With almost 30 pages of end notes, Mothership weaves 70 peer-reviewed scientific articles into its storytelling. The main research areas it draws from are (1) psychedelics, (2) trauma/C-PTSD, and (3) environmental science, including coral reef biology and the climate crisis.

PSYCHEDELICS RESEARCH

Emerging research about psychedelics administered in a safe, controlled environment has shown them to have a positive effect on those with mental health disorders such as PTSD, major depressive disorder, and chronic anxiety. Examined in detail in Mothership, the plant-based psychedelic ayahuasca in particular, which contains the dimethyltryptamine (also known as DMT), has been shown to have fast-acting and long-lasting benefits to those suffering with these mental health disorders. The benefits include increased neuroplasticity (the ability of neural networks to shift, which can help to change dysfunctional patterns of thinking), anti-depressive effects, increased creative thinking, effective drug addiction treatment, increased neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons in the brain), and increased activity in the brains pre-frontal cortex, the region responsible for decision making and executive function.

When combined with traditional forms of therapy, the use of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders--also known as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy--is a promising and increasingly accepted form of mental health treatment.

1. Barrett, Frederick S., et al. "Emotions and Brain Function Are Altered up to One Month after a Single High Dose of Psilocybin." Scientific Reports 10, no. 2214 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01096.
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2. Bouso, José Carlos, and Jordi Riba. "Ayahuasca and the Treatment of Drug Addiction." In The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca, edited by Beatriz Labate and Clancy Cavnar. Berlin: Springer, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40426-9_6.
   
   
3. Davis, Alan K., et al. "Survey of Entity Encounter Experiences Occasioned by Inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, Interpretation, and Enduring Effects." Journal of Psychopharmacology 34, no. 9 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881120916143.
   
   
4. Hamill, Jonathan, et al. "Ayahuasca: Psychological and Physiologic Effects, Pharmacology and Potential Uses in Addiction and Mental Illness." Current Neuropharmacology 17, no. 2 (2019). https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159X16666180125095902.
   
   
5. Inserra, Antonio. "Hypothesis: The Psychedelic Ayahuasca Heals Traumatic Memories via a Sigma 1 Receptor-Mediated Epigenetic-Mnemonic Process." Frontiers in Pharmacology 9, no. 330 (2018). https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.00330.
   
   
6. Jiménez-Garrido, Daniel F., et al. "Effects of Ayahuasca on Mental Health and Quality of Life in Naïve Users: A Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Study Combination." Scientific Reports 10, no. 4075 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61169-x.
   
   
7. Kuypers, K. P. C., et al. "Ayahuasca Enhances Creative Divergent Thinking While Decreasing Conventional Convergent Thinking." Psychopharmacology 233 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-016-4377-8.
   
   
8. Ly, Calvin, et al. "Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity." Cell Reports 23, no. 11 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2018.05.022.
   
   
9. Morales-Garcia, Jose A., et al. "N,N-dimethyltryptamine Compound Found in the Hallucinogenic Tea Ayahuasca, Regulates Adult Neurogenesis in Vitro and in Vivo." Translational Psychiatry 10, no. 331 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-01011-0.
   
   
10. Nardou, Romain, et al. "Oxytocin-Dependent Reopening of a Social Reward Learning Critical Period with MDMA." Nature 569 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1075-9.
    
    
11. Nielson, Jessica L., and Julie D. Megler. "Ayahuasca as a Candidate Therapy for PTSD." In The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca, edited by Beatriz Labate and Clancy Cavnar. Berlin: Springer, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40426-9_3.
    
    
12. Palhano-Fontes, Fernanda, et al. "Rapid Antidepressant Effects of the Psychedelic Ayahuasca in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial." Psychological Medicine 49, no. 4 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718001356.
    
    
13. Riba, Jordi, et al. "Increased Frontal and Paralimbic Activation Following Ayahuasca, the Pan-Amazonian Inebriant." Psychopharmacology 186, no. 1 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00440-002-0236-0.
    
    
14. Sanches, Rafael Faria, et al. "Antidepressant Effects of a Single Dose of Ayahuasca in Patients with Recurrent Depression: A SPECT Study." Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 36, no. 1 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0000000000000436.
    
    
15. Thomas, Gerald, et al. "Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada." Current Drug Abuse Reviews 6, no. 1 (2013). https://doi.org/10.2174/15733998113099990003.
    
    
16. Uthaug, M. V., et al. "Sub-Acute and Long-Term Effects of Ayahuasca on Affect and Cognitive Thinking Style and Their Association with Ego Dissolution." Psychopharmacology 235 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-018-4988-3.
    
    

TRAUMA/C-PTSD RESEARCH

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is the result of prolonged, repeated abuse from which the victim can't escape.  

