Combining Psychedelics with Religion or Spirituality: Spiritual Bypassing, Receptivity to Pseudo-Profound Bullshit, Subclinical Psychotic Experiences and Well-Being.

Abstract

Abstract: Psychedelics have been used for spiritual purposes for centuries. However, concerns have been raised regarding spiritual bypassing, maladaptive meaning-making, and increased suggestibility when psychedelics are combined with religious or spiritual beliefs. We examined spiritual bypassing, receptivity to pseudo-profound bullshit, subclinical psychotic experiences, well-being, and mystical and challenging intensity of the most significant psychedelic experience in 147 Western psychedelic users with different motives (religious: n = 21; spiritual but not religious: n = 79; neither religious nor spiritual: n = 47). Religious users were predominantly Christians, whereas spiritual and secular users primarily identified themselves as mindfulness-based practitioners and philosophers or existential meaning seekers. Groups did not differ in education level, psychiatric diagnoses, or receptivity to pseudo-profound bullshit. Religious and spiritual users reported more intense mystical experiences and higher well-being compared with secular users. Religious users reported fewer subclinical psychotic experiences. They also scored higher on spiritual bypassing, which was positively associated with well-being. No association were found between pseudo-profound bullshit receptivity and either mystical experience or spiritual bypassing. Overall, these findings do not support concerns that psychedelic use with religious or spiritual intentions is associated with increased cognitive or psychological vulnerabilities. Keywords: psychedelics, spirituality, religion, spiritual bypassing, suggestibility, well-being