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Essentials: Psychedelics for Treating Mental Disorders | Dr. Matthew Johnson

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Essentials: Psychedelics for Treating Mental Disorders | Dr. Matthew Johnson

Huberman Lab

2025/07/24
Huberman Lab

Huberman Lab

2025/07/24
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Matthew Johnson, PhD, a senior researcher for the Center of Excellence for Psilocybin Research and Treatment at Sheppard Pratt’s Institute for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics. We explore the science and therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicine, including psilocybin, MDMA and LSD. We discuss how these substances can profoundly alter perception and self-identity, providing long-lasting relief from depression, addiction and trauma when used in controlled clinical settings. We also discuss microdosing and emerging research on psychedelics’ potential to support recovery from neurological injuries. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman David: https://davidprotein.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Matthew Johnson; Psychedelics 00:01:44 Different Classes of Psychedelics 00:04:33 Psychedelics & Altering Models 00:06:18 Sponsor: David 00:07:33 LSD, Psylocibin & Serotonin 00:09:55 Psychedelic Clinical Trials 00:13:40 Therapy, Trust, Psychedelics 00:16:47 Letting Go & Psychedelic Experience, Self-Representation, Lasting Changes 00:22:31 Sponsors: AG1 & BetterHelp 00:25:26 MDMA, Dopamine & Serotonin; Bad Trips & Transcendental Experience 00:28:49 Dangers of Psychedelics 00:31:11 Microdosing Psychedelics, Antidepressant 00:35:27 Head Injuries, Psychedelics, Depression 00:38:29 Acknowledgements Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Highlights

In this episode, Andrew Huberman sits down with Dr. Matthew Johnson, a leading researcher in psychedelic science, to discuss the evolving understanding of substances like psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA. The conversation delves into how these compounds interact with the brain, their potential to reshape perception and self-identity, and the growing interest in their therapeutic applications for mental health conditions.
00:00
Dr. Matthew Johnson explains that psychedelics can alter one's sense of reality and self
09:57
Participants receive 20-30 milligrams of pure psilocybin during the session.
13:58
Focusing deeply on a perception can create intense, surreal experiences
16:47
Psychedelics reshape self-perception, enabling therapeutic changes in depression.
25:40
MDMA may be better for trauma with fewer 'bad trips' compared to psilocybin or LSD
28:57
Psychedelics can cause severe psychiatric illness and bad trips, even in ideal settings.
31:17
There are no peer-reviewed studies showing cognitive or creativity benefits from microdosing.
35:39
Psychedelics may help reverse brain damage from repetitive head impacts.
38:33
The speaker likens the other person's approach to holding a candle in the dark.

Chapters

Matthew Johnson; Psychedelics
00:00
Different Classes of Psychedelics
01:44
Psychedelics & Altering Models
04:33
Sponsor: David
06:18
LSD, Psylocibin & Serotonin
07:33
Psychedelic Clinical Trials
09:55
Therapy, Trust, Psychedelics
13:40
Letting Go & Psychedelic Experience, Self-Representation, Lasting Changes
16:47
Sponsors: AG1 & BetterHelp
22:31
MDMA, Dopamine & Serotonin; Bad Trips & Transcendental Experience
25:26
Dangers of Psychedelics
28:49
Microdosing Psychedelics, Antidepressant
31:11
Head Injuries, Psychedelics, Depression
35:27
Acknowledgements
38:29

Transcript

Speaker 3: Welcome to Huberman Lab Essentials, where we revisit past episodes for the most potent and actionable science-based tools for mental health, physical health, and performance. I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmo...