Stephen J Bright
Biographic Data
| ID | 1836202 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stephen J Bright |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stephen J |
| FAMILY NAME | Bright |
| SIGNATURE | BRIGHT S J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Edith Cowan University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9001-032X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 10 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 20 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
“You can only take your clients as far as you’ve been yourself”
Background Following Australia’s landmark 2023 decision to approve psilocybin and MDMA for clinical use, psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is beginning to emerge within regulated mental health settings. This study investigates psychologists’ views on the relevance of psychedelic therapists’ lived-living experience (LLE) with psychedelics. While discussion around LLE is growing, little is known about how psychologists perceive its role in clinica…
A group motivational intervention to support motivation for physical activity among adults in residential treatment for substance use disorders
OBJECTIVE: Physical activity (PA) may offer health benefits for individuals undergoing substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, yet relapse, comorbidities, and motivational challenges often hinder PA maintenance. This study assessed the impact of a motivational intervention aimed at increasing PA motivation and maintenance in a residential SUD treatment setting. METHODS AND MEASURES: This non-concurrent multiple-baseline N-of-1 study consisted of …
Qualitative evaluation of a physical activity motivation intervention at a residential substance use disorder treatment facility
Background Research on physical activity (PA) interventions for individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) has yielded mixed findings regarding impact on substance use, mental health, and physical health. Low motivation, a common barrier in this population, can limit intervention effectiveness. This study evaluated the perceived effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a motivational group intervention designed to enhance PA motivati…
Psychedelic trip sitting, dosages and intensities
Background and aimsOnline communities provide insights into psychedelic consumption, assisting in identification of trends, informing both harm reduction provisions and clinical research. This study extracts forum data on psychedelic substances, dosages, and administration routes, categorising and analysing self-reported consumption to inform care services and guide clinical work with psychedelics.MethodsPosts (n = 660) from online psychedelic fo…
Sideffect GamePlan
Serious games have shown to be effective in improving motivation to learn, knowledge and retention, thus are being increasingly used for alcohol and other drug (AOD) education. This paper outlines the development of an online AOD serious game for in-class use by Australian secondary school teachers for students in Years 9–10. Adapted from Edwards et al. (2018), the seven-step systematic and iterative user-centred development framework included: (…
Dosing and Therapeutic Conduct in Administration Sessions in Substance-Assisted Psychotherapy
While the potential of serotonergic psychedelics and related substances as adjuncts in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAPT) has been investigated for the treatment of several disorders, evidence for the appropriate therapeutic conduct in administration sessions is sparse. In this article, we discuss the current evidence for best therapeutic practice during administration sessions with serotonergic psychedelics and entactogens as adjuncts to ps…
Response to ‘Drug checking services increase the intention to use drugs in some (small) subgroups of music festival attendees’
We agree with Calle's [1] analysis that onsite pill testing could lead to an increase in the use of some drugs among a small subgroup of the population and that further research should be conducted to better understand the impacts of pill testing on people's behaviour. However, we do not believe that the data we published [2] supports Calle's assertion that onsite pill testing has a negative impact on this hypothetical subgroup of the population
Sober sitter or coconsumer? Psychedelics, online forums and preferences for interpersonal interactions
Contemporary clinical research into the psychotherapeutic administration of psychedelics has primarily emphasized the importance of therapeutic interpersonal interactions to assist clients prepare for and integrate the acute effects of psychedelics. Alternative therapeutic frameworks have encouraged active talk therapy between therapists and clients during the administration phase. We used data gathered from forums to investigate consumer prefere…
Psychedelic Forum Member Preferences for Carer Experience and Consumption Behavior
Background: There is limited research on the provision of harm reduction services to people who use psychedelics. Little is known about provision of care to people consuming psychedelics outside of clinical trials. Methods: We investigated how people who used psychedelics discussed their preferences for care (or “trip sitting”) on two online forums: The Shroomery and DMT Nexus. A thematic analysis of the discussion was conducted to better underst…
Presence, Trust, and Empathy
Research into psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is rapidly increasing with best practice guidelines being continuously updated. Yet the key principals of such guidelines are based on evidence accumulated during earlier research into these treatments and trans-disciplinary psychotherapeutic knowledge. One area of practice-based evidence that has not been considered is that accumulated by people who use psychedelics (PWUP) outside of clinica…
The Relationship Between Psychedelic Use, Mystical Experiences, and Pro-Environmental Behaviors
Expanding on the work of Forstmann and Sagioglou, this study investigated the differences in personality and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) as a function of psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences. A sample of 240 participants with prior psychedelic experience completed an online survey. Data were collected on participants’ psychedelic-occasioned mystical states, personality, and self-reported PEB. A measure of behavioral PEB was also inclu…
A narrative review of the pharmacological, cultural and psychological literature on ibogaine
Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid contained in the West African plant Tabernanthe iboga . Although preliminary, evidence suggests that ibogaine could be effective in the treatment of certain substance use disorders, specifically opioid use disorder. This narrative review concentrated on the pharmacological, cultural and psychological aspects of ibogaine that contribute to its reputed effectiveness with a specific focus on the ibogaine state of …
Tripping over the other
There is increasing evidence that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is effective for a range of psychological conditions. There are likely numerous mechanisms of action that contribute to these clinical effects. One such mechanism of action might involve psychedelics increasing levels of empathic functioning. This paper synthesises research concerning the relationship between psychedelics and empathy, emphasising neuroscientific and clinical con…
Exploring the relationship between microdosing, personality and emotional insight
Backround and aimsHaving entered the recent public and research zeitgeist, microdosing involves consuming sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic drugs, allegedly to enhance performance, creativity, and wellbeing. The results of research to date have been mixed. Whereas most studies have reported positive impacts of microdosing, some microdosers have also reported adverse effects. In addition, research to date has revealed inconsistent patterns of ch…
Positive drug stories
People who use drugs understand drugs and drug use in ways that are often different to the way knowledge of drug use is constructed within the dominant medico-legal discourse. Their experiences are, more often than not, represented in negative ways within dominant discourse, a disconnect that can create adverse consequences for people who use drugs, through the production of stigma and shame leading to poor health and social outcomes. A key diffe…
Should Australian Psychology Consider Enhancing Psychotherapeutic Interventions with Psychedelic Drugs? A Call for Research
International research is increasingly demonstrating that psychedelic‐assisted psychotherapy can enhance psychotherapeutic outcomes and be effective for some treatment‐refractory mental illnesses; however, there is an absence of any such research in Australia. A review of psychedelic science has been conducted with a focus on psychedelic‐assisted psychotherapy to highlight the degree to which such research is occurring overseas. While some studie…
Development of the Australian Dominant Drug Discourses Scale
There are a limited number of dominant discourses available to frame drug use within Australia. These dominant discourses play an important role in policy debate and development, and also drug use behaviour. We describe the development of a psychometric instrument that is hypothesised to measure the degree to which individuals internalise dominant drug discourses. Sixty items were developed to reflect six dominant discourses of drug use. A substa…
Kronic hysteria
Psychometric Properties of the Locus of Control of Behaviour Scale (LCBS) among Australians Seeking Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Treatment
Despite a paucity of studies evaluating the psychometric properties of the Locus of Control of Behaviour Scale (LCBS), it continues to be widely used in behavioural research. The present study sought to redress this gap in the literature. The 17‐item LCBS was administered to 373 Australians attending Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) treatment agencies in the northern metropolitan region of Perth. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted in order t…
What can we say about substance use? Dominant discourses and narratives emergent from Australian media
Discourses are conceptualised as context-specific frameworks that constrain what can be presented as rational when considering psychoactive substances. Given the implications of this for Australian policy debate and development, research and health promotion, an integrative analysis explored the nature of the dominant discourses as they pertain to substance use. Newspaper articles spanning a 12-month period (April 2005–2006) were analysed with th…
Tripping over the other
There is increasing evidence that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is effective for a range of psychological conditions. There are likely numerous mechanisms of action that contribute to these clinical effects. One such mechanism of action might involve psychedelics increasing levels of empathic functioning. This paper synthesises research concerning the relationship between psychedelics and empathy, emphasising neuroscientific and clinical con…
Should Australian Psychology Consider Enhancing Psychotherapeutic Interventions with Psychedelic Drugs? A Call for Research
International research is increasingly demonstrating that psychedelic‐assisted psychotherapy can enhance psychotherapeutic outcomes and be effective for some treatment‐refractory mental illnesses; however, there is an absence of any such research in Australia. A review of psychedelic science has been conducted with a focus on psychedelic‐assisted psychotherapy to highlight the degree to which such research is occurring overseas. While some studie…
