The Center for Psychedelic Science at the USC Brain and Creativity Institute is dedicated to understanding how psychedelic compounds and contemplative practices transform the mind and reshape the brain, both as therapeutic tools and as windows into the nature of human consciousness. Rooted in over two decades of BCI research on mindfulness, meditation, and the cognitive neuroscience of conscious experience, the Center investigates the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying profound shifts in perception, self-awareness, and cognition that arise during psychedelic and contemplative states. Using clinical trials, neuroimaging, electrophysiology, digital health technologies, and computational neuroscience, we examine how these states — whether induced through psilocybin-assisted therapy, structured mindfulness practice, or their combination — produce lasting changes in brain function, psychological well-being, and the fundamental experience of self. Bridging basic and translational science, the Center works to establish evidence-based protocols that make psychedelic therapies safe, effective, and accessible, while advancing our broader understanding of what these remarkable states of mind reveal about the brain.
Investigators
Rael Cahn, M.D., Ph.D.
Jonas Kaplan, Ph.D.
Assal Habibi, Ph.D.