Psychedelia in the United States: An Ethnographic Study of Naturalistic Psychedelic Use
December 1, 2020 DOI: 10.12794/metadc1752384 via OpenAlex
Summary
Participants in a study on psychedelic use reported that their reasons for consumption evolved from recreational or curiosity-based to therapeutic and psychospiritual intentions. Of the 103 survey respondents and 25 interviewees, most believed psychedelics positively transformed their health, well-being, identity, spirituality, and creativity. The study also highlighted how punitive drug laws create barriers to access, instill fear of arrest, and contribute to stigma around psychedelic use.
Study at a glance
| Design | qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 128 |
| Population | people who use psychedelics across the United States |
| Key finding | Participants' reasons for using psychedelics shifted over time towards therapeutic and psychospiritual development, with many reporting transformative effects on various aspects of their lives. |
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.