Ceremonial Psychedelic Experiences and Changes in Mental Health Outcomes in Those with Adverse Childhood Experiences
Psychedelic Medicine December 15, 2025 M. Mehmood, Rebecka Bremler, M. Spriggs et al.
People who experienced more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) showed greater improvements in mental well-being, reductions in experiential avoidance, and lower trait anxiety after participating in psychedelic ceremonies compared to those with fewer ACEs. Higher ACE scores were also linked to stronger emotional breakthrough and mystical experiences during the psychedelic session. Among individuals with four or more ACEs, those who reported stronger mystical or emotional breakthrough experiences had better well-being at two and four weeks afterward, and mystical experiences were linked to less experiential avoidance while emotional breakthrough was linked to less anxiety at four weeks. However, the acute experiences did not significantly change how ACEs affected mental health outcomes overall.