Entheogenic Experience and Spirituality
Method & Theory in the Study of Religion December 17, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1163/15700682-12341512
Summary
The study analyzed the characteristics of spiritual experiences reported by 319 participants using entheogens, identifying two types of experiences. One type had mystical characteristics linked to participants' spirituality, while the other involved insight and positive feelings, predicted by spiritual motivation alone. These findings suggest different conceptualizations of spirituality among users.
Study at a glance
| Sample size | 319 |
|---|---|
| Population | participants in the Cannabis and Psychedelics User Survey |
| Key finding | Two types of entheogenic experiences were identified: one with mystical characteristics linked to spirituality and another characterized by insight and positive feelings, predicted by spiritual motivation. |
Abstract
Abstract Spiritual experiences with entheogens have usually been studied as a form of mystical experiences. However, entheogen users have also reported less intense experiences that they refer to as spiritual experiences. Using data from the Cannabis and Psychedelics User Survey, this study analyzed the characteristics of such experiences in 319 participants. It found evidence of two types of entheogenic experience that may be called spiritual. The first involved mystical-type characteristics and was predicted in multivariate linear regression models by the spirituality of the participants, operationalized as a spiritual affiliation, motivation, and practice. The second type involved characteristics representing insight, positive feelings, and improved connections to other people and to nature. This type of entheogenic experience was predicted by spiritual motivation, but not by spiritual affiliation or practices. The article discusses the implications of these findings, which may indicate competing conceptualizations of spirituality among the participants in the study.