Preliminary validation and refinement of the psychedelic aesthetic experience questionnaire
Frontiers in Psychology September 15, 2025 Judith Hooper, Jarrod M. Ellingson, Kent E. Hutchison 2 citations
Aesthetic experiences under psychedelics are vivid and meaningful but poorly measured. A new questionnaire, the Psychedelic Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire (PAEQ), was refined and validated in 365 past-year psilocybin users who completed an online survey. Factor analysis revealed four dimensions: sensory, affective, semantic, and flow. The scale showed high internal consistency (α = 0.90) and strong correlations with existing measures of mystical experience, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight. PAEQ scores modestly predicted improvements in sleep, pain, substance use, anxiety, depression, and quality of life after psychedelic use. The PAEQ offers a psychometrically sound tool for capturing aesthetic engagement during psychedelic experiences.