Peak psychedelic experiences: what they are, why they happen, and how they transform us
Recent evidence shows that the most healing properties of a psychedelic trip may have less to do with drug and dosage and more with people having what is known as ‘mystical experience’ on their trip. These transformative experiences come in many forms but they don’t always happen. In this piece, Imperial College ecologist and research collaborator, Dr. Sam Gandy, PhD, examines the research behind mystical experiences and the conditions that encourage them. You can read his full paper here and join us for an evening talk on the subject on 2 Feb.
What is a mystical experience?
Mystical or ‘peak’ experiences can be among the most profound and meaningful events of a person’s life. Such exceptional experiences have been reported for centuries, and they are a universal (if uncommon) aspect of the human experience, occurring in both religious and non-religious individuals and transcending cultural, geographic and religious boundaries. While they may occur spontaneously or as a result of intensive or extended spiritual practice, psychedelic substances can be a great catalyst for them for many people.
Mystical experiences encompass experiential facets of unity, oneness and interconnectedness, transcendence of time and space, deeply felt positive mood (joy, peace and love), a sense of sacredness, reverence or awe, ineffability and a noetic quality – an intuitive belief that what is being revealed has authenticity and validity. Many different labels have been applied to this experience, but what it is referred to is much less important than the effects it can evoke. Research suggests that mystical experiences catalysed by psychedelics are no less profound or impactful than experiences occurring spontaneously.
Psychedelic research has highlighted the importance of this experience in predicting positive outcomes, in both healthy people and those suffering from a mental affliction. They have been linked to reductions in alcohol and tobacco addiction, existential anxiety and depression in clinical studies. Among those without a clinical diagnosis, their occurrence is associated with enhanced and sustained psychological well-being and a sense of life satisfaction and life meaning, in addition to positive changes in attitudes, moods and behaviour.
Mystical experiences occurring under psychedelics have also been associated with enduring self-reported positive shifts in creativity and in relationships with self and with nature, and in kindling pro-environmental awareness. Such experiences may also have the power to shift personality traits, with increases in openness and reductions in neuroticism linked to them, with potentially positive implications for health and cognition.
Together with experiences of insight and emotional breakthrough, the occurrence of mystical experiences has been found to more reliably predict long-term positive changes and shifts in psychological flexibility than other assessed aspects of the psychedelic experience, or its overall intensity. However the intensity or depth of the mystical experience has also been found to bolster positive outcomes in some studies.
While a mystical experience is never guaranteed, research has revealed that a number of factors - including set and setting, drug dosage and type, trait absorption, intention and states of surrender and acceptance all appear to influence the occurrence of mystical experiences. Other factors may further augment the occurrence and intensity of mystical experiences and enhance their long-term benefits, including music, meditation and spiritual practices and nature-based settings.
Meeting God - what could go wrong?
Leapfrogging between frequent, repeated spiritual or mystical experiences with a lack of subsequent integration could potentially result in spiritual narcissism, with emphasis placed on the content of the acute experience, with a lack of positive or transformative change. This can potentially result in spiritual bypass, where people avoid engaging with areas of their lives which may be less exciting but more in need of attention.
Psychedelics enhance suggestibility and allowing the person undergoing the psychedelic session to find their own meaning from their experience in an open, trusting and supportive context is important. Therapists or people facilitating psychedelic sessions should be mindful not to impose their own personal spiritual or religious beliefs on people undergoing the sessions. In a clinical context, concerns have been raised about the potential for directive priming due to this, and the potential for biased clinical interpretations of the mystical experience has been argued by others. Interpretation of mystical experiences from a purportedly neutral and purely secular and reductionist standpoint may also have limitations. It has been argued that this may diminish the effectiveness of psychedelic psychotherapy and be ill-suited in helping people process the ontological shock that may be associated with such experiences. More diverse and nuanced perspectives and holistic approaches that encompass multiple narrative frameworks may be beneficial.
