Research & Publications

My research explores how people adapt after experiences that fundamentally change the way they relate to themselves, others, and the world.

These experiences may involve living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), surviving cancer, encountering profound spiritual or psychedelic experiences, or experiencing moments of awe and self-transcendence.

These topics are connected by a shared interest in understanding how people make meaning from difficult or transformative experiences and build lives characterized by greater psychological flexibility, purpose, and well-being.

My work draws from clinical psychology, positive psychology, existential psychology, and the scientific study of psychedelic, religious, spiritual, and mystical experiences.

Research Affiliations

I currently serve as a Research Data Analyst with the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, where I collaborate on quantitative and qualitative research examining psychedelic, spiritual, and transformative experiences.

I have also collaborated with researchers affiliated with:

  • Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Johns Hopkins University

  • The Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania

  • Teachers College, Columbia University

Selected Publications

OCD

  • Psychedelics, OCD, and Related Disorders: A Systematic Review (2024)

  • That Sounds Like OCD Talking! Behind the Scenes of a Family Accommodation Group (2025)

Psychedelic Science

  • Adverse Events in Studies of Classic Psychedelics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2024)

  • Acute Psychedelic Subjective Effects Beyond WEIRD Contexts (2023)

  • Psychedelics and Psychotherapy: Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches as Default (2022)

Awe and Positive Psychology

  • Developing a Short Form of the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-SF) in Psychedelic Samples (2024)

  • Interpersonal Awe: Exploring the Social Domain of Awe Elicitors (2019)

  • A Strengths-Based Approach to Chronic Pain (2020)

Religion and Spirituality

  • The Language of Religious and Secular Practices: A Mixed Method Analysis (2025)

  • Centering and flourishing: An online intervention study assessing the effects of a Christian contemplative practice on stress reduction and human flourishing (2024)

  • The Spiritual Dimensions of American Indian Life: Considerations for Clinical Practice (2021)

  • Content Analysis of Spiritual Life in Contemporary USA, India, and China (2020)

Book Chapters

My work has also contributed to several edited volumes, including:

  • The Oxford Handbook of Psychedelic, Religious, Spiritual, and Mystical Experiences

  • The American Psychiatric Association Handbook on Psychedelics

  • Handbook of Positive Psychology Assessment

  • The Oxford Handbook of Well-Being in Higher Education

Research in the Media

My work has been featured in:

  • The Wall Street Journal

  • Johns Hopkins Magazine

  • Beautiful Minds (Scott Barry Kaufman)

  • Medium

  • The Tim Ferriss Show newsletter

View full list of publications

View full CV