Predicting the Intensity of Psychedelic-Induced Mystical and Challenging Experience in a Healthy Population: An Exploratory Post-Hoc Analysis.
Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment – January 01, 2023
Source: PubMed
Summary
Higher doses of psilocybin in psychedelic therapy can lead to more intense mystical experiences, but age plays a surprising role in how people handle challenging moments. New findings reveal that while dosage strongly influences both mystical and challenging experiences, older participants typically reported less difficult episodes. Interestingly, personality traits showed minimal impact, except that more neurotic individuals faced tougher experiences at higher doses.
Abstract
In psychedelic therapy, mystical as well as challenging experience may influence therapeutic outcome. However, predictors of such experience have not been sufficiently established. Determining predictors of their intensity is, therefore, potentially beneficial in targeting psilocybin therapy for depression. In a post hoc data analysis of a Phase 1, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-groups clinical trial, dosage, personality traits, affect, and individual data were analysed as possible clinical predictors. Eighty-nine healthy volunteers were randomised to receive a single dose of placebo, 10 mg of psilocybin, or 25 mg of psilocybin. ANOVA was used to analyse the relationship between dosage and mystical and/or challenging experience, and correlation analysis for all other variables. The intensity of both mystical and challenging experience was strongly associated with higher dosage. Age was negatively correlated with intensity of challenging experience. Correlation between identified personality traits and either mystical or challenging experience was minimal, with the exception of positive correlation between neuroticism and challenging experience at higher dose. Neither positive nor negative affect indicated correlation with the intensity of either type of experience. A limitation of this study is its post hoc, exploratory design; recommendations for further research are provided.