Self-compassion, compassion, psychedelics

Abstract

This project is a scoping review examining the relationship between self-compassion, compassion, and psychedelic experiences or psychedelic-assisted therapies. The purpose of the review is to systematically identify, chart, and synthesize the existing literature on how compassion-related constructs are conceptualized, measured, and discussed in psychedelic research. The review will include empirical studies and relevant qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods publications that address self-compassion, compassion toward others, social connectedness, acceptance, kindness, shame, self-criticism, or related interpersonal and intrapersonal processes in the context of psychedelic use or psychedelic-assisted therapy. The review will characterize the scope of the field by summarizing study designs, populations, substances or interventions studied, clinical and non-clinical contexts, compassion-related measures or themes, and key outcomes. Expected outcomes include a descriptive map of the current evidence base, an overview of how compassion and self-compassion have been assessed or described in psychedelic studies, identification of recurring themes and methodological patterns, and clarification of gaps in the literature. Findings are intended to inform future research on compassion-related mechanisms of psychedelic-assisted therapy and to guide the development of more rigorous measures, hypotheses, and study designs in this emerging area.