Perceived attachment history predicts psychedelic experiences: A naturalistic study

People who recall insecure early attachment with parents report more intense psychedelic experiences—mystical, challenging, emotional breakthrough, ego dissolution, and sensed presence—during their most memorable psychedelic session. However, current adult attachment styles (anxiety and avoidance) are unrelated to the intensity of those experiences. The subjective features of naturalistic psychedelic use do not typically weaken the connection between a perceived insecure attachment history and current attachment insecurity. The study surveyed 185 Jewish adults online who had used psychedelics.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Background and aims Emerging research indicates that psychedelics may have therapeutic potential by fostering meaningful experiences that act as “inflection points” in people's narratives of personal development. However, psychedelic research has largely failed to address pertinent developmental considerations. We investigated whether attachment-related variables were associated with psychedelic experiences and whether psychedelic experiences moderated expected links between perceived attachment history and current adult attachment orientations. Methods We administered an online survey to an international Jewish sample ( N = 185) with psychedelic experience. The survey included measures about recollection of attachment interactions with parents (perceived attachment history), adult attachment orientations (anxiety, avoidance), and psychedelic phenomenology (mystical experiences, challenging experiences, emotional breakthrough, ego dissolution, sensed presence) associated with respondents' most memorable psychedelic experiences. Results Perceptions of an insecure attachment history were positively linked to all measures of psychedelic phenomenology ( r 's = 0.19–32, p 's mostly < 0.01). In contrast, adult attachment orientations were unrelated to psychedelic phenomenology. Also, psychedelic phenomenology mostly did not moderate the links observed between perceptions of an insecure attachment history and adult attachment orientations. Conclusions Our findings suggest that perceptions of early attachment experiences may be relevant to psychedelic phenomenology. However, subjective experiences associated with naturalistic psychedelic use do not typically attenuate links between a perceived insecure attachment history and attachment insecurity at present.