‘Psychedelic’ as Mind-Revealing: Psychological Processes in the Subjective Experience That Drive Positive Change

This narrative review argues that therapeutic benefits of psychedelics arise primarily from the subjective experiences they induce, not from the substances themselves. The strongest predictor of positive outcomes is the occurrence of mystical experiences, but other psychological processes—awe, perspective shifts, insight, emotional breakthrough, acceptance, memory re-experiencing, and certain challenging experiences—also contribute significantly. The review covers both pharmacological methods (various psychedelics used in therapy and indigenous rituals) and non-pharmacological methods (breathwork, meditation, sensory deprivation) that can induce psychedelic states. It concludes that a purely medical and neurobiological approach is reductive and should not overshadow the importance of phenomenological experiences in understanding and treating psychological issues.

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Abstract

This narrative review explores the utilization of psychedelic states in therapeutic contexts, deliberately shifting the focus from psychedelic substances back to the experiential phenomena they induce, in alignment with the original meaning of the term "mind-manifesting." The review provides an overview of various psychedelic substances used in modern therapeutic settings and ritualistic indigenous contexts, as well as non-pharmacological methods that can arguably induce psychedelic states, including breathwork, meditation, and sensory deprivation. While the occurrence of mystical experiences in psychedelic states seems to be the strongest predictor of positive outcomes, the literature of the field yields several other psychological processes, such as awe, perspective shifts, insight, emotional breakthrough, acceptance, re-experiencing of memories, and certain aspects of challenging experiences, that are significantly associated with positive change. We additionally discuss in detail mystical experience related changes in metaphysical as well as self-related beliefs and their respective contributions to observed outcomes. We conclude that a purely medical and neurobiological perspective on psychological health is reductive and should not overshadow the significance of phenomenological experiences in understanding and treating psychological issues that manifest in subjective realities of human individuals.