Setting the Stage for the Inner Journey: Unraveling the Interplay of Contextual Factors and the Intensity of Ego-Dissolution in Naturalistic Psychedelic Experiences
Stanisław Adamczyk, Małgorzata Paczyńska, Anastasia Ruban, Jan Szczypiński, Michał Bola, Paweł Orłowski
February 26, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/qpx2z_v3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 862 |
| Population | Psychedelic users (701 used LSD, 553 used psilocybin mushrooms) |
| Topics | Ego dissolution |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Spiritual or self-healing motivations were associated with more intense ego-dissolution, while curiosity was associated with less intense effects; social and physical context showed no robust association. |
Abstract
Psychedelic substances have the potential to induce profound alterations in cognition, emotionality, and sensory perception. The quality and intensity of these subjective effects exhibit high intra- and inter-individual variability, which can potentially be accounted for by the variability in contexts in which psychedelics are used. Therefore, the aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate how contextual factors - both internal and external - are related to the subjective intensity of psychedelic experiences. Participants filled an online survey and reported their motivations for past use of a given substance, frequency of use in different environments and social contexts. Additionally participants filled the Ego Dissolution Inventory to evaluate the intensity of past ego-dissolution experiences. Robust linear regression analysis was performed on data from 862 psychedelic users (701 used LSD and 553 used psilocybin mushrooms) and revealed that participants consuming psychedelics for spiritual or self-healing purposes reported more intense ego-dissolution experiences, while those reporting curiosity as a motivation reported less intense ego-dissolution effects. However, the social context and physical environment did not exhibit robust associations with the reported ego-dissolution, suggesting that setting might not account for ego-dissolution in naturalistic users, or that its impact is more complex or nuanced. Therefore, our study improves understanding of how contextual factors are related to the acute psychedelic experiences in naturalistic context, and thus could contribute to improving harm reduction strategies and optimizing psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on ego dissolution, most cited first.