Set and setting predict psychopathology, wellbeing and meaningfulness of psychedelic experiences: a correlational study.

Growth motivations for using psychedelics, natural settings, and the presence of significant others during use predict less psychopathology, greater wellbeing, and more meaningful experiences. Problematic motivations predict greater psychopathology, lower wellbeing, and do not predict meaningfulness. These findings come from an online survey of 1022 Spanish-speaking participants, using a newly developed Psychedelic Use Scale to measure use of nine substances including LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA. The results suggest experimental hypotheses for future clinical trials and longitudinal studies.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In psychedelic therapy, the importance of set and setting is a fundamental but under-researched assumption. The aim of this study is to correlate variables of set (psychedelic use motivation) and setting (psychedelic use location and type of companion) with psychopathology, wellbeing and personality variables. A sample of 1022 participants of the Spanish-speaking population was collected through an online survey. A novel instrument, the Psychedelic Use Scale (PUS), was developed to measure substance use variables of LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, DMT, 5-Meo-DMT, ketamine, Salvia divinorum, ibogaine and MDMA. Various personality, well-being and psychopathology instruments were implemented to measure outcome variables. Growth motivations, natural settings and presence of significant others predicted less psychopathology, greater wellbeing and meaningfulness of psychedelic experiences, whereas problematic motivations predicted greater psychopathology, lower wellbeing and did not predict meaningfulness of psychedelic experiences. Based on these results, we suggest experimental hypotheses for future clinical trials and longitudinal studies with potential clinical implications.