A single dose of psilocybin can produce lasting changes in a person’s values in life, including increased appreciation for life and deeper self-acceptance. These lasting changes appear to be caused by certain acute effects of the drug, particularly the deep feelings of togetherness and euphoria. The results of this study were recently published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Psilocybin is an active chemical found in certain types of mushrooms. This is a classic psychedelic drug that temporarily alters human perception and mood. This chemical primarily works by binding to specific serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical messenger involved in many neurological functions, including mood regulation.
Researchers conducted early clinical trials to test whether this chemical could help treat mental health conditions. Several trials are investigating its use in major depressive disorder, anxiety associated with advanced cancer, and alcohol use disorder. Early trial results indicate that the drug may promote changes in beliefs and subjective well-being. These results have sparked renewed interest in psychedelic therapy.
Researchers believe that these positive psychological changes may depend largely on the quality of a person’s initial experience under the influence of the drug. People who report a sense of spiritual connection and sense of ego dissolution often show significant psychological changes over time. Ego dissolution refers to a temporary loss of one’s sense of self and a feeling of deep connection to the world around them. This temporary state can create an opportunity for emotional healing.
Understanding these value changes is important for the treatment of severe mood disorders. People who suffer from depression often lose a sense of purpose and suffer from low self-esteem. If a medical intervention can consistently increase self-acceptance and appreciation for life, it can serve as a powerful therapeutic tool. Clinicians need to understand exactly how these drugs cause such changes.
Jess Carr Gaffney, a scientist at King’s College London, led a team that investigated how different doses of the drug affected healthy volunteers. Co-authors include James Rucker and a team of clinical researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience in London. They wanted to see if the drug changed core personality traits, psychological symptoms, and personal values. They also sought to understand whether certain features of acute psychedelic states could explain the observed changes.
The academic team conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. They recruited 89 healthy adult participants with no current or past mental illness. Each participant was assigned to receive either 25 milligrams of psilocybin, 10 milligrams of psilocybin, or an inactive placebo. The study drugs were administered in identical capsules so that participants could not know which dose they had taken.
Participants took the capsules in a controlled and supervised clinical setting. A trained therapist and an attendant monitored each patient for several hours until the drug took effect. The treatment team provided emotional support and was available to discuss subsequent experiences. Once the immediate effects wore off, participants were allowed to go home.
The research team evaluated the volunteers regularly, checking in on days 8 and 85 after the dosing session. They used standardized questionnaires to measure changes in five common personality traits, such as extraversion and openness. They also looked at changes in common psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and obsessive thoughts.
To assess changes in individuals’ values, the team used a specialized survey originally designed to measure changes in life after near-death experiences. This questionnaire assesses self-acceptance, consideration for others, appreciation for life, and spiritual focus. The researchers also measured the participants’ immediate psychedelic experience using a separate survey conducted immediately after the effects of the drug subsided.
The study results revealed that psilocybin did not change basic personality traits or psychiatric symptoms in this particular group. No change in psychiatric symptoms was expected as the volunteers were healthy individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis. Personality traits are generally stable over the lifespan and are therefore difficult to change with a single experimental intervention. The results were consistent with these expectations.
Researchers observed clear changes in personal values among people who received either dose of the active drug compared to the placebo group. Participants reported an increased sense of appreciation for life and increased levels of self-acceptance. They also showed increased search for meaning and concern for others. These changes were not present in the control group.
These life value changes remained present at both the 1- and 12-week follow-up time points. Volunteers in the group who took 10 milligrams also reported less interest in worldly achievements such as wealth and career success. Participants in the highest dose group initially showed increased interest in social and global issues, but this did not persist until the final follow-up.
By analyzing survey data, the researchers found that certain aspects of the psychedelic experience govern these changes in values. Researchers call this condition ocean infinity. This psychological term refers to a deep sense of euphoria, spiritual awakening, and oneness with the universe. This is characteristic of a strong psychedelic response.
Participants who experienced the highest degree of ocean infinity reported the most positive changes in their life values. A keen sense of oneness and spiritual insight served as a bridge between physical drug administration and the subsequent change in everyday perspective. To a lesser extent, some participants who experienced hearing changes during drug use also showed short-term increases in social and global concerns.
The researchers also tested the participants’ cognitive flexibility, or their mental ability to seamlessly switch between thinking about two different concepts. Some previous research suggests that psychedelics can improve this flexibility, allowing people to break out of rigid thought patterns. The team tested this mental agility one week after the dosing session using a rule-learning computer task.
The researchers found no statistical difference in cognitive flexibility between the psilocybin and placebo groups. Healthy volunteers may already have high cognitive flexibility before the experiment began. This high baseline may have prevented the researchers from detecting further improvement. Also, measurement tools may lack the sensitivity needed to capture subtle psychological changes.
Scientists noticed some limitations in their experimental design. The use of an inert placebo means that participants likely knew whether they received psychotropic medication. These subjective effects can give rise to a phenomenon known as functional blinding. When participants realize they have been given the drug, their expectations may influence their responses to follow-up surveys.
Many of the volunteers in this trial also had experience using psychedelics in their personal lives. Their previous use may have shaped their expectations and basic personality traits. Even before the study began, participants in this study scored higher than the general average in reading on the personality trait of openness. This indicates a pre-existing bias against new experiences.
The questionnaires used to measure personal worth relied entirely on self-reporting. Participants were required to retrospectively estimate the extent to which their beliefs had changed since the clinic administration session. This reliance on memory introduces the potential for recall bias, as people may unintentionally exaggerate their personal growth. Future research may incorporate interviews with families to examine these purported behavioral changes.
Future studies should include a larger group of participants to validate these results. The authors recommend using an active placebo, such as a very low dose of the drug or another psychoactive compound, to maintain the blinding process in future trials. Testing these changes in life values in a patient population rather than in healthy volunteers could reveal how changes in these values can aid in the psychological healing process.
The study, “The Effects of Psilocybin on Personality, Psychiatric Symptoms, and Values: Exploring the Mediating Effects of Acute Psychedelic Experiences,” was authored by Jess Kerr Gaffney, Samuel Myrtle, Famia Askari, Katherine Byrd, Nadav Liam Modlin, Alan H. Young, and James Rucker.
