Naturalistic use of psychedelics is related to emotional reactivity and self-consciousness: the mediating role of ego-dissolution and mystical experiences
Arabixiv (OSF Preprints) September 23, 2021 Paweł Orlowski, Anastasia Ruban, Jan Szczypiński et al. preprint
People who have used psychedelics more times over their lives report greater positive emotional reactions, less negative emotional reactivity, more reflection and internal self-awareness, and less rumination and concern about how others see them. These links are largely explained by how intense their past ego-dissolution and mystical experiences were. The findings suggest that regular naturalistic psychedelic use is associated with lasting, adaptive changes in emotional reactivity and self-consciousness, which may help explain why users often report higher well-being.