Psychedelics and health behaviour change

Healthy behaviors like diet, exercise, and not smoking greatly reduce risks for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, but lifestyle diseases remain a major burden. Psychedelic substances, particularly psilocybin, are being explored as tools to promote positive lifestyle change. Psilocybin has low toxicity, is non-addictive, and has shown favorable changes in patients with depression, anxiety, and substance misuse. The article describes proposed mechanisms of action and research linking psychedelics to health behavior change, suggesting that combining psychedelic experiences with methods like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Motivational Interviewing may help improve diet, exercise, nature exposure, and mindfulness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Healthful behaviours such as maintaining a balanced diet, being physically active and refraining from smoking have major impacts on the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other serious conditions. The burden of the so-called ‘lifestyle diseases’—in personal suffering, premature mortality and public health costs—is considerable. Consequently, interventions designed to promote healthy behaviours are increasingly being studied, e.g., using psychobiological models of behavioural regulation and change. In this article, we explore the notion that psychedelic substances such as psilocybin could be used to assist in promoting positive lifestyle change conducive to good overall health. Psilocybin has a low toxicity, is non-addictive and has been shown to predict favourable changes in patients with depression, anxiety and other conditions marked by rigid behavioural patterns, including substance (mis)use. While it is still early days for modern psychedelic science, research is advancing fast and results are promising. Here we describe psychedelics’ proposed mechanisms of action and research findings pertinent to health behaviour change science, hoping to generate discussion and new research hypotheses linking the two areas. Therapeutic models including psychedelic experiences and common behaviour change methods (e.g., Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing) are already being tested for addiction and eating disorders. We believe this research may soon be extended to help promote improved diet, exercise, nature exposure and also mindfulness or stress reduction practices, all of which can contribute to physical and psychological health and well-being.