In 2016, Dr. Roland Griffiths of Johns Hopkins University gave a short talk at TEDMED that changed how many people think about psilocybin. In just 16 minutes, he explained what happened when his team gave psilocybin to volunteers under careful, supportive conditions, and why the results surprised even the scientists.
On this page, you can watch the full talk, read a clear summary of what the research found, and see how the science has moved on since then.
Who Was Roland Griffiths?
Roland Griffiths was a psychopharmacologist who spent more than 50 years at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Before he ever studied psychedelics, he was already well known for his research on caffeine and how mood-altering substances affect the brain and behaviour.
In 1999, he started a research programme on psilocybin, the natural compound found in magic mushrooms and magic truffles. At the time, this kind of research had been almost completely stopped for decades. Because of his reputation as a careful, rigorous scientist, his work helped bring psychedelic research back into mainstream science.
In 2019, Johns Hopkins opened the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, with Griffiths as its founding director. Sadly, he died of colon cancer in October 2023, at the age of 77. Today, he’s widely seen as one of the scientists who started the modern “psychedelic renaissance”.
What Happened When Healthy Volunteers Took Psilocybin
First, Griffiths and his team ran a series of carefully controlled studies with healthy volunteers who had never tried a psychedelic before. By the time of the talk, the project had run for around 15 years, with roughly 250 volunteers and more than 600 sessions.
Most interestingly, many volunteers described what researchers call a mystical-type experience: a deep sense of connection with all people and things, feelings of joy and love, and a sense that the experience was more real than everyday life.
What surprised the researchers most was how meaningful these experiences stayed afterwards. In one study, around 80% of volunteers rated their session among the five most meaningful experiences of their lives, and about half said it was the single most meaningful. Some compared it to the birth of a child or the loss of a parent.
Even more remarkably, these positive changes lasted. At follow-ups a year or more later, volunteers still reported positive changes in mood, attitudes and behaviour. To check this wasn’t just wishful thinking, the team also interviewed friends, family and colleagues, who confirmed many of the changes.
Why Setting and Support Matter
One of the most important lessons from the Johns Hopkins research is that the setting matters as much as the substance. In these studies, sessions took place in a calm, living-room-style space. Before their first session, volunteers built a trusting relationship with trained guides, who stayed with them throughout.
During the session, volunteers lay on a couch with an eye mask and headphones, listened to music and turned their attention inwards. If fear or anxiety came up, the guides were there to reassure them. In other words, preparation, trust and a safe space were a core part of every session, not an afterthought.
The Cancer Patient Study
Next, the team studied 51 people with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis who were struggling with depression or anxiety. In this study, volunteers were randomly given either a low or a high dose of psilocybin, without knowing which one they received.
According to the results Griffiths shared, most of the people in the high-dose group showed a clear improvement in mood five weeks later, and for many of them, this improvement was still there six months on. As he pointed out, a lasting change after a single session was something psychiatry had rarely seen before.
The Smoking Study
Another small pilot study looked at long-term smokers who had tried and failed to quit many times. Alongside a standard quit-smoking programme, 15 volunteers had up to three psilocybin sessions.
Six months later, about 80% of them were still smoke-free. For comparison, typical quit rates at six months are much lower. Because this was a small, early study, the team followed it up with larger, controlled trials.
Psilocybin and Meditation
Griffiths was a long-time meditator himself, and he was fascinated by how psilocybin and meditation relate to each other. Interestingly, brain imaging studies suggest both can change activity in brain regions linked to our sense of self.
In the talk, he described meditation as the tried-and-true way to explore the mind, and psilocybin as the “crash course”. Most of the experienced meditators his team studied found their sessions insightful and said they supported their practice. However, none of them saw psilocybin as a replacement for meditation, which builds a steadier, everyday awareness.
What’s Happened Since the Talk
Since 2016, psilocybin research has grown enormously, and much of it builds on the foundations Griffiths helped lay.
In 2020, his team at Johns Hopkins published one of the first rigorous controlled studies of psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression. Shortly before his death, a $24 million professorship in his name was created at Johns Hopkins to continue research into psychedelics, spirituality and well-being.
More recently, the research has moved into large clinical trials. Between 2025 and 2026, the company Compass Pathways reported two positive large-scale (phase 3) trials of a synthetic form of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, with more than 800 participants in total. As a result, the company planned to complete its application to the US Food and Drug Administration by the end of 2026. If approved, it would be the first psilocybin-based treatment cleared in the United States.
Of course, these trials took place in clinical settings, with screening, trained therapists and close monitoring. So, they tell us about psilocybin as a supervised treatment, not about using it on your own.
What This Research Means for You
Above all, Griffiths’ work shows that psilocybin experiences can be deeply meaningful, and that the conditions around them make a huge difference. That’s why, at Microdose Bros, we always encourage a thoughtful, well-prepared approach:
- Set and setting: choose a calm, safe and familiar space.
- Trusted company: if you’re new to psilocybin, have someone you trust nearby.
- Intention: take time to reflect on why you’re curious and what you hope to explore.
- Know the risks: psilocybin isn’t right for everyone, especially people with certain mental health conditions or who take some medications.
Please note that this page is for educational purposes only. The studies above were carried out under medical supervision, and our products are not medicines or a replacement for professional care. For more information, read our Medical & Safety Disclaimer and our Psilocybin FAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Roland Griffiths?
Roland Griffiths was a Johns Hopkins scientist who led some of the first modern studies on psilocybin. He was the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research and died in 2023.
What is a mystical-type experience?
It’s how researchers describe an experience that often includes a strong sense of unity and connection, deep positive emotions, and a feeling of meaning or sacredness. In the Johns Hopkins studies, these experiences were often linked to lasting positive changes.
Is psilocybin an approved medicine?
Not yet in most countries. However, large clinical trials have shown promising results, and an application for approval in the United States was planned for the end of 2026.
Written by Joseph Santiago, founder of Microdose Bros.