New Age Seekers: MDMA Use as an Adjunct to Spiritual Pursuit
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs July 1, 1991 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.1991.10471587
Summary
MDMA is viewed as a valuable spiritual tool by New Agers, with 75% of respondents believing it enhances their spiritual experiences. Unlike recreational users, who report minimal long-term benefits, 68% of New Agers see significant therapeutic potential in planned MDMA sessions. While many avoid alcohol and other drugs, they appreciate MDMA's role in personal growth and specific spiritual practices. This highlights how social contexts shape attitudes toward psychedelics, emphasizing the need to consider these influences when examining drug use and its perceived value.
Abstract
The use of MDMA as an adjunct to spiritual pursuit among New Ager seekers is examined. These study respondents indicated that social worlds greatly influenced which qualities of the MDMA experience were most pursued and valued. In contrast to recreationally oriented respondents, who saw minimal long-term benefits accruing from MDMA use, New Agers typically believed that carefully planned experiences possessed significant potential for lasting spiritual and/or therapeutic value. While many New Agers eschew the use of alcohol and other drugs, these respondents were generally impressed with MDMA. Nevertheless, they differed in their motivations for use and their perceptions of its influence in their lives: some employed MDMA as a sacramental adjunct for following specific spiritual paths; others viewed it as aiding their spiritual growth in more general ways. Because the approaches to and motivations for using MDMA differ so markedly for New Agers and recreationally oriented users, the importance of social worlds and context in studying drug-using behavior is underscored.