Research subjects given the drug psilocybin had mixed emotions about the hallucinogenic "trip" produced by the drug, but most seemed to enjoy lasting benefits from the experience, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

The Associated Press reported July 1 that most of the 36 volunteers who took part in the study said that they were feeling and behaving better because of the experience, even 14 months later. And two-thirds of the subjects said that using psilocybin -- the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms" -- produced one of the most important spiritual experiences of their lives.

"I feel more centered in who I am and what I'm doing," said Dede Osborn of Providence, R.I., who was 60 when she took part in the study. "I don't seem to have those self-doubts like I used to have. I feel much more grounded (and feel that) we are all connected."

Study author Roland Griffiths said that psilocybin may have future use in treating mental illness or addiction.

The research was funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.