Psychedelic Forum Member Preferences for Carer Experience and Consumption Behavior
Background: There is limited research on the provision of harm reduction services to people who use psychedelics. Little is known about provision of care to people consuming psychedelics outside of clinical trials. Methods: We investigated how people who used psychedelics discussed their preferences for care (or “trip sitting”) on two online forums: The Shroomery and DMT Nexus. A thematic analysis of the discussion was conducted to better underst…
Presence, Trust, and Empathy
Research into psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is rapidly increasing with best practice guidelines being continuously updated. Yet the key principals of such guidelines are based on evidence accumulated during earlier research into these treatments and trans-disciplinary psychotherapeutic knowledge. One area of practice-based evidence that has not been considered is that accumulated by people who use psychedelics (PWUP) outside of clinica…
What can we say about substance use? Dominant discourses and narratives emergent from Australian media
Discourses are conceptualised as context-specific frameworks that constrain what can be presented as rational when considering psychoactive substances. Given the implications of this for Australian policy debate and development, research and health promotion, an integrative analysis explored the nature of the dominant discourses as they pertain to substance use. Newspaper articles spanning a 12-month period (April 2005–2006) were analysed with th…
Kronic hysteria
Psychometric Properties of the Locus of Control of Behaviour Scale (LCBS) among Australians Seeking Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Treatment
Despite a paucity of studies evaluating the psychometric properties of the Locus of Control of Behaviour Scale (LCBS), it continues to be widely used in behavioural research. The present study sought to redress this gap in the literature. The 17‐item LCBS was administered to 373 Australians attending Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) treatment agencies in the northern metropolitan region of Perth. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted in order t…
Development of the Australian Dominant Drug Discourses Scale
There are a limited number of dominant discourses available to frame drug use within Australia. These dominant discourses play an important role in policy debate and development, and also drug use behaviour. We describe the development of a psychometric instrument that is hypothesised to measure the degree to which individuals internalise dominant drug discourses. Sixty items were developed to reflect six dominant discourses of drug use. A substa…
Should Australian Psychology Consider Enhancing Psychotherapeutic Interventions with Psychedelic Drugs? A Call for Research
International research is increasingly demonstrating that psychedelic‐assisted psychotherapy can enhance psychotherapeutic outcomes and be effective for some treatment‐refractory mental illnesses; however, there is an absence of any such research in Australia. A review of psychedelic science has been conducted with a focus on psychedelic‐assisted psychotherapy to highlight the degree to which such research is occurring overseas. While some studie…
Positive drug stories
People who use drugs understand drugs and drug use in ways that are often different to the way knowledge of drug use is constructed within the dominant medico-legal discourse. Their experiences are, more often than not, represented in negative ways within dominant discourse, a disconnect that can create adverse consequences for people who use drugs, through the production of stigma and shame leading to poor health and social outcomes. A key diffe…
A narrative review of the pharmacological, cultural and psychological literature on ibogaine
Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid contained in the West African plant Tabernanthe iboga . Although preliminary, evidence suggests that ibogaine could be effective in the treatment of certain substance use disorders, specifically opioid use disorder. This narrative review concentrated on the pharmacological, cultural and psychological aspects of ibogaine that contribute to its reputed effectiveness with a specific focus on the ibogaine state of …
Tripping over the other
There is increasing evidence that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is effective for a range of psychological conditions. There are likely numerous mechanisms of action that contribute to these clinical effects. One such mechanism of action might involve psychedelics increasing levels of empathic functioning. This paper synthesises research concerning the relationship between psychedelics and empathy, emphasising neuroscientific and clinical con…
Exploring the relationship between microdosing, personality and emotional insight
Backround and aimsHaving entered the recent public and research zeitgeist, microdosing involves consuming sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic drugs, allegedly to enhance performance, creativity, and wellbeing. The results of research to date have been mixed. Whereas most studies have reported positive impacts of microdosing, some microdosers have also reported adverse effects. In addition, research to date has revealed inconsistent patterns of ch…
Response to ‘Drug checking services increase the intention to use drugs in some (small) subgroups of music festival attendees’
We agree with Calle's [1] analysis that onsite pill testing could lead to an increase in the use of some drugs among a small subgroup of the population and that further research should be conducted to better understand the impacts of pill testing on people's behaviour. However, we do not believe that the data we published [2] supports Calle's assertion that onsite pill testing has a negative impact on this hypothetical subgroup of the population
