Psychedelics as a tool for a more connected and sustainable world? Considering the importance of rituals, boundaries, and commitment.

Despite the promise of psychedelics for mental health, their social and environmental consequences have received little attention. While psychedelics may foster connection to nature and improve social relationships, positive outcomes are not guaranteed. This commentary on LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA outlines three crucial insights: the importance of setting and rituals, establishing boundaries around use, and understanding the long-term commitment needed to integrate insights. Commercialization threatens to strip away contextual factors. Boundaries on when, how, and with whom psychedelics are used can protect recreational users and align commercial interests with socio-environmental goals. Sustained engagement is required; psychedelics are not a quick fix.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Despite the surge of interest in psychedelic research in the past decade, largely due to the promise of psychedelics for improving mental health outcomes, there has been comparatively little discussion about the social and environmental consequences of psychedelic drug use. While there is growing evidence to suggest psychedelics could foster a greater connection to the natural world and improve social relationships, such positive repercussions are far from guaranteed. In this commentary, we focus on LSD, psilocybin and especially MDMA, and outline three insights we came to see as crucial to creating beneficial outcomes: 1) the importance of setting and rituals, 2) the establishment of boundaries, and 3) understanding the long-term commitment required. These insights are grounded in the history of psychedelics, which is intimately intertwined with ritualised use, yet the process of commercialisation of these substances threatens to strip away important contextual factors. Creating boundaries around when, how and with whom psychedelics are used have been found to protect recreational users from harm and could also be instrumental in steering commercial interests to align with socio-environmental goals. Finally, far from being a 'quick fix' for social or environmental problems, the use of psychedelics requires sustained engagement to integrate the insights obtained. Whereas we remain optimistic about the transformative potential of psychedelics for social relationships and the environment, we also emphasise the need for a more cautious, considered approach if we are to harness the benefits and minimise the challenges of psychedelic drug use.