What Predicts Beneficial Outcomes in Psychedelic Use? A Quantitative Content Analysis of Psychedelic Health Outcomes.

Psychological insight, not supernatural beliefs, predicts lasting benefits from psychedelic experiences. Analyzing 240 unsolicited self-reports from Erowid.org, path analysis showed that psychological insight uniquely predicted beneficial outcomes, while metaphysical beliefs did not. The positive links between ego dissolution, therapeutic intent, and beneficial outcomes were fully mediated by psychological insight. This supports the predictive self-binding theory over the metaphysical belief theory of psychedelic benefits.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Interest in psychedelics and their possible therapeutic potential has been growing. Metaphysical belief theory asserts that these benefits stem from the adoption of comforting supernatural beliefs following a mystical experience. By contrast, predictive self-binding theory suggests that the beneficial outcomes of psychedelics are primarily driven by psychological insights. The present study tests these competing models of psychedelic benefits. We conducted a quantitative content analysis on unsolicited self-reports of psychedelic users available on Erowid.org, to examine the potential relations between psychological insight, ego dissolution, therapeutic intent, altered metaphysical belief, and enduring health outcomes. We randomly selected, coded, and analyzed two hundred forty psychedelic experience reports from the website. Path analysis using structural equation modeling showed that psychological insight, not metaphysical beliefs, uniquely predicted beneficial outcomes. Moreover, beneficial outcomes' positive relation to ego dissolution and therapeutic intent was fully mediated by psychological insight. These findings support the predictive self-binding model over the metaphysical belief model.