Tumultuous mystical experiences may pose challenges due to their potentially disruptive nature and on occasion may be associated with spiritual emergency or transpersonal crises. These can take a range of forms and are associated with an intense and abrupt transformation that leaves little time for understanding, interpretation or adaptation potentially disrupting the sense of self. Stan and Christine Grof have recommended respectful therapeutic support and facilitating situations (such as through meditation and music-accompanied reflection) in everyday life whereby individuals can confront emerging material along with recommendations of relevant literature as ways of helping people process such experiences. Processing such experiences in turn has the potential for eliciting positive transformative and therapeutic effects.
We will examine some of the key factors that play into the potential for a person to have a mystical experience on a psychedelic trip.
Key factors contributing to mystical or peak experiences
1. Set & Setting: priming for a mystical experience
The set and setting for a psychedelic experience is known to be a key determinant of outcomes, including of mystical experiences. The ‘set’ refers to the psychological context of the person having the experience (encompassing factors such as motivations, expectations, personality structure and mood), while the ‘setting’ refers to the physical location and sociocultural context in which it occurs. While the concept of ‘set and setting’ was popularised in the 1960’s, psychedelic-using indigenous groups have long recognised the importance of context surrounding psychedelic usage, with a tendency to use them in structured ceremonial spaces, often following preparation.
In a modern psychotherapeutic context, great care is taken to ensure a comfortable and secure setting, with interpersonal support provided in the session, in addition to interpersonal preparation and integration prior to and following the session. During the psychedelic session, participants are encouraged to recline on a sofa or bed and close their eyes while wearing eyeshades and listen to a carefully selected accompanying musical playlist through headphones, with the suggestion that they focus their attention inwards for the duration of the session. Feelings of comfort and safety, and an inward focus are all likely important contributing factors and a calm, accepting, unburdened and positive mindset going into a psychedelic experience has been shown to be conducive to the occurrence of mystical experiences.
2. Drug dosage
The dosage of the psychedelic substance ingested is a key predictor of mystical experiences, with higher dosages more commonly associated with their occurrence. Higher dosages are also associated with ego-dissolution experiences, which appear to be intimately linked to mystical experiences.
However, beyond optimal dosage, higher dosages are more likely to trigger adverse reactions, such as extreme fear, delusions or paranoid reactions. Research conducted by Johns Hopkins has revealed that a dosage of 25mg of psilocybin (roughly equivalent to 4-5g of dry Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms) appears to be a high dosage sweet spot, and this is a dosage commonly used in modern clinical studies. It was also noted that an ascending sequence of dose exposure was more likely to yield sustained positive changes, suggesting that having prior experience with lower doses can bolster benefits evoked by subsequent higher dosage experiences. In addition, the sustained positive outcomes associated with mystical experiences (such as shifts in attitudes about life and self, positive behavioural changes, prosocial effects and enhanced spirituality) have also been found to increase in response to dose.
3. Drug type
While all classical psychedelics can catalyse mystical experiences, much of the modern research has centred on psilocybin. However, some studies suggest that when administered in a supportive context, the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT can elicit mystical experiences at higher rates than psilocybin did in research studies conducted by Johns Hopkins. While more research is needed, this suggests that different psychedelics may vary in their capacity to catalyse mystical experiences.
4. Absorption
Absorption is a personality trait that encompasses an individual’s propensity to become fully immersed or engaged in sensory and imaginative experiences. It is a robust predictor of mystical experiences - occurring both with and without psychedelics - and is strongly related to openness to experience, a personality trait also found to predict the occurrence of mystical experiences under psychedelics. While traits are considered to be deeply ingrained and resistant to change, research has revealed that psychedelics such as psilocybin can shift both openness and absorption in a way that is sustained. This suggests these personality traits may be malleable to change through other means, and there may be ways of honing one’s capacity for absorption. Meditation and yoga practitioners have been found to rate higher in absorption than non-practicing controls, and it is possible that a training effect of these practices elicits an enhancement in absorption.
