From egoism to ecoism: psychedelics increase nature relatedness in a state-mediated and context-dependent manner
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Published version
Author(s)
Kettner, Hannes
Gandy, Sam
Haijen, Eline
Carhart-Harris, Robin
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
(1) Background: There appears to be a growing disconnection between humans and their natural environments which has been linked to poor mental health and ecological destruction. Previous research suggests that individual levels of nature relatedness can be increased through the use of classical psychedelic compounds, although a causal link between psychedelic use and nature relatedness has not yet been established. (2) Methods: Using correlations and generalized linear mixed regression modelling, we investigated the association between psychedelic use and nature relatedness in a prospective online study. Individuals planning to use a psychedelic received questionnaires 2 weeks before (N = 654), plus one day, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 2 years after a psychedelic experience. (3) Results: Frequency of lifetime psychedelic use was positively correlated with nature relatedness at baseline. Nature relatedness was significantly increased 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 2 years after the psychedelic experience. This increase was positively correlated with concomitant increases in psychological well-being and dependent on the extent of ego-dissolution and the perceived influence of natural surroundings during the acute psychedelic state. (4) Conclusions: The here presented evidence for a context- and state-dependent causal effect of psychedelic use on nature relatedness bears relevance for psychedelic treatment models in mental health and, in the face of the current ecological crisis, planetary health.
Date Issued
2019-12-16
Date Acceptance
2019-12-08
Citation
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019, 16 (24), pp.1-23
ISSN
1660-4601
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
23
Journal / Book Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume
16
Issue
24
Copyright Statement
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/24/5147
Subjects
Toxicology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-12-16