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Consciousness alterations in a cohort of young Swiss men: Associations with substance use and personality traits.

Marianthi Lousiana Deligianni, Joseph Studer, Gerhard Gmel, Yasser Khazaal, Nicolas Bertholet

Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1056159 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cross-sectional study Peer reviewed
Sample size 2,796
Population 25-year-old Swiss men who had used substances at least once in their lifetime
Topics Altered states of consciousness
Keywords Personality Psychedelics Substance use Young men
Citations 1
Key findings Former and current use of psychedelics and ketamine was associated with all three types of substance-induced consciousness alterations and with a positive perceived influence on life, while other substances showed less consistent associations.

Abstract

Substance-induced consciousness alterations (CA) have mainly been studied among users of psychedelics but not among people using street drugs. Explore occurrences of three different types of substance-induced CA [ego dissolution (ED), visual pseudo-hallucinations (VPH), anxiety/paranoia (A/P)] and their perceived influences on life, together with their associations with substance use and personality correlates in a general population sample of 25-year-old men. 2,796 young Swiss men lifetime substance users completed a self-report questionnaire including history of use (never, former, and current) of different substances categories (psychedelics, cocaine, psychostimulants, ecstasy, MDMA, and other drugs), substance-induced ego dissolution (ED), visual pseudo-hallucinations (VPH) and anxiety/paranoia (A/P), the influence of these CA experiences on life, and personality traits (sensation seeking, sociability, anxiety-neuroticism, and aggression-hostility). 32.2% reported at least one CA (i.e., ED, VPH or A/P), with 20.5% reporting ED, 16.7% VPH, and 14.6% A/P. Former and current use of psychedelics and ketamine was significantly associated with occurrences of all three types of CAs and with a positive influence of CA on life. Associations between the former and current use of other substances and the different types of CA were less consistent, and perceived influences on life were not statistically significant. Sociability was negatively associated with occurrences of all three types of CA. Positive associations were found between anxiety-neuroticism and ED and A/P, between aggression-hostility and A/P, and between sensation seeking and ED and VPH. This study supports the potential for psychedelics to induce CAs perceived as beneficial to life among people using street drugs, possibly reflecting the mechanism underlying the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.

Comparable studies

Other cross-sectional and survey studies on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Future directions in meditation research: Recommendations for expanding the field of contemplative science Meditators 2018 Cross-sectional online survey n = 1,120
Altered states of consciousness and hypnosis in the twenty-first century 2005 Survey and commentary
Naturalistic use of psychedelics is related to emotional reactivity and self-consciousness: The mediating role of ego-dissolution and mystical experiences Adults with varying histories of psychoactive substance use, including 1661... 2022 Cross-sectional survey n = 2,516
Salvia divinorum use and phenomenology: results from an online survey. Recent users of Salvia divinorum 2011 Survey n = 154
Examination of the Phenomenology of the Ibogaine Treatment Experience: Role of Altered States of Consciousness and Psychedelic Experiences. Individuals who used ibogaine in the past 2017 Retrospective survey n = 27

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Altered states of consciousness Anxiety Ego dissolution Ketamine MDMA Philosophy of mind