Journal of Psychedelic Studies
August 8, 2022
Alexander Irvine, David Luke
27 citations
People with Hallucinogen Persisting Perceptual Disorder (HPPD) differ in personality and visual processing style depending on whether they experience the symptoms as distressing (HPPD II) or neutral/positive (HPPD I). In an online survey of 117 participants from HPPD and psychedelic user groups, those with HPPD I showed higher absorption and visual apophenia scores, and their group membership was predicted by higher drug use. Those with HPPD II had significantly higher trait anxiety, and their categorization was predicted by more negative precipitating experiences, lack of prior knowledge, and pre-existing anxiety diagnoses. Anxiety and negative experiences are linked to distressing persistent visual symptoms after hallucinogen use, while higher absorption and apophenia are linked to neutral or positive experiences.
Psychoactives
May 25, 2023
Alexander Irvine, David Luke, Freya Harrild et al.
22 citations
People who had used psychedelics reported that the experiences strengthened or created a passionate, protective connection with nature. Those already close to nature felt psychedelics re-established and deepened that bond; those without a prior connection said psychedelics helped them form one. Central to these shifts were transpersonal experiences, especially a sense of interconnectedness, which was most often linked to changes in attitudes and behaviors. Participants also noted benefits of having the experience in a natural setting. The findings suggest psychedelics can foster a caring relationship with nature even in people not previously nature-oriented.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2023
Matthias Forstmann, Christina Sagioglou, Alexander Irvine et al.
18 citations
Among people who have used psychedelics, only past use of psilocybin—not LSD, mescaline, Salvia divinorum, ketamine, ibogaine, or DMT—reliably predicted a stronger sense of connection to nature (nature relatedness). The finding held even when people who had never used psychedelics were included in the analysis. For those who had used only psilocybin, more frequent use was linked to higher nature relatedness. This suggests that psilocybin may have a unique association with nature relatedness, possibly due to its pharmacology or the contexts in which it is used.