Naturalistic use of psychedelics is related to emotional reactivity and self-consciousness The mediating role of ego-dissolution and mystical experiences.
Psychedelics are able to acutely alter emotional reactivity and self-consciousness. However, whether the regular naturalistic use of psychedelics can be linked to more persistent trait-level changes in these domains remains an open question. To test the hypotheses that (1) using psychedelics is related to higher positive and lower negative emotional reactivity and (2) an adaptive pattern of self-consciousness, including diminished public self-consciousness and rumination, and increased reflection and self-awareness and (3) these relations are mediated by the intensity of past ego-dissolution and mystical experiences. An online survey including questions about the history of psychoactive substance use questionnaires measuring trait levels of emotional reactivity and self-consciousness questionnaires for retrospective assessment of ego-dissolution and mystical experiences. Data collected from 2516 participants (1661 psychedelics users) were analyzed using robust linear regression and mediation analysis. A higher number of lifetime uses of psychedelics predicted greater positive and lower negative emotional reactivity also, in the domain of self-consciousness, it predicted greater reflection and internal state awareness, and reduced rumination tendency and public self-consciousness. Finally, the intensity of past mystical and ego-dissolution experiences mediated almost all the observed relationships between the lifetime number of psychedelics uses and psychological variables. Lifetime psychedelics use predicts an adaptive pattern of trait-level emotional reactivity and self-consciousness. Ego-dissolution and mystical experiences are essential in understanding the long-lasting psychological effects of psychedelics use. Our findings might potentially explain previous observations of increased well-being in psychedelics users.