Table 5.
Mechanisms Attributed to Psilocybin for Smoking Cessation at 3 weeks post-TQD*
| Mechanism a | No. Endorsed (%) | Mean Rank Order b |
|---|---|---|
| By changing how you prioritize values in life, so that reasons to smoke no longer outweighed reasons to quit | 10 (67.7%) | 1.9 |
| By changing the way you orient yourself concerning the future, such that you now act in your long term holistic benefit, rather than acting in response to immediate desire | 11 (73.3%) | 2.1 |
| By reframing your quitting and staying quit as a sacrament or spiritual task | 8 (53.3%) | 2.4 |
| By strengthening your belief that you have the ability to quit and stay quit | 11 (73.3%) | 3.2 |
| By reducing the amount of stress involved with quitting and staying quit | 7 (46.7%) | 3.6 |
| Not applicable. The sessions did not help me quit or stay quit. | 1 (6.7%) | |
| Other c | ||
| “By helping me understand that my true self is and always has been a non-smoker” –Participant 1 | 1 (6.7%) | |
| “By seeing the ‘so much more’ than smoking and how it is interconnected” –Participant 8 | 1 (6.7%) | |
| “Unclear as to the effect of the psilocybin session on quitting smoking” –Participant 9 | 1 (6.7%) | |
| “Gain[ed] distance in thinking” –Participant 11 | 1 (6.7%) | |
| “By revealing the real issues that I was using the smoking to mask” –Participant 15 | 1 (6.7%) |
*
TQD=Target Quit Date.
a
Participants were asked: “If you believe the most recent psilocybin session helped you quit smoking or remain quit, then how do you believe this effect was achieved? (Check all that apply).”
b
Participants were asked: “Please rank order the following items in terms of their importance to helping you quit smoking or remain quit.” Participants did not rank order Not applicable or Other items.
c
Five participants endorsed Other. Each wrote in an additional mechanism in his/her own words.