Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers proceed their exploration into psychedelics and the way these drugs may produce a wide selection of profound changes in perception, cognition and mood. In a recent study, published on Nov. 1 within the Journal of Psychopharmacology, experts from the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research explored belief changes related to psychedelic experiences. They found that a single psychedelic experience increased a spread of nonphysicalist beliefs in addition to beliefs about consciousness, meaning and purpose. Further, the magnitude of belief changes was related to qualitative features of the experience.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data gathered between August 2020 and July 2021 on 2,374 individuals who had a belief-changing psychedelic experience. Participants averaged 35 years of age and were predominately male (67%). Almost half of the participants (43%) indicated that the belief-changing psychedelic experience was their first.

For the survey, participants rated how they felt about 45 belief statements, from before to after they’d the psychedelic experience, in addition to on the time they filled out the survey. The outcomes of the evaluation revealed the beliefs were divided into five aspects:

1. Dualism — a philosophical position that the mind and body are separable, this can be a view that many individuals hold intuitively (that the mind and body are separate).
2. Paranormal/Spirituality — this factor covered a spread of supernatural/paranormal/spiritual beliefs including the existence of telepathy, disembodied spirits and existence of self after death, communication with the dead, reincarnation and whether some people can predict the longer term or move objects with their mind.
3. Nonmammal Consciousness — refers as to if insects, trees and rocks are capable of getting a conscious experience.
4. Mammal Consciousness — refers to nonmammal and mammal consciousness and whether these are “capable of getting conscious experience” (e.g., cats and sheep are capable of getting a conscious experience).
5. Superstition — refers to beliefs that breaking mirrors, the number 13 and black cats bring bad luck.

Results of the evaluation revealed increases in beliefs related to the primary 4 aspects. In contrast, belief changes for superstition weren’t as significant.

Examples of increases in nonphysicalist beliefs included increased belief in:

• The mind is a unique sort of existence, a spiritual way of being.
• The universe is conscious.
• The mind is immaterial and it really works with the brain to generate our behavior.
• Inanimate natural objects (e.g., rocks) are capable of getting conscious experience.
• There’s a hidden or deeper purpose to life and all of existence about which many persons are unaware.
• There are hidden or deeper meanings to on a regular basis events beyond each easy factual explanations and more complicated scientific explanations for understanding the world.

Up so far we have now undertheorized and underemphasized psychedelic-induced belief changes. Guardrails against certain belief changes in clinical use are vital, however the extent to which such nonnaturalistic beliefs could also be therapeutic is unclear. There’s far more to learn here.”

Sandeep Nayak, M.D., lead investigator and assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The proportion of participants who identified as “believers” (e.g., in ultimate reality, a better power and/or God, etc.) increased from 29% before the psychedelic experience to 59% after the experience. At each the factor and individual item level, higher rankings of mystical experience were related to greater changes in beliefs. Belief changes assessed after the experience (on average eight years later) remained largely unchanged on the time of the survey.

“The magnitude of belief changes is strongly related to mystical experience rankings, that are assessed irrespective of supernatural beliefs,” says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., the Oliver Lee McCabe III, Ph.D., Professor within the Neuropsychopharmacology of Consciousness on the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. “Major features of such experiences include a way of connectedness, preciousness and validity. These features may account for changes in beliefs resembling increases in a way of purpose and meaning of life, and that the universe is conscious.”

The researchers say that future studies at the middle will deal with empirical psychedelic research on secular spirituality and well-being.

Source:

Journal reference:

Nayak, S.M., et al. (2022) Belief changes related to psychedelic use. Journal of Psychopharmacology. doi.org/10.1177/02698811221131989.