Psychedelic users report greater attribution of consciousness to living, nonliving things

Psychedelic drug users who reported belief-changing experiences also saw increased attribution of consciousness to various living and non-living entities, according to a study published in Frontiers of Psychology.

“Psychedelic substances produce unusual and compelling changes in conscious experience, which have prompted some to propose that psychedelics may provide unique insights into the nature of consciousness itself,” Sandeep M. Nayak, MD, and Roland R. Griffiths, PhD, both of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, wrote.

Nayak and Griffiths aimed to determine if usage of psychedelic drugs led to novel insights or altered perceptions regarding the nature of consciousness in all beings.

Their study included 1,606 respondents who were at least aged 18 years and who endorsed having a belief-changing experience while ingesting one of several psychotropic substances — psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca.

Participants were asked to complete a 50-minute, 30-item Mystical Experience Questionnaire, an online survey that asked questions about participants’ feelings, thoughts and experiences during their psychedelic journey.

Results showed respondents reported significant increases in recognition of consciousness in various entities including non-human primates (63-83%), quadrupeds (59-79%), insects (33-57%), fungi (21-56%), plants (26-61%), inanimate natural objects (8-26%) and inanimate manmade objects (3-15%).

Researchers also found a correlation between greater increases in attribution of consciousness and higher ratings of mystical experience. They reported that these increased attributions did not wane in participants who responded to the survey years after their formative psychedelic event.

“Future prospective psychedelic drug administration studies that include controls for expectancies are needed to better understand the determinants of the robust increases in attribution of consciousness associated with a single psychedelic experience,” Nayak and Griffiths wrote.