By Cortland Dahl, Ph.D., Otto Simonsson, Ph.D., and Simon Goldberg, Ph.D.
What if you could completely transform how you see yourself in a matter of hours, then continue to deepen these insights with a few minutes a day of practice?
When Sarah, a 42-year-old physician, found herself unable to sleep and constantly anxious after years of high-pressure work, she turned to an unexpected combination of practices. “I tried meditation apps for years with limited success,” she recalls. “But after a guided psilocybin session followed by daily meditation, I experienced a clarity and peace I hadn’t felt since childhood. I’ve been practicing for more than a year now, and the world feels like a different place.”
Sarah’s experience reflects a growing trend: Two ancient approaches to exploring the nature of human consciousness— meditation and psychedelics—are being combined in new “hybrid” interventions, and they may be even more effective when used together. The implications could transform not just how we treat mental illness, but how we live our everyday lives, and even how we understand the hidden potential of the human mind.
The Flourishing Crisis
We’re living in a paradoxical time. Despite advances in technology, education, and healthcare, rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout are soaring. Even those without a formal diagnosis often report feeling stuck, distracted, or disconnected. It’s not just a mental health crisis—it’s a crisis of well-being.
Fortunately, new research is offering hope. We have developed a research-based framework that defines well-being not as a fixed trait, but as a skill that can be trained. Our framework for the cultivation of flourishing identifies four pillars of well-being—awareness, connection, insight, and purpose—each supported by decades of scientific research [1].
To translate these insights into real-world impact, we at the Center for Healthy Minds created an application that delivers guided meditations, podcast-style lessons, and tools grounded in the science of well-being. In several rigorous studies, we found that just five minutes a day of using the program significantly improved psychological well-being and reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression—comparable to results from much more intensive interventions [2][3]. What’s more, these benefits were seen not just in clinical populations, but in everyday people navigating the normal stresses of life.
While meditation offers one path toward addressing this crisis, another ancient practice is simultaneously gaining scientific legitimacy: psychedelics.
The Psychedelic Renaissance
Once seen as symbols of the hippie counterculture, psychedelics are now gaining serious attention from scientists for their potential to treat mental health challenges. A growing body of research shows that when used in controlled settings with proper guidance, these substances may offer a new way to heal and grow. Psychedelics seem to loosen rigid thought patterns and open the door to greater psychological flexibility, often leading to deep emotional release, personal insights, and even feelings of connection or unity—experiences that many people describe as profoundly meaningful and transformative.
Substances like psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) and MDMA (often referred to as molly or ecstasy) are being studied for their potential to support psychotherapy in treating depression, PTSD, and addiction. One recent study found that a single dose of psilocybin, combined with psychological support, led to significant and lasting improvements in depression symptoms without serious side effects [4]. Similarly, MDMA combined with therapy has shown remarkable success in reducing PTSD symptoms in clinical trials, with participants experiencing significant reductions in symptom severity compared to placebo [5].
This field of research is still emerging, but research is showing the promise of using psychedelics in a variety of settings, from treating addiction to supporting patients with terminal illnesses. In some cases, however, using psychedelics can be destabilizing or even harmful. Please know that psychedelics are not without risk and should only be used with great care.
The Best of Both Worlds
What if we could combine the rapid, perspective-shifting power of psychedelics with the stabilizing, insight-deepening qualities of meditation? That’s exactly where some of the most exciting science is happening today—in the emerging field of hybrid interventions.
Each modality offers unique benefits, but their combination may unlock even greater potential. Meditation is a skill-building practice that helps people explore their inner experience and transform their mental and emotional states. Over time, practitioners learn to calm the mind, open the heart, and gain insight into the mind and how it works. This brings a range of real-world benefits, from increased focus to the ability to transform negative thought loops and toxic emotional patterns. One of meditation’s greatest strengths is how it links inner experience to everyday life, turning thoughts and emotions into allies—especially during stress. While gradual, research shows measurable benefits with just minutes a day of practice.
Psychedelics, by contrast, can catalyze dramatic shifts in consciousness within minutes. They dissolve rigid mental patterns and illuminate deep insights into the nature of self and reality. These experiences often bring profound reorientation, offering a powerful taste of transformation. But they’re chemically induced—not volitional—and without preparation and integration, the impact can fade or feel untethered from everyday life.
That’s where the synergy shines. Psychedelics can open the door to what’s possible. Meditation offers a roadmap to transform fleeting epiphanies into enduring insight. When combined intentionally, psychedelics can inspire deeper meditation, and meditation can help integrate psychedelic insights—transforming peak experiences into long-term growth. Together, their impact may be greater than the sum of their parts.
Emerging Research
Recent research highlights the potential synergy between these two approaches, showing how the use of psychedelics may support ongoing meditation practice, and similarly how mindfulness and other forms of meditation may help people deal with challenging experiences during psychedelic interventions [6][7]. Similarly, work from our colleague Daniel Meling showed that combining DMT and harmine with meditation showed enhanced mystical experiences and emotional breakthroughs, further supporting the idea that psychedelics can elevate meditative practices to new levels [8].
Together, these findings point to a promising new model where meditation and psychedelics work hand in hand, redefining how we address mental health and explore human consciousness.
The Takeaway
Imagine a world where you could do more than just recover from burnout and get back to your “normal” state of mind. What if you could use meditation to train your attention, nurture qualities like kindness and appreciation that strengthen relationships, and even uncover the deeper motivations that bring meaning and purpose to your life? And beyond that, what if you could then supercharge those insights and transformations with psychedelics and follow it up with simple practices that help you integrate and apply your personal transformation at work or school, at home, and everywhere in between?
At the heart of this new science is a simple truth: the mind is trainable. Whether through a five-minute meditation, a week-long retreat, or a carefully facilitated psychedelic session, we can rewire our brains, shift our habits, and transform our lives.
The path to flourishing isn’t easy, but it’s open to all of us.
And the most exciting part? We’re only just beginning to explore where it might lead.
Cautions and Considerations
These powerful tools aren’t appropriate for everyone. Psychedelics may pose risks for some people. Legal status varies widely by location, and unregulated use carries significant risks. Professional guidance and proper screening are essential before embarking on a journey with psychedelics. Meditation, as well, can occasionally trigger difficult emotional experiences, particularly for trauma survivors.
Otto Simonsson, Ph.D., is with the Karolinska Institutet. Simon Goldberg, Ph.D., is with the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
