Increases in Aesthetic Experience Following Ayahuasca Use: A Prospective, Naturalistic Study
Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, Alan K. Davis, Sarah E. Domoff, Kyle C Scherr, Josh Woolley, Christopher C. Davoli
Journal of Humanistic Psychology February 27, 2024 DOI: 10.1177/00221678241230609 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who attended an ayahuasca retreat showed increased appreciation of art and beauty one week and one month later, according to a survey of 54 participants. Contrary to expectations, intense drug effects such as mystical experiences, awe, or ego dissolution did not predict these changes. The open-label design limits certainty, but the findings align with anecdotal reports of lasting shifts in aesthetic attitudes after psychedelic use. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms behind these changes.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Open-label longitudinal survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 54 |
| Population | Adults attending an ayahuasca retreat |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Duration | 1-month follow-up |
| Topics | Ayahuasca Mysticism |
| Keywords | Psychology Aesthetic experience Religious experience |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key finding | Participants reported increased aesthetic experience at one-week and one-month follow-ups compared to baseline, but acute drug effects did not predict these changes. |
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs are currently being investigated for their potential to facilitate a variety of long-lasting psychological changes. One area that has yet to be systematically investigated in psychedelic research, however, regards changes in aesthetic experience (i.e., one’s attitudes, perceptions, and expression of art). This is surprising given the wealth of anecdotes directly noting increased appreciation of aesthetic experiences after psychedelic use and that psychedelics have facilitated their own distinctive aesthetic (i.e., “psychedelic art”). To address this gap in the literature, participants in the current study ( N = 54) completed a validated and multifaceted measure of aesthetic experience 1-week before, 1-week after, and 1-month after attending an ayahuasca retreat. We found that compared with baseline, participants exhibited increased levels of aesthetic experience at both the 1-week and 1-month follow-ups. Contrary to our hypotheses, measures of acute drug effects (e.g., mystical-type experiences, awe, and ego dissolution) did not predict changes in aesthetic experience. Although the study was limited by an open-label design, the results support anecdotal reports noting changes in aesthetic experience after psychedelic use. Further research is needed to address limitations related to the study design as well as to identify predictors and mechanisms of changes in aesthetic experience following psychedelic use.