Comfortable settings have been proposed to facilitate enhanced absorption in the present moment, and music listening has been associated with states of absorption. In a psychedelic psychotherapy session, the capacity for inner absorption is maximised through the setting, with people lying comfortably on a couch or bed, listening to music through headphones and wearing eyeshades.
5. Personal intention
Having clear intentions prior to a psychedelic session so an individual feels prepared for the experience is predictive of mystical experiences. Psychedelics are not used frivolously by indigenous groups, with intention comprising a key aspect of their usage. Of a range of different motivations behind psychedelic usage, approaching the experience with an emotional intent or with a spiritual motivation have been associated with greater likelihood of mystical-type experiences and enhanced well-being.
6. Surrender
The ability to let go and surrender (the voluntary release of goals, constructs, preferences and habits) at the beginning of a psychedelic session has been found to be an important predictor of mystical experiences occurring within a session, whereas a state of mental apprehension can block them. Achieving the ability to mentally let go and surrender to the experience, or what has been termed the “surrender state” is partly dependent on setting factors, with feelings of safety and trust an important aspect of surrender, and having the experience in a safe, secure and soothing setting is supportive. “Trust, let go, be open” was the mantra central to the therapeutic approach used by psychedelic therapists overseeing psychedelic sessions at Johns Hopkins, and was adopted by other research groups pursuing psychedelic research elsewhere. Practices such as Holotropic Breathwork place an emphasis on surrendering to the experience, and so use of such a practice prior to a psychedelic session may assist people in learning to surrender and let go prior to having a psychedelic experience.
7. Acceptance
A state of acceptance has been found to be predictive of mystical experiences. Acceptance is related to a non-judgemental, accepting and appreciative attitude to oneself and one’s experiences, or the ability to allow events to unfold without trying to control them. Acceptance is a key aspect of mindfulness and has been found to be enhanced by mindfulness practice. An emphasis is placed on cultivating a state of acceptance by a number of different therapeutic approaches used as part of psychedelic therapy. Entering into an experience with acceptance may also help reduce mental barriers, or the tendency to reject phenomena having no rational explanation, with this being negatively associated with the occurrence of mystical experiences.
8. Music
Music has been associated with provoking mystical experiences outside a context of psychedelic usage, and it likely plays a key role in evoking these experiences under psychedelics. Psychedelics enhance our emotional response to music, which has been referred to as the “hidden therapist” given the central role it plays in psychedelic sessions. It can enhance feelings of wonder and transcendence under a psychedelic, these being core facets of the mystical experience.
The type of music played is likely to influence the occurrence of mystical experiences. One study surveyed individuals with extensive experience of administering psilocybin, and it was reported that music possessing certain qualities, such as a regular, predictable, formulaic phrase structure, orchestration, and a feeling of continuous movement and forward motion that builds over time as being important. Another small study reported that overtone-based music (emphasising instruments with a particularly strong overtone signature, such as Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, didgeridoo, chimes, bells, sitar, human voice overtone singing) was associated with greater overall mystical experiences than compositions dominated by Western classical music.
9. Meditation and spiritual practices
Disciplined contemplative practices such as meditation have been associated with the occurrence of mystical experiences on occasion although such experiences are more likely to occur following intensive or sustained long-term practice. This also seems to apply with psychedelics in the mix.
One study administered psilocybin to experienced Zen Buddhist meditation practitioners on a five-day mindfulness meditation group retreat in the Swiss Alps. All but one of the 20 participants reported a ‘complete’ mystical experience, with this being over double the rate in a study conducted by Johns Hopkins using an equivalent dosage of psilocybin. Prior levels of meditation depth were positively associated with mystical experiences, and psilocybin was found to enhance post-intervention mindfulness and yielded greater sustained positive changes in psychological functioning. Meditation practice also appeared to positively shape the acute psilocybin experience, enhancing its positive effects while buffering against possible adverse reactions. This suggests that mindfulness meditation practice may synergise with psilocybin in a number of ways.
