Date of Submission

Spring 2024

Academic Program

Psychology

Project Advisor 1

Frank Scalzo

Abstract/Artist's Statement

This paper proposes an experiment to investigate the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy for treating treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and assess the modulating effects of music on therapeutic outcomes. Previous studies have consistently incorporated music into psilocybin-assisted therapy for TRD but have not empirically isolated its effects. This research aims to fill this gap by introducing a controlled variable of music to explore its impact on therapy efficacy. I hypothesize that listening to the music playlist created by Johns Hopkins University during therapy sessions will significantly enhance therapeutic outcomes compared to a control group listening to ambient sounds. Participants, adults diagnosed with TRD, will be randomly assigned to either music group or non-music group and will undergo two psilocybin-assisted therapy sessions. Depression severity will be quantitatively measured using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) at various time points to evaluate immediate and enduring changes in symptoms. The findings are expected to provide insights into the synergistic potential of music and psilocybin and contribute to the advancement of therapeutic protocols in psilocybin-assisted therapy for TRD.

Open Access Agreement

Open Access

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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