Psychedelia in the United States: An Ethnographic Study of Naturalistic Psychedelic Use
December 1, 2020 DOI: 10.12794/metadc1752384 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who use psychedelics outside clinical settings often shift from recreational or curiosity-driven motives toward therapeutic and psychospiritual goals over time. A survey of 103 participants and 25 interviews across the United States found that most users reported transformative effects on health, well-being, connection to nature, identity, spirituality, and creative expression. Punitive drug laws create barriers to availability, fear of arrest, and social stigma that undermine support for users.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Qualitative and quantitative survey with semi-structured interviews |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 103 |
| Population | People who use psychedelic substances across the United States |
| Keywords | Naturalism Ethnography Psychology Sociology Anthropology |
| Key finding | Reasons for psychedelic use shift from recreational or curiosity to therapeutic and psychospiritual intentions, and most users report transformative influences on health, identity, spirituality, and creativity. |
Abstract
The client for this study, the Entheogenic Research, Integration, and Education (ERIE), was interested in the use of anthropological methods to examine the experiences of people who use psychedelics beyond the clinical setting. Through collaborative discussions with the client, we decided that the central questions guiding this research are to understand the various reasons why people consume psychedelic substances across the United States as well as examine the self-reported influences of psychedelics in various areas of participants' life and identity. Participants were recruited using stratified sampling and were given a confidential, online survey that also provided an option to arrange a semi-structured interview. In total, there were 103 completed survey responses and 25 interviews. The results of this research indicate that the reasons for participants' psychedelic use often change over time from strictly recreational or out of curiosity to intentions based on therapeutic and psychospiritual development. Additionally, the majority of both survey and interview participants believed their psychedelic use to have had a transformative influence on their health and well-being, perception of nature, identity, spirituality, and creative expression of art and music. Another theme uncovered in this research is the impacts of punitive drug laws on psychedelic use such as creating barriers to availability, fear of arrest and incarceration, and lack of social support due to the stigma associated with psychedelic substances.