Sober sitter or coconsumer? Psychedelics, online forums and preferences for interpersonal interactions
Contemporary clinical research into the psychotherapeutic administration of psychedelics has primarily emphasized the importance of therapeutic interpersonal interactions to assist clients prepare for and integrate the acute effects of psychedelics. Alternative therapeutic frameworks have encouraged active talk therapy between therapists and clients during the administration phase. We used data gathered from forums to investigate consumer prefere…
Psychedelic Forum Member Preferences for Carer Experience and Consumption Behavior
Background: There is limited research on the provision of harm reduction services to people who use psychedelics. Little is known about provision of care to people consuming psychedelics outside of clinical trials. Methods: We investigated how people who used psychedelics discussed their preferences for care (or “trip sitting”) on two online forums: The Shroomery and DMT Nexus. A thematic analysis of the discussion was conducted to better underst…
Presence, Trust, and Empathy
Research into psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is rapidly increasing with best practice guidelines being continuously updated. Yet the key principals of such guidelines are based on evidence accumulated during earlier research into these treatments and trans-disciplinary psychotherapeutic knowledge. One area of practice-based evidence that has not been considered is that accumulated by people who use psychedelics (PWUP) outside of clinica…
The Relationship Between Psychedelic Use, Mystical Experiences, and Pro-Environmental Behaviors
Expanding on the work of Forstmann and Sagioglou, this study investigated the differences in personality and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) as a function of psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences. A sample of 240 participants with prior psychedelic experience completed an online survey. Data were collected on participants’ psychedelic-occasioned mystical states, personality, and self-reported PEB. A measure of behavioral PEB was also inclu…
Sideffect GamePlan
Serious games have shown to be effective in improving motivation to learn, knowledge and retention, thus are being increasingly used for alcohol and other drug (AOD) education. This paper outlines the development of an online AOD serious game for in-class use by Australian secondary school teachers for students in Years 9–10. Adapted from Edwards et al. (2018), the seven-step systematic and iterative user-centred development framework included: (…
Dosing and Therapeutic Conduct in Administration Sessions in Substance-Assisted Psychotherapy
While the potential of serotonergic psychedelics and related substances as adjuncts in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAPT) has been investigated for the treatment of several disorders, evidence for the appropriate therapeutic conduct in administration sessions is sparse. In this article, we discuss the current evidence for best therapeutic practice during administration sessions with serotonergic psychedelics and entactogens as adjuncts to ps…
Psychedelic trip sitting, dosages and intensities
Background and aimsOnline communities provide insights into psychedelic consumption, assisting in identification of trends, informing both harm reduction provisions and clinical research. This study extracts forum data on psychedelic substances, dosages, and administration routes, categorising and analysing self-reported consumption to inform care services and guide clinical work with psychedelics.MethodsPosts (n = 660) from online psychedelic fo…
Qualitative evaluation of a physical activity motivation intervention at a residential substance use disorder treatment facility
Background Research on physical activity (PA) interventions for individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) has yielded mixed findings regarding impact on substance use, mental health, and physical health. Low motivation, a common barrier in this population, can limit intervention effectiveness. This study evaluated the perceived effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a motivational group intervention designed to enhance PA motivati…
“You can only take your clients as far as you’ve been yourself”
Background Following Australia’s landmark 2023 decision to approve psilocybin and MDMA for clinical use, psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is beginning to emerge within regulated mental health settings. This study investigates psychologists’ views on the relevance of psychedelic therapists’ lived-living experience (LLE) with psychedelics. While discussion around LLE is growing, little is known about how psychologists perceive its role in clinica…
A group motivational intervention to support motivation for physical activity among adults in residential treatment for substance use disorders
OBJECTIVE: Physical activity (PA) may offer health benefits for individuals undergoing substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, yet relapse, comorbidities, and motivational challenges often hinder PA maintenance. This study assessed the impact of a motivational intervention aimed at increasing PA motivation and maintenance in a residential SUD treatment setting. METHODS AND MEASURES: This non-concurrent multiple-baseline N-of-1 study consisted of …
Psychology (15 works) · Psychedelics and Drug Studies (10 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Chemical synthesis and alkaloids (8 works) · Medicine (7 works) · Psychiatry (6 works) · Qualitative research (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes (6 works)