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Predictors of Psychedelic Experience: A Thematic Analysis

Annie M. Mccartney, Hugh McGovern, Alexander de Foe

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 5, 2022 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2022.2129885 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Thematic analysis Peer reviewed
Sample size 22
Population First-person reports of psychedelic use from the Erowid database (six reports each for ketamine, MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin)
Interventions Ketamine MDMA LSD psilocybin
Topics Ketamine LSD MDMA Psilocybin
Keywords Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Psychoactive substances Environment Context Atmosphere Medical research Treatment studies Thematic analysis qualitative
Citations 33
Key points Six factors—nature, music, preparation, understanding, mind-set, and motivation—were identified as predictors of positive and adverse psychedelic experience, with nature and music potentially useful for de-escalating adverse reactions.

Abstract

Research on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances is expanding. A limitation within this field is the unpredictability of individual responses to psychedelics. Better understanding of factors predicting psychedelic experience is essential to clinical progress and wider harm reduction frameworks. Ketamine, MDMA, LSD and psilocybin were selected for comparison due to their promising therapeutic effects and different mechanisms of action. This study aimed to (a) identify factors that produce positive and adverse psychedelic experience, and (b) compare these potential predictors across four psychedelic substances. A thematic analysis was conducted on twenty-two first-person reports of psychedelic use (six per substance), sourced from the Erowid database. This revealed three external predictors (nature, music, and preparation) and three internal predictors (understanding, mind-set, and motivation). Each factor identified contained two sub-themes that further elucidated meaning and impact. Nature and music emerged as potential tools for de-escalating adverse reactions to psychedelics. Substance-specific perceptual and sensorial effects were also examined. Finally, the importance of, and interrelationship between, preparation, mind-set, understanding, and motivation was examined as common themes that emerged. The broader clinical and sociological implications are discussed, with reference to developing harm reduction frameworks. These findings constitute an early step in developing a more nuanced understanding of factors shaping psychedelic experience.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on LSD, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects Patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases 2014 Prospective follow-up with qualitative content analysis n = 10
Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD Cluster headache patients who used psilocybin or LSD 2006 Qualitative study n = 53
Making "bad trips" good: How users of psychedelics narratively transform challenging trips into valuable experiences. Norwegian users of psychedelics 2021 Qualitative study n = 50
Psychedelic microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook Active microdosing community 2019 Mixed-methods study
Psychoactive substances as a last resort—a qualitative study of self-treatment of migraine and cluster headaches Users of online forums discussing cluster headache and migraine treatments 2017 Qualitative thematic analysis

Citations in the library

Cited by 28

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Cites 27

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Ketamine LSD MDMA Psilocybin Meditation