Intake of psychedelics increased range of beliefs of consciousness, meaning, purpose
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A single psychedelic experience increased a range of non-physicalist beliefs, such as consciousness, meaning and purpose, researchers reported in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
“Guardrails against certain belief changes in clinical use are important, but the extent to which such non-naturalistic beliefs may be therapeutic is unclear. There's much more to learn here,” Sandeep M. Nayak, MD, professor of psychology and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said in a press release from the school.
Nayak and colleagues conducted a survey among 2,374 respondents who endorsed having a belief-changing psychedelic experience. Survey participants rated their belief statements before and after psychedelic use.
According to the study, factor analysis of 45 belief statements revealed five factors — dualism, paranormal/spirituality, non-mammal consciousness, mammal consciousness, as well as superstition.
The authors reported that medium to large effect sizes from before to after the psychedelic experience were seen for increases in beliefs in dualism ( = 0.72), paranormal spirituality ( = 0.9), non-mammal consciousness ( = 0.72), as well as mammal consciousness ( = 0.74). However, negligible changes were observed for superstition ( = –0.18).
In regard to individual items, the authors reported increases in non-physicalist beliefs, such as the belief in reincarnation, communication with the dead, existence of consciousness after death, telepathy and consciousness of inanimate objects.
In addition, the percentage of those who believed in “God” or a “higher power” increased from 29% before to 59% after their psychedelic experience.
“Major features of such experiences include a sense of connectedness, preciousness and validity. These features may account for changes in beliefs such as increases in a sense of purpose and meaning of life, and that the universe is conscious,” Roland Griffiths, PhD, founding director of Johns Hopkins’ Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, and co-author of the study, said in the university release.
Reference:
Johns Hopkins researchers explore the concept of belief changes related to psychedelic experiences. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/johns-hopkins-researchers-explore-the-concept-of-belief-changes-related-to-psychedelic-experiences. Published Dec. 9, 2022. Accessed Jan. 10, 2023.
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This is an intriguing study, based on surveys of 2,374 psychedelic drug users who report lasting belief changes after their psychedelic experiences. The study sought participants who reported having changes in beliefs after such experiences, so may not be representative of psychedelic users as a whole.
Respondents report strong and lasting changes in beliefs, including in mind-brain dualism, paranormal and spiritual phenomena, and increased belief in the consciousness of other mammals and even of plants or fungi. Beliefs in such concepts as reincarnation and telepathy increased. The study appears to be well-conducted by experienced Johns Hopkins psychedelic researchers.
The findings are intriguing, in that lasting changes appear to occur from psychedelic experiences. Previous studies suggest that better outcomes in clinical populations with psychedelic treatment occur in those who have mystical experiences or who experience “oceanic boundlessness” during psychedelic dosing. Whether this reflects merely the intensity of the psychedelic trip or is a therapeutic factor in itself remains unclear.
This study suggests that such experiences or changes in beliefs and perceptions may be long-lasting. The question is, are they beneficial effects or adverse events?
In psychiatry as in other fields of medicine, we are unused to considering mystical experiences to be a component of our prescribed treatment interventions, so such findings may be intriguing to some practitioners, but may be discomfiting, concerning or even alarming to others.
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