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Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety.

Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett, Roland R. Griffiths

Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2019.11.004 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed
Sample size 985
Population International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic
Topics Anxiety Depression Psychedelic-assisted therapy
Keywords Hallucinogens Mechanism Psychedelics Psychological flexibility Mental health outcomes
Citations 369
Key findings Increases in psychological flexibility fully mediated the effect of mystical and insightful experiences on decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience.

Abstract

Prior research has shown that acute subjective psychedelic effects are associated with both spontaneous and intended changes in depression and anxiety. Psychedelics are also theorized to produce increases in psychological flexibility, which could explain decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience. Therefore, the present cross-sectional survey study sought to examine whether psychological flexibility mediated the relationship between acute psychedelic experiences and spontaneous or intended changes in depression and anxiety among a large international sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic (n=985; male=71.6%; Caucasian/white=84.1%; M age=32.2, SD=12.6). A regression analysis showed that acute effects (i.e., mystical and insightful effects) were significantly associated with decreases in depression/anxiety following a psychedelic experience. A path analysis revealed that, while controlling for age and sex, increases in psychological flexibility fully mediated the effect of mystical and insightful experiences on decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience. This suggests that psychological flexibility may be an important mediator of the therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs. Future prospective experimental studies should examine the effect of psychedelic drug administration on psychological flexibility in order to gain a better understanding of the psychological processes that predict therapeutic effects of psychedelics.

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Comparable studies

Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin 2016 Questionnaire development and validation
Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States 2013 Cross-sectional survey n = 130,152
Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use 2002 Cross-sectional survey n = 282
5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures 2019 Cross-sectional survey n = 362
Microdosing psychedelics: Motivations, subjective effects and harm reduction People aged 16 years or older who had used psychedelics and could comprehend written... 2019 Cross-sectional survey n = 525

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Anxiety Depression Psychedelic-assisted therapy Mystical experience Mysticism