Symptoms can include:

• panic attacks
• flashbacks/nightmares
• hypervigilance (chronic anxiety and intense feelings of being on edge)

• a persistent distrust of others or difficulty feeling safe with others

• persistent sadness, depression, and suicidal thoughts

• explosive anger or an inability to control emotions

• dissociation or feeling disconnected from oneself

• chronic feelings of guilt, shame, and worthlessness

• loss of faith or a sense of hopelessness about the future

• a feeling that life has no purpose or meaning

Practices such as mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) have all demonstrated their effectiveness in easing the symptoms of C-PTSD.

1. Alboni, Silvia, et al. "Fluoxetine Treatment Affects the Inflammatory Response and Microglial Function According to the Quality of the Living Environment." Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 58 (November 2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2016.07.155.
   
   
2. Bremner, Douglas. "Traumatic Stress: Effects on the Brain." Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience 8, no. 4 (2006). https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2006.8.4/jbremner.
   
   
3. Garland, Eric L., et al. "Mindfulness Training Targets Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Addiction at the Attention-Appraisal-Emotion Interface." Frontiers in Psychiatry 4, no. 173 (2014). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00173.
   
   
4. Hanson, Rick, et al. "Learning to Learn from Positive Experiences." The Journal of Positive Psychology 18, no. 1 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.2006759.
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5. Khurana, Vini, et al. "Cell Phones and Brain Tumors: A Review Including the Long-Term Epidemiologic Data." Surgical Neurology 72, no. 3 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surneu.2009.01.019.
   
   
6. Lee, Jonathan L. C. "Memory Reconsolidation Mediates the Strengthening of Memories by Additional Learning." Nature Neuroscience 11 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2205.
   
   
7. Lo Iacono, Luisa, et al. "Psychobiological Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Current Knowledge and Clinical Implications." Frontiers in Neuroscience 15 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.771511.
   
   
8. McFarlane, Alexander C. "The Long-Term Costs of Traumatic Stress: Intertwined Physical and Psychological Consequences." World Psychiatry 9, no. 1 (February 2010). https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2051-5545.2010.tb00254.x.
   
   
9. Park, Bum Jin, et al. "The Physiological Effects of Shinrin-yoku (Taking in the Forest Atmosphere or Forest Bathing): Evidence from Field Experiments in 24 Forests across Japan." Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 15, no. 1 (May 2, 2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9.
   
   
10. Su, Conghui, et al. "Viewing Personalized Video Clips Recommended by TikTok Activates Default Mode Network and Ventral Tegmental Area." NeuroImage 237 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.Neuroimage.2021.118136.
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11. Voon, Valerie, et al. "Neural Correlates of Sexual Cue Reactivity in Individuals with and without Compulsive Sexual Behaviours." PLOS ONE 9, no. 7 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102419

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

Coral reefs, covering only 1% of the ocean floor but a key habitat for 25% of all marine species, are at risk of becoming the first ecosystem on earth to go extinct due to warming-induced coral bleaching.

Deforestation and climate change in the Amazon rainforest, the world's largest rainforest and a key player in removing carbon from the atmosphere, also pose a grave threat to the planet as we know it.

1. Bouffard, Kevin. "Study Offers Warning for Florida Farmers from Global Warming." AP News, July 23, 2017. https://apnews.com/article/3c5d892109164e0eb0703d85482529f0.
   
   
2. Cramer, Katie L., et al. "The Transformation of Caribbean Coral Communities Since Humans." Ecology and Evolution 11, no. 15 (August 2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7808.
   
   
3. Gatti, Luciana V., et al. "Amazonia as a Carbon Source Linked to Deforestation and Climate Change." Nature 595 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03629-6.
   
   
4. Jackson, J. B. C. "Reefs since Columbus." Coral Reefs 16, suppl. 1, S23–S32 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s003380050238.
   
   
5. Jankowska-Kieltyka, Monika, et al. "The Air We Breathe: Air Pollution as a Prevalent Proinflammatory Stimulus Contributing to Neurodegeneration." Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 15 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2021.647643.
   
   
6. Keles, Betul, et al. "A Systematic Review: The Influence of Social Media on Depression, Anxiety and Psychological Distress in Adolescents." International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 25, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851.
   
   
7. Manzello, Derek P. "Rapid Recent Warming of Coral Reefs in the Florida Keys." Scientific Reports 5 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep16762.
   
   
8. Sully, S., et al. "A Global Analysis of Coral Bleaching over the Past Two Decades." Nature Communications 10, no. 1264 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09238-2.
   
   
9. Walker, Robert Toovey. "Collision Course: Development Pushes Amazonia toward Its Tipping Point." Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 63, no. 1 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/00139157.2021.1842711.
   
   
10. Yuanike, Yuanike, et al. "A Biodiversity Assessment of Hard Corals in Dive Spots within Dampier Straits Marine Protected Area in Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia." Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity 20, no. 4 (April 2019). https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d200436.
    
    
11. Zickfeld, Kirsten, and Tyler Herrington. "The Time Lag between a Carbon Dioxide Emission and Maximum Warming Increases with the Size of the Emission." Environmental Research Letters 10, no. 3 (March 10, 2015). http://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/3/031001.