The International journal on drug policy
September 1, 2019
Katie Anderson, Paula Reavey, Zoë Boden
10 citations
MDMA's pro-social effects, such as increased friendliness and empathy, are examined in the context of heterosexual romantic relationships. Through interviews and diaries with couples, the study finds that MDMA use is carefully bounded from daily life both temporally and corporeally, involving rituals that reenchant everyday spaces and selves. Couples also exclude others to preserve an emotionally intense space for themselves. The drug serves as a unique form of relationship 'work,' akin to a special date night that revitalizes connection. The authors suggest harm reduction efforts should address 'messy' emotional harms and engage with users' language of 'specialness' to limit negative impacts.
International Journal of Drug Policy
September 5, 2024
Katie Anderson, Patrick Elf, Amy Isham
6 citations
Despite the promise of psychedelics for mental health, their social and environmental consequences have received little attention. While psychedelics may foster connection to nature and improve social relationships, positive outcomes are not guaranteed. This commentary on LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA outlines three crucial insights: the importance of setting and rituals, establishing boundaries around use, and understanding the long-term commitment needed to integrate insights. Commercialization threatens to strip away contextual factors. Boundaries on when, how, and with whom psychedelics are used can protect recreational users and align commercial interests with socio-environmental goals. Sustained engagement is required; psychedelics are not a quick fix.
August 25, 2023
J. Neubert, Katie Anderson, Natasha L. Mason
preprint
Classic psychedelics can promote interactional intimacy in romantic couples through shared altered states of consciousness. Interviews with six couples aged 19 to 29 who had used psychedelics together revealed three main themes: navigating anxiety (including novelty, preparation, shifting environment, and calming presence), reshaping practices (excessive worrying, spirited discussions, and straight talking), and encountering bliss (meeting the unexpected, the beauty around us, leaving the everyday behind, and breaking through). These experiences align with criteria for interactional intimacy—self-exposure, positive involvement, and shared understanding—but their distinct nature suggests a novel definition of psychedelic intimacy that could inform psychedelic-assisted couple's therapy.