Psychedelics and the Dark Side of the Self: A Retrospective Online Survey Exploring Psychedelics and Self-Related Processing

This paper investigates the relationship between psychedelic drugs and changes in self-related processing, such as during an ego dissolution experience. Participants filled out an online survey containing several self-report measures. The results found that mystical experiences predicted higher self-esteem and that this effect is mediated by trait mindfulness. Secondly, a positive association between ego inflation and exploitative-entitled narcissism was found. We did not find EE narcissism to predict lower ego dissolution scores and no effect of mediation practice on spiritual narcissism. Lastly, whether participants are psychedelic users or not was not associated with higher levels of spiritual narcissism if controlled for age, meditation practice and EE narcissism. Our results were mostly in line with other research that has been conducted. However, these findings suggest a more complex relationship between the investigated variables than expected. The mechanisms behind self...Show moreThis paper investigates the relationship between psychedelic drugs and changes in self-related processing, such as during an ego dissolution experience. Participants filled out an online survey containing several self-report measures. The results found that mystical experiences predicted higher self-esteem and that this effect is mediated by trait mindfulness. Secondly, a positive association between ego inflation and exploitative-entitled narcissism was found. We did not find EE narcissism to predict lower ego dissolution scores and no effect of mediation practice on spiritual narcissism. Lastly, whether participants are psychedelic users or not was not associated with higher levels of spiritual narcissism if controlled for age, meditation practice and EE narcissism. Our results were mostly in line with other research that has been conducted. However, these findings suggest a more complex relationship between the investigated variables than expected. The mechanisms behind self-related processing and associated changes impacted by psychedelic use are still largely unexplored and other explanations and factors should be taken into consideration and tested in the future.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

Psychedelics and the Dark Side of the Self: A Retrospective Online Survey Exploring Psychedelics and Self-Related Processing