A complex intervention perspective on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: the role of music
Music is played in almost every psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) session and is one of the top contextual factors that trials should report. This narrative review examines how music acts on the brain, how it is used in PAP, and why it is difficult to study. We argue that PAP is a complex intervention in which music shapes the drug experience, and that standardization should apply to function rather than form.
Authors
- Pedro Starzynski Bacchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5984-0608)
- Elena Koning (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5241-0288)
- Elisa Brietzke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2697-1342)
- Sabrina Lopes Barbosa
- Pedro Spadoni Lemes
- José Vitor Guedes Tomazela
Institutions
- Providence Health Care (CA)
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Queen's University (CA)
- Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Kingston Health Sciences Centre (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Mental Health Research
- Published
- 2026-09-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-026-00243-0
- Primary Topic
- Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00