Even shorter term meditation practice prior to a psychedelic experience may be beneficial. One study assessed how spiritual practices including meditation and awareness and self-reflective practices might interact with the psilocybin experience and its associated outcomes. Engagement with spiritual practices commenced 1–2 months prior to the psilocybin experiences and was kept up for 6–8 months following it. Those engaging with the spiritual practices reported higher mystical experience scores in addition to greater long-term psychological benefits, with 96% of this group rating their psilocybin experiences as among the top five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives. This suggests that the spiritual practices enhanced the spiritual significance of the experience and the attribution of enhanced spirituality to it following it.
These studies suggest a positive synergy between meditative or spiritual practice and psychedelic usage, with such practice likely to contribute to the occurrence and intensity of mystical experiences, in addition to enhancing the long-term psychological benefits associated with them.
10. Nature-based settings
Immersion in natural settings has been known to elicit spiritual feelings and mystical experiences. The Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann who invented and discovered LSD and was the first person to isolate and synthesise psilocybin described mystical experiences in nature in his younger days. These were punctuated by blissful feelings of oneness and unity, which he would credit with his decision to pursue a career in chemistry.
In his words:
“I had profound and visionary encounters with nature, and this was long before I conducted my initial experiments with LSD. Indeed, my first experiences with LSD were very reminiscent of these early mystical encounters I had had as a child in nature. So, you see that it is even possible to have these experiences without drugs.”
Using psychedelics with the intent to connect with nature has been associated with greater likelihood of mystical experiences and greater well-being scores in comparison to a number of other motivations behind usage.
Natural settings may be supportive of mystical experiences in a number of ways. They can support meditative and reflective mind states and promote states of mindfulness and absorption. Nature also reliably triggers awe, and does so more consistently than built environments. Awe has been associated with spiritual experiences and feelings, and a state of profound awe has been associated with psychedelic mystical experiences. Feelings of interconnectedness are another core facet of the mystical experience, and a particularly direct perspective of this interconnection may come through recognition of our place in the web of life which may be more evident in natural settings. Feelings of awe and interconnectedness may persist beyond the psychedelic experience, and contact with nature may help sustain these feelings.
What comes after a mystical experience?
As outlined above, practices such as meditation appear to enhance the occurrence and depth of mystical experiences while amplifying the sustained psychological benefits associated with them. Practices designed to boost gratitude, positive emotions or mindfulness may enhance the psychological benefits associated with psychedelic mystical experiences. Given that shifts in people’s relationships with nature are also reported in their wake, greater contact with nature or ecotherapy practices may synergise with such a shift. Other practices and modalities such as virtual reality and rhythmic chanting have also been associated with eliciting mystical experiences, and these may prove fruitful supplemental avenues to explore alongside the administration of psychedelics.
While the mystical experience catalysed by psychedelics appears to be a key aspect of their transformative and therapeutic potential, our knowledge of them is still in its infancy. Much work remains to be done to enhance our understanding of them, and on how to maximise their occurrence and the beneficial effects associated with them. Such work is well warranted, as denying the relevance and importance of these phenomena will limit the therapeutic utility of psychedelics, and a deeper knowledge of such experiences could open up further avenues and lead to the development of new therapeutic practices.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Sam Gandy, PhD is an ecologist and research collaborator at Imperial College London, with a lifelong fascination with nature and wildlife. He has worked previously as Scientific Assistant for the Beckley Foundation, which actively seeks to investigate the effects of psychoactive substances on the brain and consciousness in order to harness their potential benefits. Currently, Sam is working with the Psychedelic Research team at Imperial to uncover the capacity of psychedelics to (re)connect our increasingly disconnected species to nature, for the potential betterment of humanity and the biosphere at large. Sam currently works at the Synthesis Institute designing individually tailored nature-based practices for people undergoing psilocybin therapy for depression.
You can read Dr. Sam Gandy’s full paper here and join us for an evening talk with him on the mystical experience on 2 Feb 2023.
