ArticleJournal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)2024
Measuring psychotherapeutic processes in the context of psychedelic experiences: Validation of the General Change Mechanisms Questionnaire (GCMQ).
Article in Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Psychological Therapy Quantity and Depressive Symptom Reduction in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2026Pooled it
- Catalyst for change: Psilocybin's antidepressant mechanisms-A systematic review.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Mixed-methods analysis on psychedelic-augmented meditation experiences from a randomized controlled mindfulness retreat.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Participant Experiences of Therapeutic Touch in Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy.Brain and behavior · 2026Trial
- The helioscope effect: A new framework for evaluating trauma-related memory processing in psychedelic experiences.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms following psychedelic use: a naturalistic survey study.Psychological medicine · 2026Article
- Synergies in psychedelic-assisted therapy: a qualitative interview study of psychotherapeutic processes.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- The Afterglow Inventory (AGI): Validation of a new instrument for measuring subacute effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- A systematic review of income and education reporting in psychedelic clinical trials.Nature. Mental health · 2025Article
- Further education in psychedelic-assisted therapy - experiences from Switzerland.BMC medical education · 2025Review
- Psychedelic-assisted therapy as a complex intervention: implications for clinical trial design.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2025Review
- The conceptual framework for the therapeutic approach used in phase 3 trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundTherapeutic and salutogenic effects of psychedelic drugs have been attributed to psychotherapeutic or psychotherapy-like processes that can unfold during the acute psychedelic experience and beyond. Currently, there are no psychometric instruments available to comprehensively assess psychotherapeutic processes (as conceptualized by empirical psychotherapy research) in the context of psychedelic experiences.
aimsWe report the initial validation of the General Change Mechanisms Questionnaire (GCMQ), a self-report instrument designed to measure five empirically established general change mechanisms (GCMs) of psychotherapy-(1) resource activation, (2) therapeutic relationship, (3) problem actuation, (4) clarification, and (5) mastery-in the context of psychedelic experiences.
methodsAn online survey in a sample of 1153 English-speaking and 714 German-speaking psychedelic users was conducted to evaluate simultaneously developed English- and German-language versions of the GCMQ.
resultsThe theory-based factor structure was confirmed. The five GCMQ scales showed good internal consistency. Evidence for convergent validity with external measures was obtained. Significant associations with different settings and with therapeutic, hedonic, and escapist use motives confirmed the hypothesized context dependence of GCM-related psychedelic experiences. Indicating potential therapeutic effects, the association between cumulative stressful life events and well-being was significantly moderated by resource activation, clarification, and mastery. Factor mixture modeling revealed five distinct profiles of GCM-related psychedelic experiences.
conclusionInitial testing indicates that the GCMQ is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in future clinical and nonclinical psychedelic research. The five identified profiles of GCM-related experiences may be relevant to clinical uses of psychedelics and psychedelic harm reduction.
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