Mystical and Affective Aspects of Psychedelic Use in a Naturalistic Setting: A Linguistic Analysis of Online Experience Reports
Marija Franka Žuljević, Antonija Mijatović, Stjepan Ljudevit Marušić, Gunnar Kudrjavets, Ivan Buljan, Darko Hren
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs November 3, 2023 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2023.2274382 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 7,317 |
| Population | Online psychedelic experience reports from Shroomery.org, primarily involving psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Experience reports Language analysis Mystical states Sentiment Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Psychoactive substances Transcendental states Religious experiences Natural language processing Linguistic analysis |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Mystical language increases with self-reported psychedelic experience intensity, while negative sentiment also increases and positive sentiment decreases. |
Abstract
Analyzing online retrospective experience reports of psychedelic use can provide valuable insight into their acute subjective effects. Such reports are unexplored in relation to mystical states, which are thought to be a therapeutic mechanism within psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. We created a set of words that, when encountered in an experience report, indicate the occurrence of mystical elements within the experience. We used the Shroomery.org website to retrieve 7317 publicly available retrospective psychedelic experience reports of psychedelic use, primarily of psilocybin, and have a designated experience intensity level self-assessed by the text authors during submission of the report. We counted the mystical language words using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software and additionally performed sentiment analysis of all reports. We found that the occurrence of mystical language grew with increased self-reported experience intensity. We also found that negative sentiment increased, and positive sentiment decreased as self-reported psychedelic experience intensity increased. These two findings raise the question of whether mystical experiences can co-exist with challenging elements within the psychedelic experience, a consideration for future qualitative studies. We present a new mystical language dictionary measure for further use and expansion, with some suggestions on how it can be used in future studies.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 19 |
| Psychedelic effects of psilocybin correlate with serotonin 2A receptor occupancy and plasma psilocin levels Healthy volunteers | 2019 | Observational cohort | n = 8 |
| Increased spontaneous MEG signal diversity for psychoactive doses of ketamine, LSD and psilocybin Humans | 2017 | Observational study | |
| Classic psychedelic use is associated with reduced psychological distress and suicidality in the United States adult population. USA adult respondents from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008-2012) | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 190,000 |
| Prediction of Psilocybin Response in Healthy Volunteers Healthy volunteers | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 409 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Pattern of psychedelic substance use: a comparison between populations in Spain and South America using the Psychedelic Use Scale (PUS) Current Psychology November 21, 2024
- Self-treatment of psychiatric conditions using ketamine: Patterns, characteristics, and retrospective insights. Journal of Psychopharmacology June 1, 2026
- Opinion Mining of Erowid's Experience Reports on LSD and Psilocybin-Containing Mushrooms. Drug safety May 1, 2025
- Speech markers of psychological change following a psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT retreat. Journal of Psychopharmacology May 23, 2026
- Speech markers of psychedelic-induced psychological change bioRxiv April 21, 2025
Cites 32
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine November 3, 2022
- Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology December 1, 2011
- Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later Journal of Psychopharmacology May 30, 2008
- Psychedelics and the essential importance of context. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 15, 2018
and 27 more in the library