Psychedelics and psychological strengths

People who have used classical psychedelics report greater psychological strengths and well-being, and lower distress, compared to those who have not, even after accounting for demographics, beliefs about psychedelics, and use of other drugs. These benefits contrast with cannabis and alcohol users, who show more maladaptive profiles. The relationship between psychedelic use and psychological strengths is fully explained by self-transcendence. Users with a 'growth' motivation show the most adaptive psychological profile. Psychedelic users also report more lifetime meditation experience, but meditation does not account for the differences in strengths, well-being, or distress. Causality cannot be inferred.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Classical psychedelics appear efficacious in improving psychological well-being in randomized clinical trials, but their effects in the population at large are relatively unknown. In the present paper, which includes three studies conducted by online survey with a collective 3,157 participants, classical psychedelic users showed greater psychological strengths and well-being, and lower levels of distress, after controlling for demographic variables, respondents’ beliefs about the potential benefits of psychedelics, and their use of other psychoactive drugs. These benefits contrast with patterns for cannabis and alcohol users, both of whom showed comparatively maladaptive profiles. Reported relationships between psychedelic use and the combined index of psychological strengths was fully mediated by self-transcendence. We show an effect of motivation for psychedelic use, where those who reported a ‘growth’ motivation showed the most robustly adaptive psychological profile. Psychedelic users reported more lifetime meditation experience, and within psychedelic users, greater frequency of use correlated with greater hours of lifetime seated meditation practice. Meditation experience did not account for the differences in strengths, well-being, and distress. In these studies, psychedelic users showed an adaptive psychological pattern on a wider array of strengths than previously studied, which were not attributable to several salient covariates. While causality cannot be inferred from this study, findings align with and advance past research which provides evidence for the potential benefits associated with psychedelics