Psychedelics and neonihilism: connectedness in a meaningless world

The resurgence of psychedelic research aims to treat mental health conditions through psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy, with current theories emphasizing mystical experiences as key drivers of symptom improvement. These experiences enhance feelings of salience, connectedness, and meaning. The authors argue that the excitement around psychedelics partly responds to a modern meaning and alienation crisis, which correlates with rising anxiety and depression. They frame this absence of meaning as neonihilism, a contemporary version of 19th-century nihilism shaped by neoliberal culture. Exploring whether psychedelics combined with group therapy can address modern meaninglessness, they propose concrete next steps for theory and practice, introducing neonihilistic psychedelic group psychotherapy.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The resurgence of psychedelic research explicitly targets treating mental health conditions largely through psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy. Current theories about mechanisms of change in psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy focus on mystical experiences as the main driver of symptom improvement. During these mystical experiences, participants report an enhanced sense of salience, connectedness, and meaning. Simultaneously, a growing psychedelic culture is also cultivating the use of psychedelics as medicine for relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression and promoting cognitive functions. We argue that an integral part of the excitement around the resurgence in psychedelics is in response to a meaning and alienation crisis that correlates with rising rates of anxiety and depression. Framing the absence of meaning as neonihilism, a contemporary correlate to the 19 th -century phenomenon with unique features present in a neoliberal cultural context, we explore whether psychedelics combined with group therapy can provide answers to modern experiences of meaninglessness. Based on this exploration, we suggest concrete next steps both in the theory and practice of psychedelic psychotherapy toward what we are calling neonihilistic psychedelic group psychotherapy.