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Health Benefits and Positive Acute Effects of Psilocybin Consumption: A Quantitative Textual Analysis of User Self-Reported Data

Bheatrix Bienemann, Amanda Rocha Barbosa, Lucas Villar Magalhães da Cruz, Marco Multedo, Daniel C Mograbi

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs June 22, 2023 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2023.2226414 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size 846
Population Public online self-reports of psilocybin consumption
Intervention Psilocybin
Topics Ego dissolution Psilocybin
Keywords Erowid Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Therapy Healing Personal growth Consciousness ego dissolution Mystical experiences Altered states
Citations 3
Key findings Psilocybin experiences commonly involve somatic and visual alterations, connectedness, ego dissolution, and beneficial mystical experiences, with setting playing an important role.

Abstract

There has been growth in the use of psychedelics by the global population in recent years. In addition to recreational and ritualistic use, recent research into psychedelics has brought advances for treating mental disorders. Understanding the specific circumstances in which psilocybin leads to positive outcomes may have important implications for the future of its clinical use and for harm reduction initiatives. This study aimed to investigate the positive effects from the consumption of psilocybin through public online self-reports. We sought to investigate health benefits promoted by the consumption of the substance, positive acute effects, and contextual details of these experiences. We analyzed 846 reports with the assistance of the IRaMuTeQ textual analysis software, adopting the procedures of Descending Hierarchical Classification, Correspondence Factor Analysis, and Specificities Analysis. The texts were grouped in 5 clusters, describing the content of mental experiences, cognitive processes, somatic experiences, perceptual alterations, and context of administration. The findings of this study reinforce central axes of the psychedelic experience, such as the presence of somatic and visual alterations, connectedness and feeling one with the world and effects of setting, as well as the beneficial character of mystical experiences this substance promotes, and the importance of the ego-dissolution phenomenon.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on psilocybin, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients with treatment-resistant depression enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin 2017 Qualitative study n = 20
Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Adults aged 22 to 69 with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis 2017 Qualitative study n = 13
Psychedelic therapy for smoking cessation: Qualitative analysis of participant accounts Participants who completed a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation pilot study 2018 Qualitative follow-up study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis n = 12
Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD Cluster headache patients who used psilocybin or LSD 2006 Qualitative study n = 53
Cancer at the Dinner Table: Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer-Related Distress Adult participants with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis 2017 Qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis n = 13

Citations in the library

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Related reading

Explore topics

Ego dissolution Psilocybin Addiction Mystical experience Mysticism