Acceptance as a possible link between past psychedelic experiences and psychological flexibility.
Andreas Krabbe, Pilleriin Sikka, Jussi Jylkkä
Scientific Reports October 16, 2024 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-75595-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 629 |
| Population | Participants with experience of classical psychedelics |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Mental health Psychological flexibility Emotional resilience |
| Citations | 9 |
| Key findings | Psychological insight during a psychedelic experience, not frequency of use, was associated with the psychological flexibility component Acceptance, and psychological flexibility mediated the link between past psychedelic use and well-being or ill-being. |
Abstract
Increased psychological flexibility (PF) may underlie the lasting positive effects of psychedelic experiences on mental well-being. The associations between different components of PF, psychological inflexibility (PI), and well-being with psychedelic use are not well understood. We conducted a cross-sectional internet survey of participants (N = 629) with experience of classical psychedelics. Using network analysis, we examined how aspects of a single psychedelic experience (mystical-type features and psychological insights) and the frequency of past psychedelic use, were associated with current PF and PI components, as well as with mental well-being and ill-being. Mediation analyses explored whether PF mediated the relationship between past psychedelic use and well-being or ill-being. The network analysis linked psychological insight to the PF component Acceptance, with no association found between the frequency of past use and PF. Mediation analyses showed PF mediates the association between past psychedelic use and well-being and ill-being. These results suggest that the quality and depth of the psychedelic experience, rather than the frequency of use, are primarily linked to psychological flexibility, particularly Acceptance, and overall well-being. This underscores the importance of treating PF as a multidimensional construct to better understand the long-term mental health benefits of psychedelics.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Exploring factors associated with the intensity of a mystical experience following naturalistic psychedelic use: A retrospective survey. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry March 20, 2025
- Meditation and psychedelics facilitate similar types of mystical, psychological, and philosophical-existential insights predictive of wellbeing: a qualitative-quantitative approach. Consciousness and Cognition July 7, 2025
- Esketamine and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Treatment-Resistant Depression: An Intervention-Development Framework and Treatment Manual Psychedelics October 1, 2026
- Does Psychological Flexibility Correlate with Mystical Experiences: A Machine Learning Approach Including State of Surrender, Near-Death Experiences, and Psilocybin Consumption. Behavioral Sciences April 30, 2026
- PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF PTSD WITH PSYCHEDELICS: A FUTURE OUTLOOK International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science December 24, 2025
and 4 more in the library
Cites 21
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Journal of Psychopharmacology October 6, 2015
- Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 19, 2017
- Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 2020
- Therapeutic effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics: A systematic review of modern‐era clinical studies Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica October 30, 2020
and 16 more in the library