding director, passed away in October 2023.

Is Johns Hopkins pursuing FDA approval for psilocybin?

The center's research directly supports the FDA approval pathway. Griffiths and colleagues obtained FDA Breakthrough Therapy designations for psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression (2018) and major depressive disorder (2019), and their data forms part of the evidence base that clinical sponsors like Usona Institute are using in Phase 3 trials aimed at eventual FDA approval.