Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42175700›Full record

ArticleJournal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)2026

Speech markers of psychological change following a psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT retreat.

Joanna Kuc, Rosalind G McAlpine, Amelia Sellers, George Blackburne, Daniel R Lametti, Jeremy I Skipper

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Article in Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Joanna KucDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4159-7176
Rosalind G McAlpineDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9435-0655
Amelia SellersDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK.
George BlackburneDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6289-915X
Daniel R LamettiDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1847-8451
Jeremy I SkipperDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5503-764X

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), a potent, short-acting psychedelic, induces profound shifts in cognition, affect, and self-awareness. Because language explicitly expresses these domains and voice implicitly conveys them, both may serve as potential 'biomarkers' of behavioural change.

aimThis study introduces a novel framework for analysing baseline language and vocal features, pre- to post-psychedelic changes, and assessing their potential to predict subjective experiences and psychological outcomes.

methodsDaily voice journals from 29 participants were collected via "RetreatBot" for 2 weeks before and after 5-MeO-DMT (1 × 12 mg). Transcripts were analysed using natural language processing (bag-of-words for vocabulary; transformer model for textual affect), and acoustic features (e.g. pitch, jitter, shimmer) were extracted to assess vocal dynamics.

resultsFollowing 5-MeO-DMT, speech markers revealed increased cognitive language, decreased social words, and altered voice quality (increased jitter/shimmer). Baseline speech patterns predicted psychedelic preparedness, emotional breakthrough, and post-experience well-being.

conclusionThis first longitudinal analysis of speech markers surrounding a psychedelic retreat reveals a shift from external focus to introspection. Speech markers predicted and tracked psychological transformation surrounding the 5-MeO-DMT retreat experience, establishing vocal journaling as a valuable framework for monitoring changes during the "preparation" and "integration" periods.

Indexed as

HallucinogensSpeechAdultAffectCognitionFemaleHumansLanguageMaleYoung AdultHallucinogens5-MeO-DMTAIbiomarkerslanguageNLPpsychedelicsvoice

Identifiers

PMID42175700
PMCPMC13415908

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.