Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and New York University are looking for religious and spiritual leaders to take psychoactive psilocybin mushrooms in a controlled setting, so scientists can document and study what these people experience while tripping on magic mushrooms.

“The question for us is: What are these experiences like for people in the clergy who have taken, in some cases, religious vows, and whose professions are focused on supporting others in their own spiritual quest?” said Roland Griffiths, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the study’s lead author.

Psilocybin, a substance found in certain “sacred mushrooms,” has been reported to occasion unitive and mystical experiences.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University are studying the effects of psilocybin and wish to do so with the expertise of religious leaders or teachers of congregations and spiritual communities.

“What we do know is that these experiences are biologically normal and that most people under these conditions will have experiences that are profoundly moving and sacred,” Griffiths said. “And so it may be that the interpretive frame that people put on is just that, an interpretive frame, and the underlying experience is the same across these traditions.”

Researchers invite leaders from all religious and spiritual traditions to volunteer for this magic mushroom study. Participants will receive psilocybin in “day-long contemplative sessions” conducted by trained staff.