McGill University Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research — Jewish General Hospital The Psychedelics & Contemplation Lab

McGill University · Lady Davis Institute

The Psychedelics & Contemplation Lab

The Psychedelics and Contemplation Lab is a collaborative, multidisciplinary space dedicated to exploring the phenomenology of non-ordinary states of consciousness, spiritual practices, and novel clinical interventions.

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Featured Initiatives

Research and clinical initiatives developed by our lab. Explore their dedicated websites.

ReSPCT 2025 Guidelines Reporting standard ↗ ReSPCT 2025 Guidelines A consensus-based framework for transparent and rigorous reporting of set and setting in psychedelic clinical trials.
StaMPS Data Framework Standardized measures ↗ StaMPS Data Framework An international expert-consensus framework for standardizing what data are collected across psychedelic research and care.
The Montreal Model Ketamine therapy ↗ The Montreal Model A clinically validated framework integrating ketamine therapy with psychological support.

Latest publications

  • Mago, J., Deane, G., Sandved-Smith, L., Safron, A., Timmermann, C., Ramstead, M., Dupuis, D., Carhart-Harris, R., Greenway, K. T., & Lifshitz, M. (2026). Computational spirits: a neuroscientific account of psychedelic entity encounters. Neuroscience of Consciousness, 2026(1), niaf069. doi:10.1093/nc/niaf069
  • Mago, J., Lopez-Sola, E., Vohryzek, J., Lifshitz, M., Carhart-Harris, R., Friston, K., & Chandaria, S. (2026). The Complex Brain Hypothesis: Resolving the Entropy-Content Conundrum in Minimal Phenomenal Experience. arXiv. doi:10.48550/arXiv.2605.16146
  • Langlitz, N., Greenway, K., Pronovost-Morgan, C., et al. (2026). Context as Contraindication: Ethical Challenges of Psychedelics and Other Neuroplasticity-Enhancing Drugs. Neuroethics, 19, 34. doi:10.1007/s12152-026-09663-3
  • Fisher, N. E., Irvine, E., Yonkovig, M. Z., Cooper, D. J., & Lifshitz, M. (2025). Holy Spirit or Holy Psyche? Energy-Like Somatic Experiences in Contemporary Abrahamic Meditative Traditions. Religions, 16(11), 1436. doi:10.3390/rel16111436
  • Adel, L., Manova, V., Bain, T., et al. (2025). Interpersonal Cardiac Synchrony During Emotional Sharing Between Strangers. PsyArXiv. doi:10.31234/osf.io/nmj5k_v1

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