Longitudinal associations between psychedelic use and meditation practices in the United States and the United KingdomShow others and affiliations
Number of Authors: 62024 (English)In: Psychological Medicine, ISSN 0033-2917, E-ISSN 1469-8978, Vol. 54, no 6, p. 1228-1234Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background: Previous research has proposed that there may be potential synergies between psychedelic and meditation interventions, but there are still knowledge gaps that merit further investigation. Methods: Using a longitudinal observational research design with samples representative of the US and UK adult population with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity (N = 9732), we investigated potential associations between self-reported psychedelic use and meditation practice. Results: The follow-up survey was completed by 7667 respondents (79% retention rate), with 100 respondents reporting psychedelic use during the 2-month study period (1.3% of follow-up respondents). In covariate-adjusted regression models, psychedelic use during the study period was associated with greater increases in the number of days of mindfulness meditation practice in the past week (B = 0.40, p = 0.004). Among those who reported psychedelic use during the study period, covariate-adjusted regression models revealed that the subjective experience of insight during respondents' most intense psychedelic experience in that period was also associated with greater increases in the number of days of mindfulness and loving-kindness or compassion meditation practice in the past week (B = 0.42, p = 0.021; B = 0.38, p = 0.017). Notably, more days of loving-kindness or compassion meditation practice in the past week at baseline was associated with less severe subjective feelings of death or dying during respondents' most intense psychedelic experience in the study period (B = -0.29, p = 0.037). Conclusions: Psychedelic use might lead to greater engagement with meditation practices such as mindfulness meditation, while meditation practices such as loving-kindness or compassion medication might buffer against certain challenging experiences associated with psychedelic use.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024. Vol. 54, no 6, p. 1228-1234
Keywords [en]
compassion, meditation, mindfulness, psilocybin, psychedelics
National Category
Psychiatry
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-223786DOI: 10.1017/S0033291723003082ISI: 001087356000001PubMedID: 37859627Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85175420460OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-223786DiVA, id: diva2:1812232
Note
OS was supported by Ekhaga Foundation and Olle Engkvist Foundation. SG was supported by a grant (K23AT010879) from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Support for this research was also provided by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS; FR-2018–0006; FR-2018-00246), Forte (2020-00977), and the University of Wisconsin - Madison Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education with funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and with funding from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
2023-11-152023-11-152025-01-08Bibliographically approved