Music and Mushrooms–a Possible Recipe for Treating Depression

Author Bio: Elijah Valerjev is a recent graduate with the class of 2024, obtaining his degree in Microbiology with a double minor in Professional Writing and Education. He enjoys writing and learning about various science topics associated with the brain and substances. Additionally, he has an interest in free-form writing and intends to publish several novels about introspective stories, both fiction and nonfiction. In his free time, he enjoys boxing, baking, and buying books.

Author’s Note: This article stemmed from an extensive literature review on how “magic mushrooms” may be associated with mitigating depression. A topic that surfaced while assessing the research articles for my review was the prevalence of often how setting and psychedelic trips seemed to go hand-in-hand in the experience of the user. With music being a common addition to most settings, and its ability to produce diverse emotional responses in the listener, I felt highlighting its correlation with such a substance could be noteworthy.

From the classic paper tab of LSD, to the pleasure-sought ecstasy pills of MDMA, hallucinogens come in all shapes and sizes. Psilocybin is a product of the more natural spectrum of the family, being a chemical derived from various mushroom strains. The psychedelic has shown promise in research on assisted therapy to lower depression.

One university study done by Smigielski and colleagues (2019) had the dried fungi fed to meditation experts who spent almost a week on a remote retreat. Several participants said they had a complete loss of their sense of identity and experienced vividly real mental images of past memories. Brain imaging of their trip displayed neural activity notably occurring in the prefrontal cortex region.

Reproducible Image: https://www.banyantreatmentcenter.com/2021/12/06/overdosing-on-shrooms-texas/

The prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain that monitors an individual’s behavior. The functioning of this region is connected to a multitude of serotonin receptors, which are connected to regulating mood. The university study explains that psilocybin rattles a specific serotonin receptor that deactivates the prefrontal cortex (Smigielski et al., 2019). This results in less regulated thoughts, essentially placing your brain’s parent on time-out.

The powerful potency of this mushroom causes interest in research for psychedelic-assisted therapy to cure depression. To put it simply, depression can arise from an imbalance in serotonin levels (typically lower levels) which can be altered by manipulating the availability of serotonin receivers. Acting as an agonist, psilocybin molecules come in and bind to serotonin receivers, which blocks natural serotonin molecules from being received. This results in a serotonin build-up between neurons, while also transmitting heightened signals in the brain that prompts moods described as “profound alterations in consciousness” (Smigielski et al., 2019). The experience is combined with therapy, including a psychedelic expert who guides a patient under the drug’s influence—almost like a well-educated “trip sitter.” Stimulation from the environment in these experiments has also justified an exploration of the study’s external settings—a different therapeutic setting may control the emotional responses produced by the mushroom.

Adding music to the environment is a stimulation of interest because it heightens emotional responses from its listeners, which may also intensify the experience of assisted therapy. After all, music artists such as Harry Styles and SZA have allegedly dedicated some of their creativity to thoughts while mushroom dosing.

One study by Kaelen and colleagues (2018) from the University of London explored the relationship between psilocybin and music in a guided therapy session. Depression-diagnosed participants ate both low (10mg) and high (25mg) doses of mushrooms provided by a THC-Pharm, and then were evaluated using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, a widely used clinical assessment to score depression severity. The trials were done in a comfortably-designed room present with plants and cushions, while also absent of all medical equipment that could disrupt the feeling of safety.

In both group sessions, the patients were tasked to listen to music playlists developed by a group of psychotherapists. Instead of simply playing MGMT’s entire psych-saturated discography, the music selection for these playlists was carefully curated, ranging from classical to ambient music. Study coordinator Mendel Kaelen expressed their intention, seeking to facilitate “meaningful experiences that can lead to sustained changes in behavior and outlook” among subjects. This was done by breaking up the playlist into different phases to follow psilocybin’s bell-curve-like intensity over time.

The playlist’s ascending and descending phase consisted of more tranquil classical music. Music with intense qualities was played during the in-between peak period to correlate with the strongest portion of psilocybin’s effects.

Reproducible Image: https://daily.bandcamp.com/scene-report/spanish-psych-rock-guide

Within one week of the trial, participants experienced a reduction in depression that was uncorrelated with the high or low doses.

Patients shared their detailed emotional responses in interviews. Most felt welcomed and guided by the music, including descriptions like “openness, the promotion of calm, and a sense of safety.” These feelings were further correlated with a reflection upon memories influenced by the music combined with the hallucinogen.

Along with these results, a group of participants also described uncomfortable feelings, which “included the evocation of unpleasant emotion and imagery, a sense of being misguided, and resistance” (Kaelen et al., 2018). At times, the energy of the music did not match the emotional perturbations of psilocybin’s influence, which may have correlated with the misguided emotions.

Negative emotions while under an emotionally altering drug may sound unappealing to most, however, the participants took a more positive spin on this post-trial. One subject from Kaelen’s trials reflected on “negative moments [in a] positive…way because they [felt they] served a purpose,” after completing both low and high psilocybin doses with the music (2018). Another patient noted that the uncomfortable memories associated with the music were necessary for him to grow a more positive attitude.

Overall, the reported “mystical experiences” highlight that music may play a more central role in the development of psychedelic therapy to treat depression. Having people create playlists with songs of choice that make them feel comfortable is also a proposed solution to minimizing uncomfortable thoughts. This is seen when some participants stated that the music played “was not [their] type of music,” in spite of their dedication to the study’s proposed goals (Kaelen et al., 2018). Regardless of the different expressed emotions, it is clear that music evokes more intense behavioral responses and is a delicate aspect of the setting of a psychedelic trip. Music, being such an accessible and simple tool, could be a gateway to increasing the possibilities of assisted therapy and psilocybin.

So maybe think of your favorite playlist in a new light when you look into forms of therapy.

**Disclaimer: It must be noted that clinical trials do not translate to the experience of recreational use, as noted by Barber et al.’s discussion of psilocybin use and its influence on psychosis. Guiding professionals in a positive setting could be critical for users to overcome negative emotions and not risk mental trauma.

References

Barber, G., Nemeroff, C. B., & Siegel, S. (2022). A case of prolonged mania, psychosis, 
and severe depression after psilocybin use: Implications of increased psychedelic 
drug availability. American Journal of Psychiatry, 179(12), 892–896. 
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.22010073

Kaelen, M., Giribaldi, B., Raine, J., Evans, L., Timmerman, C., Rodriguez, N., Roseman, 
L., Feilding, A., Nutt, D., & Carhart-Harris, R. (2018). The hidden therapist: 
Evidence for a central role of music in psychedelic therapy. 
Psychopharmacology, 235(2), 505–519. 
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4820-5 

Smigielski, L., Scheidegger, M., Kometer, M., & Vollenweider, F. X. (2019). 
Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain 
default mode network connectivity with lasting effects. NeuroImage, 196, 
207–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.009